Dionysius the Areopagite
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Acts 17:34) — a member of the Athenian Areopagus, converted to Christianity by the preaching of the Apostle Paul during his first journey to Athens. As a member of the Areopagus he undoubtedly enjoyed great influence among his countrymen. Besides the brief mention of him in the book of Acts, there also exists a tradition that he studied philosophy in Athens and afterward in Egypt, and that during the sufferings of the Lord, while he was in Egypt and an extraordinary darkness spread over the earth, he exclaimed: “Either God Himself suffers, or He suffers with him who suffers.” According to the testimony of Eusebius, Dionysius was the first bishop of Athens, and, as Nicephorus notes, died a martyr’s death in that city in the year 96 A.D., under the emperor Domitian.
His memory is kept by the Church on October 3. For several centuries, works of a mystical-religious character circulated under the name of Dionysius, exerting particular influence in the Middle Ages; but at present, according to the Biblical History of Metropolitan Philaret and others, they are numbered among the doubtful writings.