The writings of Pseudo-Dionysius, first cited at the beginning of the sixth century, have attracted interest partly because the writer has been wrongly identified with Dionysius the Areopagite, who was converted by St. Paul at Athens, and also with St. Denis, the patron saint of France. Neither of these identifications, however, is possible.

While the thought of Pseudo-Dionysius was a continuation of the Christian Platonism of the early Church Fathers, it is directly influenced by the latest forms of Neoplatonism, as found in Proclus. No other early Christian writer was so clearly influenced by a particular philosopher. The influence of Pseudo-Dionysius on later theologians, philosophers, mystics, and poets was immense. John of Damascus and Thomas Aquinas were both strongly influenced by him. Peter Lombard, Robert Grosseteste, and Albert the Great also acknowledged their debt to him. The poetry of Dante Alighieri and John Milton reflects his heavenly hierarchy...