About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Dionysius publishes articles on the history of ancient philosophy and theology, including Patristic theology, and their nachleben. It has a special interest in the Aristotelian and Neoplatonic traditions.

Peer Review Process

Articles will be selected for publication by the editorial board, which may set conditions in terms of revisions, length, bibliography, etc. Normally, the board will be assisted by members of the Advisory Council.

Journal History

With the publication of the current 2024 volume, Dionysius is launching its third series. The first series, launched in 1978 and running until 1991, described itself as a journal devoted to the study of Hellenic, Patristic, and later Christian Philosophy.  Its second series, which ran from 1998-2020 under the careful editorial hand of Dr. Wayne Hankey (1944-2022), focused predominantly on the legacy of the late ancient Greek Neoplatonists, and served as one of the most important venues for bold and creative scholarship about that tradition. 

While remaining consistent with the scope defined in the previous two series, the editors of the current series conceive Dionysius to be a journal whose central focus is Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy, in its broadest conception. This includes of course the careful philosophical interpretation of the texts of Plato and Aristotle themselves, but also the way their thought and writing is taken up in late ancient pagan Neoplatonism as well as in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic philosophy. Since Plato and Aristotle cannot be understood apart from their philosophical predecessors, we welcome contributions about early Greek philosophy before Plato. Equally important for understanding Greek philosophy is its poetic context, and so Dionysius hopes to publish philosophical treatments of all genres of ancient poetry. Beyond these philosophical studies of ancient Greek poets such as Homer, Pindar, Sophocles, or Aristophanes, and ancient historians such as Herodotus and Thucydides, Dionysius is also interested in the philosophical treatment of poetic and literary works of any ages which have been shaped by an engagement with the Platonic-Aristotelian tradition. The philosophical understanding of Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy also requires deep consideration of the criticisms and rejections of its legacy.

To that end, Dionysius welcomes contributions about philosophical critics of Plato and Aristotle, starting from the Minor Socratic schools and the Stoics, Epicureans and Skeptics, up to modern and contemporary philosophers critical of their philosophical influence.

As the journal of the Department of Classics at Dalhousie University, the journal is naturally focused on ancient authors. Yet we will continue to look for articles on medieval, modern, and contemporary philosophical topics, especially those which reflect on their connection to this ancient Greek philosophical tradition. In the words of one former editor of the journal, Professor Hilary Armstrong, from his introduction to the fifth volume of Dionysius, “we are interested in everything which shows the living power of ancient thought in all generations, down to and including our own.” We hope to receive essays on all these topics which combine philosophical insight and sound scholarship. In an age of intense scholarly specialization, it is the hope that this journal will help its readers appreciate the continuous Platonic and Aristotelian thread which runs through the history of philosophy and culture.

In keeping with the bilingual character of Canada and in the spirit of encouraging interaction between anglophone and francophone scholars of ancient thought, Dionysius continues to publish articles in both French and English.