The commentary of John Colet (1467-1519) on Dionysius the Areopagite’s Ecclesiastical Hierarchy adapts a work widely neglected by medieval theologians to the early sixteenth century. Dionysius’s “apostolic” model allowed Colet to set ecclesiastical corruption against the ideas for re-forming the mind as well as the church. The commentary reveals Colet’s fascination with the Kabbalah and re-emergent Galenism, but it subordinates all to harmonizing Dionysius and his supposed teacher, Paul. This first new edition in almost 150 years and first edition of the complete manuscript is edited critically, translated expertly, and provided with an apparatus that advances historical, theological, and rhetorical contexts. It resituates study of Colet by identifying a coherent center for his theology and agenda for reform in Tudor England.

Excerpt from Two Treatises on the Hierarchies of Dionysius: By John Colet The two Treatises now for the first time made public, along with a third one entitled De Sacramentis Ecclesice, are contained in a manuscript volume in the Library of St. Paul's School. This volume has been already described, in an edition of the work just referred to; so that, beyond mentioning that it is a fair copy, in one uniform hand, there is no need to give any further account of it here. The original of the first Treatise, on the Celestial Hierarchy, is found in the manuscript marked Gg. iv. 26 in the Cambridge University Library; and this has afforded the means of correcting the text in some places, as well as of supplying one considerable omission. The second Treatise, on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, is nowhere else to be met with, so far as I am aware. Although, therefore, this is the one on which the author evidently bestowed most care, yet the fact of its existing in but one copy (and that made, as I should infer, by a not very intelligent scribe), is a disadvantage, which may be pleaded in excuse of occasional errors. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This book explores the influence of Stoicism on the evolution of Thomas More's mind, asserting that More's engagement with the work of Erasmus radicalized his understanding of Christianity and shaped the writing of Utopia.