By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou
Since the works of Saint Dionysios the Areopagite appeared in the 6th century AD until today, Orthodox Tradition has adopted them completely and has integrated them into her entire tradition. She believes that these famous writings were written by Saint Dionysios the Areopagite and somehow, as similarly happened with other texts, they were found later and presented to the Church after many years.
Since then they made a great impression. Saint Dionysios was considered a very great theologian. Leontios of Byzantium used them. Saint Maximos the Confessor interpreted them, he also refuted the first arguments that were formulated then against their authorship. They were accepted by the later Fathers, such as Saint Anastasios the Sinaite, Saint John the Damascene, Saint Theodore the Studite, Saint Niketas Stethatos, all the Philokalic Fathers, especially Saint Gregory Palamas. Saint Symeon the New Theologian was influenced by them, even if he makes no mention of it. Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite used them, etc.
It must be emphasized that these writings are mentioned in the 2nd Canon of the 7th Ecumenical Synod, when a passage of Saint Dionysios the Areopagite is invoked: "The essence of our hierarchy is the words handed down from God, namely the true science of the Divine Scriptures, as the great Dionysios shows us."
Source: From the book Ἅγιος Διονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης βίος, ἔργο καί θεολογία: Πρακτικά ΣΤ´ Θεολογικοῦ Συνεδρίου. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
