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. These mysteries we learn from the Divine Scriptures, and thou wilt find that in well-nigh all the utterances of the Sacred Writers the Divine Names refer in a Symbolical Revelation1 to Its beneficent Emanations.2 Wherefore, in almost all consideration of Divine things we see the Supreme Godhead celebrated with holy praises as One and an Unity, through the simplicity and unity of Its supernatural indivisibility, from whence (as from an unifying power) we attain to unity, and through the supernal conjunction of our diverse and separate qualities are knit together each into a Godlike Oneness, and all together into a mutual Godly unioû.t And It is called the Trinity because Its supernatural fecundity is revealed in a Threefold Personality,4 wherefrom all Fatherhood in heaven and on earth exists and draws Its name. And It is called the Universal Cause 5 since all things came into being through Its bounty, whence all being springs; and It is called Wise and Fair because all things which keep their own nature uncorrupted are full of all Divine harmony and holy Beauty;* and especially It is called Benevolent7 because, in one of Its Persons, It verily and wholly shared in our human lot, calling unto Itself and uplifting the low estate of man, wherefrom, in an ineffable manner, the simple Being of Jesus assumed a compound state and the Eternal hath taken a temporal existence, and He who supernaturally transcends all the order of all the natural world was born in our Human Nature without any change or confusion of His ultimate properties. And in all the other Divine enlightenments which the occult Tradition of our inspired teachers hath, by mystic Interpretation, accordant with the Scriptures, bestowed upon us, we also have been initiated : apprehending these things in the present life (according to our powers), through the sacred veils of that loving kindness which in the Scriptures and the Hierarchical Traditions,* enwrappeth spiritual truths in terms drawn from the world of sense, and super-essential truths in terms drawn from Being, clothing with shapes and forms things which are shapeless and formless, and by a variety of separable symbols, fashioning manifold attributes of the imageless and supernatural Simplicity. But hereafter, when we are corruptible and immortal and attain the blessed lot of being like unto Christ, then (as the Scripture saith), we shall be for ever with the Lord,1 fulfilled with His visible Theophany in holy contemplations, the which shall shine about us with radiant beams of glory (even as once of old it shone around the Disciples at the Divine Transfiguration) ; and so shall we, with our mind made passionless and spiritual, participate in a spiritual illumination from Him, and in an union transcending our mental faculties, and there, amidst the blinding blissful impulsions of His dazzling rays, we shall, in a diviner manner than at present, be like unto the heavenly Intelligences.2 For, as the infallible Scripture saith, we shall be equal to the angels and shall be the Sons of God, being Sons of the Resurrection.3 But at present we employ (so far as in us lies), appropriate symbols for things Divine ; and then from these we press on upwards according to our powers to behold in simple unity the Truth perceived by spiritual contemplations, and leaving behind us all human notions of godlike things, we still the activities of our minds, and reach (so far as this may be) into the Super-Essential Ray,4 wherein all kinds of knowledge so have their pre-existent limits (in a transcendently inexpressible manner), that we cannot conceive nor utter It, nor in any wise contemplate the same, seeing that It surpasseth all things, and wholly exceeds our knowledge, and super-essentially contains beforehand (all conjoined within Itself) the bounds of all natural sciences and forces (while yet
1 i. e. So far as we are capable of receiving this communication.
2 ἐκφαντορικῶς kal ὑμνητικῶς. i. e. God’s differentiated activities. Since the ultimate Godhead is ineffable, Scripture can only hint at Its Nature by speaking of Its manifestations in the relative sphere. See Intr., p. 8. + God is ineffable and transcends unity, see Intr., p. 5. But, since His presence in man produces an unity in each individual (and in human society), Scripture calls Him “One.”
5 The ineffable Godhead transcends our conception of the Trinity. But we call Him a Trinity because we experience His trinal working— as our ultimate Home, as an Individual Personality Who was once Incarnate, and as a Power within our hearts. See Intr., p. 7.
