6th century
Justinian gathers Rome one last time. Islam is not yet born
What happened — and why
Justinian: reconquest and codex (527-565)
Justinian wins back Italy, Africa, and Spain. He builds Hagia Sophia. He codifies Roman law: the Corpus Juris Civilis.
The philosophical cause
Justinian I — The dream: to restore a single Christian Roman Empire. Politically possible, for 30 years. Legally, forever.
The Gothic War (535-554) devastates Italy worse than any barbarians. Three years after Justinian's death, the Lombards seize the north. The reconquest failed.
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
An unknown author writes treatises under the name of a disciple of the Apostle Paul. Apophatic theology: God is unknowable, and of him one can only say what he is not.
The philosophical cause
The Neoplatonism of Plotinus meets Christianity. The synthesis proves more fruitful than either.
Maximus the Confessor, John of Damascus, Thomas Aquinas, Meister Eckhart - all read Dionysius. His influence lasts until the 17th century.
