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.
Divine Bounties be bestowed, if we are united to God. 1 Speaking, then, in a transcendent manner of this “ Foolish Wisdom,” ? which hath neither Reason nor Intelligence, let us say that It is the Cause of all Intelligence and Reason, and of all Wisdom and Understanding, and that all counsel belongs unto It, and from It comes all Knowledge and Understanding, and in It “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”? For it naturally follows from what hath already been said that the All-wise (and more than Wise) Cause is the Fount of Very Wisdom and of created wisdom both as a whole and in each individual instance.
2. From It the intelligible and intelligent powers of the Angelic Minds derive their blessed simple perceptions, not collecting their knowledge of God in partial fragments or from partial activities of Sensation or of discursive Reason, nor yet being circumscribed by aught that is akin to these,’ but rather, being free from all taint of matter and multiplicity, they perceive the spiritual truths of Divine things in a single immaterial and spiritual intuition. And their intuitive faculty and activity shines in its unalloyed and undefiled purity and possesses its Divine intuitions all together in an indivisible and immaterial manner, being by that Godlike unification made similar (as far as may be) to the Supra-Sapient Mind and Reason of
1 The term “God” is rightly used here because the manifested Absolute is meant. Ai OF. 125; ® Col. HE.
4 (1) Very Wisdom = Wisdom in the abstract. (2) Wisdom as a whole = Wisdom embodied in the universe as a whole. (3) Wisdom in each individual instance = Wisdom as shown in the structure of some particular plant or animal, or part of a plant or animal. (1) Is an Emanation; (2) and (3) are created.
5 i.e. They are not limited by the material world, which, with its laws, is known through sensation and discursive reason.
Divine Bounties will be bestowed, if we are united to God. 1 Speaking, then, in a transcendent manner of this “Foolish Wisdom,” 2 which has neither Reason nor Intelligence, let us say that It is the Cause of all Intelligence and Reason, and of all Wisdom and Understanding; that all counsel belongs to It; that from It comes all Knowledge and Understanding; and that in It “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” 3 For it follows naturally from what has already been said that the All-wise (and more than Wise) Cause is the Fount of Very Wisdom and of created wisdom, both as a whole and in each individual instance.
2. From It the intelligible and intelligent powers of the Angelic Minds derive their blessed, simple perceptions. They do not gather their knowledge of God in partial fragments, or from the partial activities of Sensation or of discursive Reason, nor are they circumscribed by anything akin to these; 5 rather, being free from all taint of matter and multiplicity, they perceive the spiritual truths of Divine things in a single immaterial and spiritual intuition. Their intuitive faculty and activity shines in unalloyed and undefiled purity, and possesses its Divine intuitions all together in an indivisible and immaterial manner; by that Godlike unification it is made similar (as far as may be) to the Supra-Sapient Mind and Reason of
1 The term “God” is rightly used here because the manifested Absolute is meant. Ai OF. 125; ® Col. HE.
4 (1) Very Wisdom = Wisdom in the abstract. (2) Wisdom as a whole = Wisdom embodied in the universe as a whole. (3) Wisdom in each individual instance = Wisdom as shown in the structure of some particular plant or animal, or of part of a plant or animal. (1) is an Emanation; (2) and (3) are created.
5 That is, they are not limited by the material world, which, together with its laws, is known through sensation and discursive reason.