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.
4. And God is called “Word” or “Reason” 2 by the Holy Scriptures, not only because He is the Bestower of Reason and Mind and Wisdom, but also because He contains beforehand in His own Unity the causes of all things, and because He penetrates all things, “reaching” (as the Scripture saith) “unto the end of all things,” * and more especially because the Divine Reason is more simple than all simplicity, and, in the transcendence of Its Super-Essential Being, is independent of all things. This Reason is the simple and verily existent Truth: that pure and infallible Omniscience round which divinely inspired Faith revolves. It is the permanent Ground of the faithful, which builds them in the Truth and builds the Truth in them by an unwavering firmness, through which they possess a simple knowledge of the Truth of those things which they believe. 5 For if Knowledge unites the knower and the objects of knowledge, and if ignorance is always a cause of change and of self-discrepancy in the ignorant, naught (as saith Holy Scripture) shall separate him that believeth in the Truth from the Foundation of true faith on which he shall possess the permanence of immovable and unchanging firmness. For surely knoweth he who is united to the Truth that it is well with him, even though the multitude reprove him as one out of his mind. Naturally they perceive not that he is but come out of an erring mind unto the Truth through right faith. But he verily knows that instead of being, as they say, distraught, he hath been relieved from the unstable ever-changing movements which tossed him hither and thither in the mazes of error, and hath been set at liberty through the simple immutable and unchanging Truth. Thus is it that the Teachers from whom we have learnt our knowledge of Divine Wisdom die daily for the Truth, bearing their natural witness in every word and deed to the single Knowledge of the Truth which Christians possess: yea, showing that It is more simple and divine than all other kinds of knowledge, or rather that it is the only true, one, simple Knowledge of God.
i Prov. vill ? The reference is, of course, to the opening verses of St. John’s Gospel. The present passage shows that by the term “God” D. means not one Differentiation of the Godhead singly (i.e. not God the Father), but all Three Differentiations together ; the undivided (though differentiated) Trinity.
3 Wisdom viii. I.
4 God is called Reason: (1) because He is the Giver of reason; (2) because reason causes unity (e.g. it unifies our thoughts, making them coherent), and God in His creative activity causes unity and in His ultimate Godhead is Unity.
5 The Divine Omniscience is: (1) the Object of our faith because we trust in it; (2) the Ground of our faith because the development of our faith comes from it. Faith is a faint image of Divine Knowledge, and is gradually perfected by being changed into knowledge.
4. And God is called “Word” or “Reason” 2 by the Holy Scriptures, not only because He is the Bestower of Reason and Mind and Wisdom, but also because He contains beforehand in His own Unity the causes of all things, and because He penetrates all things, “reaching” (as Scripture says) “unto the end of all things,” * and above all because the Divine Reason is more simple than all simplicity and, in the transcendence of Its Super-Essential Being, is independent of all things. This Reason is the simple and truly existent Truth: that pure and infallible Omniscience round which divinely inspired Faith revolves. It is the permanent Ground of the faithful, which builds them in the Truth and builds the Truth in them with an unwavering firmness, through which they possess a simple knowledge of the Truth of the things they believe. 5
For if Knowledge unites the knower and the objects of knowledge, and if ignorance is always a cause of change and of self-discrepancy in the ignorant, then nothing (as Holy Scripture says) shall separate the one who believes in the Truth from the Foundation of true faith, on which he will possess the permanence of an immovable and unchanging firmness.
For surely the one who is united to the Truth knows that it is well with him, even though the multitude reprove him as one out of his mind. Naturally they do not perceive that he has simply come out of an erring mind into the Truth through right faith. But he truly knows that, far from being distraught, as they say, he has been relieved of the unstable, ever-changing movements that tossed him to and fro in the mazes of error, and has been set at liberty through the simple, immutable and unchanging Truth.
This is why the Teachers from whom we have learnt our knowledge of Divine Wisdom die daily for the Truth, bearing their natural witness in every word and deed to the single Knowledge of the Truth which Christians possess; indeed, they show that It is more simple and divine than all other kinds of knowledge, or rather that it is the only true, one, simple Knowledge of God.
1 Prov. viii. 2 The reference is, of course, to the opening verses of St. John’s Gospel. The present passage shows that by the term “God” D. means not one Differentiation of the Godhead singly (i.e. not God the Father), but all Three Differentiations together: the undivided (though differentiated) Trinity.
3 Wisdom viii. I.
4 God is called Reason: (1) because He is the Giver of reason; (2) because reason causes unity (e.g. it unifies our thoughts, making them coherent), and God in His creative activity causes unity, and in His ultimate Godhead is Unity.
5 The Divine Omniscience is (1) the Object of our faith, because we trust in it; and (2) the Ground of our faith, because the development of our faith comes from it. Faith is a faint image of Divine Knowledge, and is gradually perfected by being changed into knowledge.