Dionysius the Areopagite fl. 1st centuryAD
Greek or Syrian churchman

Born in Athens, he was one of the few Athenians converted by the Apostle Paul (Acts 17.34). Tradition makes him the first Bishop of Athens and a martyr. The Greek writings bearing his name were written, not by him, but probably by an unknown Alexandrian of the early 6th century. They include the treatises On the Heavenly and Ecclesiastical Hierarchies, On Divine Names, On Mystical Theology, and a series of 10 Epistles, and had a great influence onthe development of theology.