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.
7. But what need is there to labour this point? Scripture itself declares1 that God is Dissimilar to the world, and not to be compared therewith. It says that He is different from all things, and (what is yet more strange) that there is nothing even similar to Him. And yet such language contradicts not the Similitude of things to Him. For the same things are both like unto God and unlike Him: like Him in so far as they can imitate Him that is beyond imitation, unlike Him in so far as the effects fall short of the Cause and are infinitely and incomparably inferior.
8. Now what say we concerning the Divine attributes of “Standing” and “Sitting”? Merely this—that God remains What He is in Himself and is firmly fixed in an immovable Sameness wherein His transcendent Being is fast rooted, and that He acts under the same modes and around the same Centre without changing ; and that He is wholly Self-Subsistent in His Stability, possessing Very Immutability and an entire Immobility, and that He is all this in a Super-Essential manner? For He is the Cause of the stability and rest of all things: He who is beyond all Rest and Standing. And in Him all things have their consistency and are preserved, so as not to be shaken from the stability of their proper virtues.
9. And what is meant, on the other hand, when the Sacred Writers say that the Immovable God moves and goes forth unto all things? Must we not understand this also in a manner befitting God? Reverence bids us regard His motion to imply no change of place, variation, alteration, turning or locomotion, whether straightforward, circular, or compounded of both; or whether belonging to mind, soul, or natural powers ; but to mean that God brings all things into being and sustains them,1 and exerts all manner of Providence over them, and is present to them all, holding them in His incomprehensible embrace, and exercising over them all His providential Emanations and Activities. Nevertheless our reason must agree to attribute movements to the Immutable God in such a sense as befits Him. Straightness we must understand to mean Directness of aim and the unswerving Emanation of His energies, and the outbirth of all things from Him. His Spiral Movement must be taken to mean the combination of a persistent Emanation and a productive Stillness. And His Circular Movement must be taken to mean His Sameness, wherein He holds together the intermediate orders and those at either extremity, so as to embrace each other, and the act whereby the things that have gone forth from Him return to Him again.
1 Chee. PS x 8: 2 I.e. This stability is due to Undifferentiation.
7. But what need is there to labour this point? Scripture itself declares1 that God is Dissimilar to the world and not to be compared with it. It says that He is different from all things and (what is stranger still) that there is nothing even similar to Him. And yet such language does not contradict the Similitude of things to Him. For the same things are both like God and unlike Him: like Him in so far as they can imitate Him who is beyond imitation, and unlike Him in so far as the effects fall short of the Cause and are infinitely and incomparably inferior.
8. Now what do we say about the Divine attributes of “Standing” and “Sitting”? Simply this: that God remains What He is in Himself and is firmly fixed in an immovable Sameness in which His transcendent Being is fast rooted; that He acts under the same modes and around the same Centre without changing; that He is wholly Self-Subsistent in His Stability, possessing Very Immutability and an entire Immobility; and that He is all this in a Super-Essential manner.2 For He is the Cause of the stability and rest of all things — He who is beyond all Rest and Standing. And in Him all things have their consistency and are preserved, so that they are not shaken from the stability of their proper virtues.
9. And what, on the other hand, is meant when the Sacred Writers say that the Immovable God moves and goes forth to all things? Must we not understand this too in a manner befitting God? Reverence bids us take His motion to imply no change of place, variation, alteration, turning or locomotion, whether straight, circular, or compounded of both, and whether belonging to mind, soul, or natural powers. It means, rather, that God brings all things into being and sustains them,1 exercises every kind of Providence over them, and is present to them all, holding them in His incomprehensible embrace and exercising over them all His providential Emanations and Activities.
Nevertheless our reason must agree to attribute movements to the Immutable God in such a sense as befits Him. By Straightness we must understand Directness of aim, the unswerving Emanation of His energies, and the outbirth of all things from Him. His Spiral Movement must be taken to mean the combination of a persistent Emanation and a productive Stillness. And His Circular Movement must be taken to mean His Sameness, by which He holds together the intermediate orders and those at either extremity, so that they embrace each other, and the act by which the things that have gone forth from Him return to Him again.
1 Chee. PS x 8. 2 I.e. this stability is due to Undifferentiation.