Deplatonising the Celestial Hierarchy. Peter John Olivi’s interpretation of the Pseudo-Dionysius
By Sylvain Piron
Angels in Medieval Philosophy Inquiry. Their Function and Significance, edited by Isabel Iribarren and Martin Lenz (2008)
Abstract: A major question underlies any discussion of angels in medieval theology : should the intellectual substances of Greek philosophy be identified with Biblical angels ? While Thomas Aquinas gives a clear positive answer, Albertus Magnus and Peter John Olivi opt for the negative. For Albertus, the distinction is necessary for the sake of the philosophical enquiry on the natural world ; for Olivi, this is a theological requirement, meant to suppress all natural mediations between God and the human world. This perspective leads him to a radical decision in his interpretation of the pseudo-Dionysian Celestial Hierarchy ; all that is said there on the circulation of divine illumination only refers to the diffusion of heavenly glory, and has nothing to do with the natural state of angels.
Click here to read/download this article (PDF file)
Deplatonising the Celestial Hierarchy. Peter John Olivi’s interpretation of the Pseudo-Dionysius
By Sylvain Piron
Angels in Medieval Philosophy Inquiry. Their Function and Significance, edited by Isabel Iribarren and Martin Lenz (2008)
Abstract: A major question underlies any discussion of angels in medieval theology : should the intellectual substances of Greek philosophy be identified with Biblical angels ? While Thomas Aquinas gives a clear positive answer, Albertus Magnus and Peter John Olivi opt for the negative. For Albertus, the distinction is necessary for the sake of the philosophical enquiry on the natural world ; for Olivi, this is a theological requirement, meant to suppress all natural mediations between God and the human world. This perspective leads him to a radical decision in his interpretation of the pseudo-Dionysian Celestial Hierarchy ; all that is said there on the circulation of divine illumination only refers to the diffusion of heavenly glory, and has nothing to do with the natural state of angels.
Click here to read/download this article (PDF file)
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