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.
THE DIVINE NAMES IST
CHAPTER XII Concerning “Holy of holies,” “King of kings,” “Lord of lords,” “God of gods.”
I. FORASMUCH as the things which needed to be said concerning this matter have been brought, I think, to a proper ending, we must praise God (whose Names are infinite) as “Holy of holies” and “King of kings,” reigning through Eternity and unto the end of Eternity and beyond it, and as “Lord of lords” and “God of gods.” And we must begin by saying what we understand by “Very Holiness,” what by “Royalty,” “Dominion,” and “Deity,” and what the Scripture means by the reduplication of the titles.
2. Now Holiness is that which we conceive as a freedom from all defilement and a complete and utterly untainted purity. And Royalty is the power to assign all limit, order, law, and rank. And Dominion is not only the superiority to inferiors, but is also the entirely complete and universal possession of fair and good things and is a true and steadfast firmness; wherefore the name is derived from a word meaning “validity” and words meaning severally “that which possesseth validity” and “which exerciseth” it! And Deity is the Providence which contemplates all things and which, in perfect Goodness, goes round about all things and holds them together and fills them with Itself and transcends all things that enjoy the blessings of Its providential care.
1 D. holds that God’s dominion is an absolute quality in Himself apart from all reference to the creation. The Greek word, as he truly says, supports his view. The Latin Dominus, on the other hand, implies the notion of governing, and so has a necessary reference to the creation. Hence St. Augustine says that God could not actually be spoken of as “Lord” before the world or the angels were made. Eckhart says that before the creation God was not God, “Er war was Er war.” D. holds that the title “God” is relative to us. But then he holds—and here explains—that the roots of this relationship exist /»e/essly in the undifferentiated Godhead.
THE DIVINE NAMES IST
CHAPTER XII Concerning “Holy of holies,” “King of kings,” “Lord of lords,” “God of gods.”
1. Since what needed to be said on this subject has, I think, been brought to a proper conclusion, we must praise God (whose Names are infinite) as “Holy of holies” and “King of kings,” reigning through Eternity, to the end of Eternity and beyond it, and as “Lord of lords” and “God of gods.” And we must begin by saying what we understand by “Very Holiness,” what by “Royalty,” “Dominion,” and “Deity,” and what Scripture means by doubling the titles in this way.
2. Now Holiness is what we conceive as freedom from all defilement, a complete and utterly untainted purity. Royalty is the power to assign every limit, order, law, and rank. Dominion is not only superiority over inferiors; it is also the entirely complete and universal possession of fair and good things, and a true and steadfast firmness. That is why the name is derived from a word meaning “validity” and from words meaning respectively “that which possesses validity” and “which exercises” it. 1 And Deity is the Providence that contemplates all things and, in perfect Goodness, goes round about all things, holds them together, fills them with Itself, and transcends all the things that enjoy the blessings of Its providential care.
1 D. holds that God’s dominion is an absolute quality in Himself, apart from any reference to the creation. The Greek word, as he rightly says, supports his view. The Latin Dominus, on the other hand, implies the notion of governing, and so necessarily refers to the creation. Hence St. Augustine says that God could not actually be called “Lord” before the world or the angels were made. Eckhart says that before the creation God was not God: “Er war was Er war.” D. holds that the title “God” is relative to us. But he also holds—and here explains—that the roots of this relationship exist timelessly in the undifferentiated Godhead.