The Accidental Apostle: The Story of Psuedo-Dionysius

What if one of the most influential thinkers in church history turned out to be a case of mistaken identity?

That’s exactly what I stumbled into while researching a related subject.

In this article, we'll look at the comical, semi-frustrating, and astonishing history of how an anonymous Neoplatonic writer slipped into the stream of Apostolic tradition, misdirecting the Church's understanding of heaven, hell, the nature of creation, and salvation.

The consequences cut deeper than many realize.

Pseudo-Dionysius

Scholars know this inadvertent theologian as Pseudo-Dionysius¹, an anonymous Christian thinker from the 5th or 6th century.

Writing under the pen name Dionysius the Areopagite, many Church fathers seem to have mistaken him for the Athenian philosopher who became a student of Paul in Acts 17:

Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus... - Acts 17:34

Writing under a pen name was not rare in that time, but the influence this author achieved seems unprecedented. This case of mistaken identity persisted for over 1,000 years!

The Encyclopedia of Philosophy states;