Dionysian Elements in Thomas Aquinas’s Christology: A Case of the Authority and Ambiguity of Pseudo-Dionysius

The Thomist 72 (2008): 409-42 DIONYSIAN ELEMENTS IN THOMAS AQUINAS'S CHRISTOLOGY: A CASE OF THE AUTHORITY AND AMBIGUITY OF PSEUDO-DIONYSIUS ANDREW HOFER, 0.P. University ofNotre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana THOMAS AQUINAS FEATURES Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite1 in the very first article of the Tertia pars of the Summa Theologiae, on whether it was fitting that God should become incarnate. This use of Dionysius to begin the treatise on the Savior can prompt us to step back and reconsider him as a source for Aquinas's teaching on Christ. The general authority of Dionysius has been a source of some dispute, both in the tradition and at present.2 Christology today could gain much from considering Aquinas's sensitive appropriation of this enigmatic ancient figure. The most influential Greek patristic authority in Aquinas's thought, Dionysius presents within Aquinas's treatment on Christ a pervasively ambiguous source. Aquinas adapts Dionysius's teaching to strengthen his own understanding of the incarnation. Aquinas's frequent recourse to the theandric operation, in particular, demonstrates his keen appreciation for Dionysius and the wider Greek tradition. Yet, the most significant point of 1 For the sake of brevity, hereafter I refer to him as Dionysius or the Areopagite. 2 For example, see the intra-Orthodox debate on Dionysius's orthodoxy in the exchange between Kenneth Paul Wesche and Hieromonk Alexander: Kenneth Paul Wesche, "Christological Doctrine and Liturgical Interpretation in Pseudo-Dionysius," St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly (1989): 53-73; Hieromonk Alexander, "On the Other Hand," St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly (1990): 305-23; and Kenneth Paul Wesche, "Appendix: A Reply to HieromonkAlexander's Reply," St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly (1990): 324-27. 409 410 ANDREW HOFER, O.P. convergence between the Christology of Dionysius and that of the Summa Theologiae lies not in explicating Christ's theandric operation, but rather in extolling the divine goodness and philanthropia in Christ for the salvation of sinners. My investigation falls into four parts. The first sketches a broad assessment of the presence of Dionysius in the thought of Aquinas in order to establish his preeminence among Aquinas's Greek patristic sources. The second undertakes a brief overview of Dionysian Christology, particularly in regards to its articulation of Christ's theandric operation and its emphasis on philanthropia. The third surveys the Dionysian presence in Aquinas's Christology in questions 1-59 of the Tertia pars. With all this as background, the fourth section offers a more detailed and critical appreciation of all of Aquinas's uses of one Dionysian contribution: Christ's theandric operation. I conclude by suggesting the importance of Aquinas's understanding of the theandric operation for ecumenism today and underscoring the common emphasis in Dionysius and Aquinas of God's love made known in the Savior for us smners. I. DIONYSIUS AS A SOURCE FOR AQUINAS Estimates in assessing the role of Dionysius in Aquinas's thought vary considerably. T. C. O'Brien defines an auctoritas for medievals as a privileged text "from the canonical Scriptures, ecclesiastical writers, canon law, liturgy, even the philosophers." He then claims that Dionysius is cited by Aquinas "more than any other single auctoritas."3 This is an exaggeration, as the canonical Scriptures are for Aquinas a far superior and more frequently cited authority than any nonbiblical source.4 Significantly for our 3 T. C. O'Brien, "The Dionysian Corpus," Appendix 3 to Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, vol. 14 (Ia. 103-109), Divine Government, trans. T. C. O'Brien (New York: McGraw-Hill Co., 1975), 182-83. 4 For the position of biblical authority versus other authorities, see esp. STh I, q. 1, a. 8, ad 2. For an important study of Scripture in St. Thomas's theology, see Wilhelmus G. B. M. Valkenberg, Words of the Living God: Place and Function ofHoly Scripture in the Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas (Leuven: Peeters, 2000). For example, Valkenberg states that 4,105 explicit scriptural references are found in STh III, qq. 1-59. Adding implicit quotations, DIONYSIAN ELEMENTS IN AQUINAS'S CHRISTOLOGY 411 present interest, Aquinas often poses objections to the use of a nonscriptural term in theology on the basis of Dionysius's authority that no one should...