Articles

The Paradox of Self-Denial: Ecstasy and the One of the Soul in Dionysius the Areopagite

D. T. Sheffler

Abstract

D. T. Sheffler explores the "Paradox of Self-Denial" in the works of Dionysius the Areopagite, specifically how the self is simultaneously transcended and reaffirmed in ecstatic union with God. By examining Neoplatonic concepts like Iamblichus’s "metaphysics of ecstasy" and the "one of the soul," Sheffler argues that Dionysius presents a model of "self-displacement" rather than annihilation. Central to this vision is a reciprocal, ecstatic eros where both God and the human person "stand outside themselves" while maintaining their distinct identities.