5 God is not a First Cause, for a cause is one event in a temporal
4. These mysteries we learn from the Divine Scriptures, and you will find that in almost all the utterances of the Sacred Writers the Divine Names refer, in a Symbolical Revelation,1 to Its beneficent Emanations.2 Therefore, in almost all consideration of Divine things we see the Supreme Godhead celebrated with holy praises as One and an Unity, through the simplicity and unity of Its supernatural indivisibility. From this (as from an unifying power) we attain to unity, and through the supernal conjunction of our diverse and separate qualities we are knit together, each into a Godlike Oneness and all together into a mutual Godly union.3
And It is called the Trinity because Its supernatural fecundity is revealed in a Threefold Personality,4 from which all Fatherhood in heaven and on earth exists and draws Its name. And It is called the Universal Cause 5 since all things came into being through Its bounty, from which all being springs; and It is called Wise and Fair because all things which keep their own nature uncorrupted are full of all Divine harmony and holy Beauty;* and especially It is called Benevolent7 because, in one of Its Persons, It truly and wholly shared in our human lot, calling to Itself and uplifting the low estate of man. By this, in an ineffable manner, the simple Being of Jesus assumed a compound state, the Eternal took on a temporal existence, and He who supernaturally transcends the whole order of the natural world was born in our Human Nature without any change or confusion of His ultimate properties.
And we have also been initiated into all the other Divine enlightenments which the occult Tradition of our inspired teachers has bestowed on us by mystic Interpretation in accord with the Scriptures. We apprehend these things in the present life (according to our powers) through the sacred veils of that loving kindness which, in the Scriptures and the Hierarchical Traditions,* wraps spiritual truths in terms drawn from the world of sense, and super-essential truths in terms drawn from Being, clothing with shapes and forms things which are shapeless and formless, and fashioning, by a variety of separable symbols, manifold attributes of the imageless and supernatural Simplicity.
But hereafter, when we are corruptible and immortal and attain the blessed lot of being like Christ, then (as the Scripture says) we shall be for ever with the Lord,1 filled with His visible Theophany in holy contemplations, which will shine about us with radiant beams of glory (as it once shone around the Disciples at the Divine Transfiguration). And so, with our mind made passionless and spiritual, we shall participate in a spiritual illumination from Him, and in an union transcending our mental faculties; and there, amid the blinding, blissful impulsions of His dazzling rays, we shall be like the heavenly Intelligences in a diviner manner than at present.2 For, as the infallible Scripture says, we shall be equal to the angels and shall be the Sons of God, being Sons of the Resurrection.3
But at present we use (as far as we are able) appropriate symbols for things Divine; and from these we press on upward, according to our powers, to behold in simple unity the Truth perceived by spiritual contemplations. Leaving behind us all human notions of godlike things, we still the activities of our minds and reach (so far as this may be) into the Super-Essential Ray,4 in which all kinds of knowledge have their pre-existent limits (in a transcendently inexpressible manner), so that we cannot conceive or utter It, nor in any way contemplate It, since It surpasses all things, wholly exceeds our knowledge, and super-essentially contains beforehand (all conjoined within Itself) the bounds of all natural sciences and forces (while yet
1 i.e. So far as we are capable of receiving this communication.
2 ἐκφαντορικῶς καὶ ὑμνητικῶς. That is, God’s differentiated activities. Since the ultimate Godhead is ineffable, Scripture can only hint at Its Nature by speaking of Its manifestations in the relative sphere. See Intr., p. 8. + God is ineffable and transcends unity; see Intr., p. 5. But since His presence in man produces a unity in each individual (and in human society), Scripture calls Him “One.”
5 The ineffable Godhead transcends our conception of the Trinity. Yet we call Him a Trinity because we experience His threefold working: as our ultimate Home, as an Individual Personality Who was once Incarnate, and as a Power within our hearts. See Intr., p. 7.
5 God is not a First Cause, since a cause is one event in a temporal