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.
Title “ Perfect” means that It cannot be increased (being always Perfect) and cannot be diminished, and that It contains all things beforehand in Itself and overflows in one ceaseless, identical, 1 abundant and inexhaustible supply, whereby It perfects all perfect 2 things and fills them with Its own Perfection.
2. And the title “One” implies that It is all things under the form of Unity through the Transcendence of Its single Oneness,’ and is the Cause of all things without departing from that Unity. For there is nothing in the world without a share in the One; and, just as all number participates in unity (and we speak of one couple, one dozen, one half, one third, or one tenth) even so everything and each part of everything participates in the One, and on the existence of the One all other existences are based, and the One Cause of all things is not one of the many things in -the world,* but is before all Unity and Multiplicity and gives to all Unity and Multiplicity their definite bounds$ For no multiplicity can exist except by some participation in the One: 1 that which is many in its parts is one in its entirety; that which is many in its accidental qualities is one in its substance; 2 that which is many in number or faculties is one in species ;% that which is many in its emanating activities is one in its originating essence. 4 There is naught in the world without some participation in the One, the Which in Its all-embracing Unity contains beforehand all things, and all things conjointly, combining even opposites under the form of oneness. And without the One there can be no Multiplicity; yet contrariwise the One can exist without the Multiplicity just as the Unit exists before all multiplied Number? And if all things be conceived as being ultimately unified with each other, then all things taken as a whole are One.
is, we may say, transcendental, or timeless, but not transcendent, or undifferentiated. D., by saying that “in Its transcendence. .. It penetrates to all things at once and beyond them,” teaches incidentally that the Godhead’s Transcendence and Immanence are ultimately the same fact. They are two ways of looking at the one truth of Its Undifferentiation. Since It is undifferentiated the Godhead is beyond our individual being ; but since It is undifferentiated It is not ultimately other than ourselves. It is beyond our essence and is our Super-Essence. The theory of mere Transcendence is Deism, that of mere Immanence is Pantheism. True religion demands both in one fact and as one fact. So God is both near and far (see the Bible fassz7z). He is far because He is nearer to us than our own souls are. “Thou wast within, I was outside” (St. Augustine). Hence true Introversion is an act of self-transcendence. We must lose ourselves to find ourselves.
1 Identical because timeless.
2 “Perfect,” a term taken from the Mysteries expressing the final state of the initiated. $° See te £64, m2: £ Ch xis 2.
5 The Godhead is not one individual, or essence, among others, but is the Super-Essence of them all. The numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. = 1 X I, I 2, 1X 3, Pret has in the form “1. 17 the first figure
Title “Perfect” means that It cannot be increased (being always Perfect) and cannot be diminished, and that It contains all things beforehand in Itself and overflows in one ceaseless, identical, 1 abundant, and inexhaustible supply, by which It perfects all perfect 2 things and fills them with Its own Perfection.
2. And the title “One” implies that It is all things under the form of Unity, through the Transcendence of Its single Oneness, 3 and is the Cause of all things without departing from that Unity. For there is nothing in the world without a share in the One. Just as all number participates in unity (and we speak of one couple, one dozen, one half, one third, or one tenth), so everything, and each part of everything, participates in the One; on the existence of the One all other existences are based; and the One Cause of all things is not one of the many things in the world, 4 but is before all Unity and Multiplicity and gives to all Unity and Multiplicity their definite bounds. 5
For no multiplicity can exist except by some participation in the One: 1 what is many in its parts is one in its entirety; what is many in its accidental qualities is one in its substance; 2 what is many in number or faculties is one in species; 3 what is many in its emanating activities is one in its originating essence. 4
There is nothing in the world without some participation in the One, which in Its all-embracing Unity contains all things beforehand, and all things together, combining even opposites under the form of oneness. And without the One there can be no Multiplicity; yet, conversely, the One can exist without the Multiplicity, just as the Unit exists before all multiplied Number. 5 And if all things are conceived as being ultimately unified with each other, then all things taken as a whole are One.
is, we may say, transcendental, or timeless, but not transcendent, or undifferentiated. By saying that “in Its transcendence . . . It penetrates to all things at once and beyond them,” D. teaches incidentally that the Godhead’s Transcendence and Immanence are ultimately the same fact. They are two ways of looking at the one truth of Its Undifferentiation. Since It is undifferentiated, the Godhead is beyond our individual being; but since It is undifferentiated, It is not ultimately other than ourselves. It is beyond our essence and is our Super-Essence. The theory of mere Transcendence is Deism; that of mere Immanence is Pantheism. True religion demands both, in one fact and as one fact. So God is both near and far (see the Bible throughout). He is far because He is nearer to us than our own souls are. “Thou wast within, I was outside” (St. Augustine). Hence true Introversion is an act of self-transcendence. We must lose ourselves to find ourselves.
1 Identical because timeless.
2 “Perfect”: a term taken from the Mysteries, expressing the final state of the initiated. 3 See te £64, m2: £ Ch xis 2.
5 The Godhead is not one individual or essence among others, but is the Super-Essence of them all. The numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. = 1 X 1, 1 X 2, 1 X 3, … In the form “1. 17” the first figure