Kyeongyoon Woo

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This paper examines the impact of Proclus’ notion of divine descent, i.e., κατάβασις, on the formation of core theological doctrines in Pseudo-Dionysius and Maximus the Confessor. The notion of κατάβασις was originally employed by pagan Proclus to explain the downward providence of gods toward humans, emphasizing the dominant role of gods for human perfection. In his exegesis on Alcibiades I, Proclus identified Socrates as the incarnation of divine providence, a divinely inspired lover in charge of Alcibiades’ conversion to philosophical life. Pseudo-Dionysius adapted the Proclean notion of κατάβασις by supplementing it with the Christian notion of God’s ecstatic love, understood as God’s providential act toward His creation. In the Celestial Hierarchy and Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, Dionysius endeavored to reveal the reciprocal-ecstatic union between God and humans made possible by His ecstatic κατάβασις during the liturgy. Maximus adapted and further developed the Dionysian notion of κατάβασις. While stressing the crucial role of the κατάβασις for human salvation, he gave it a new meaning by synthesizing it in the context of his anthropology, which stressed the holistic transformation of the human body and soul as a result of the divine descent.

A presentation, “Theoria and Tranquility in Seneca and Gregory the Great,” given at the XIX International Conference on Patristic Studies 5-9th August 2024 (Oxford University, UK). The presentation was a part of the Flourishing in Early Christianity Workshops organized by the Human Flourishing Program-Harvard University; Institute of Studies of Religion-Baylor University; Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry-ACU.

The notion of sense-perception for accomplishing philosophical fulfilment has been discussed by Plato in the Phaedrus. Plato (Phaedrus 250d-252b) discusses the significance of perception that enables the cognitive progress toward the recollection of the Forms. Simultaneously, Plato emphasises the right use of sense-perception (Phaedrus 247b), urging people to free themselves from over-indulgence in the matter. This Platonic notion was appreciated by John Philoponus, a 6th-century Byzantine Christian philosopher. Philoponus emphasises the significance of sense-perception for the recollection of the soul toward its perfection (Philoponus de Anima, 158). Introducing the “pneumatic body” as a medium between sense-organ and human cognition (Philoponus de Anima, 158), Philoponus follows Plato in arguing for the right use of the body toward intellectual illumination (Philoponus de Anima, 183.24-34). The paper examines Philoponus’ appreciation of the Platonic notion of sense-perception, offering an additional paradigm for the continuous interface between pagan philosophy and Christian theology in 6th-century Byzantium.