The Idea of God

Peter Harris

In this paper I intend to look at a debate arising in the early Middle Ageswhich focused on the divine names. The topic was so formulated in the 6thcentury by the writer who came to be known as the “pseudo-Dionysius” who wasin fact a theological writer in the neo-Platonic tradition in the early 6th centurywhose theological/mystical writings were very influential in the 13th centurytheological debates. I will refer to him simply as Dionysius. Among his writingsis a work titled On the divine Names—St Thomas Aquinas wrote a detailedcommentary on this book and came to differ from him not in the commentary butin his own writing in the Summa Theologiae. I am assuming consequently thatthis discussion should cast some light on the question as to how we should boththink and speak about God.