The echo of the Indescribable

the upward way in Pseudo Dionysius the Areopagite’s Christian Neoplatonism

Abstract

This article examines the influence of Neoplatonism, particularly Proclus, on the work of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, highlighting the original synthesis he creates between philosophy and Christian theology. It analyses the doctrine of the via negativa and the triadic movement of the soul—purification, illumination, and perfection—as a Christian reinterpretation of Plotinus’s spiritual stages of katharsis, theoria, and henosis. Moreover, the academic debate concerning the relationship between Proclus and Dionysius is also discussed, emphasizing both conceptual continuity and the originality of Dionysius’s thought. Finally, the article reflects on the enduring relevance of this mystical tradition and its contribution to the understanding the divine mystery in contemporary spirituality.