On the Divine Names and the Mystical Theology — trans. C. E. Rolt
The translator’s English as printed (C. E. Rolt). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
13. And the Divine Yearning brings ecstasy, not allowing them that are touched thereby to belong unto themselves but only to the objects of their affection. This principle is shown by superior things through their providential care for their inferiors, and by those which are co-ordinate through the mutual bond uniting them, and by the inferior through their diviner tendency towards the highest. And hence the great Paul, constrained by the Divine Yearning, and having received a share in its ecstatic power, says, with inspired utterance, “I live, and yet not I but Christ liveth in me”: true Sweetheart that he was and (as he says himself) being beside himself unto God, and not possessing his own life but possessing and loving the life of Him for Whom he yearned. And we must dare to affirm (for ’tis the truth) that the Creator of the Universe Himself, in His Beautiful and Good Yearning towards the Universe, is through the excessive yearning of His Goodness, transported outside of Himself in His providential activities towards all things that have being, and is touched 4 by the sweet spell of Goodness, Love and Yearning, and so is drawn from His transcendent throne above all things, to dwell within the heart of all things, through a super-essential and ecstatic power whereby He yet stays within Himself! Hence Doctors call Him “jealous,” because He is vehement in His Good Yearning towards the world, and because He stirs men up to a zealous search of yearning desire for Him, and thus shows Himself zealous inasmuch as zeal is always felt concerning things which are desired, and inasmuch as He hath a zeal concerning the creatures for which He careth. In short, both the Yearning and its Object belong to the Beautiful and the Good, and have therein their pre-existent roots and because of it exist and come into being.
re Earthly desire is below static conditions, the Divine Desire is above them.
2 i. e. The word ἔρως is sometimes used concerning God to stimulate our minds by its unexpectedness and so to make us penetrate beyond the word to the mystery hinted at by it. On the other hand ἀγάπη or ἀγάπησις is sometimes used concerning human relationships to prevent any degrading associations from entering in. 3 2 Sam. i. 26.
13. And the Divine Yearning brings ecstasy, not allowing those it touches to belong to themselves but only to the objects of their affection. This principle is shown by superior things in their providential care for their inferiors, by things of equal rank in the mutual bond that unites them, and by inferior things in their more divine tendency toward the highest. And so the great Paul, constrained by the Divine Yearning and having received a share in its ecstatic power, says with inspired utterance, “I live, and yet not I, but Christ lives in me”: a true lover, as he was, and (as he says himself) beside himself for God, not possessing his own life but possessing and loving the life of the One for whom he yearned.
And we must dare to affirm (for it is the truth) that the Creator of the Universe Himself, in His Beautiful and Good Yearning toward the Universe, is through the overflowing yearning of His Goodness carried outside Himself in His providential activities toward all things that have being. He is touched 4 by the sweet spell of Goodness, Love and Yearning, and so is drawn from His transcendent throne above all things to dwell within the heart of all things, through a super-essential and ecstatic power by which He nonetheless remains within Himself.1
This is why Doctors call Him “jealous”: because He is vehement in His Good Yearning toward the world, and because He stirs people up to a zealous search of yearning desire for Him. He thus shows Himself zealous, since zeal is always felt about things that are desired, and since He has zeal for the creatures He cares for. In short, both the Yearning and its Object belong to the Beautiful and the Good, have their pre-existent roots there, and exist and come into being because of it.
re Earthly desire falls below static conditions; the Divine Desire rises above them.
2 i.e. The word ἔρως is sometimes used of God to stimulate our minds by its unexpectedness, and so to make us penetrate beyond the word to the mystery it hints at. On the other hand, ἀγάπη or ἀγάπησις is sometimes used of human relationships to keep out any degrading associations. 3 2 Sam. i. 26.