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.
Abundance in those Beings that lack, and a Super-Abundance in those that abound; unutterable, ineffable ; beyond Mind, beyond Life, beyond Being ; It supernaturally possesses the supernatural and super-essentially possesses the super-essential.* And since that Supra-Divine Being hath in loving kindness come down from thence unto the Natural Estate, and verily took substance and assumed the name of Man (we must speak with reverence of those things which we utter beyond human thought and language), even in this act He possesses His Supernatural and Super-Essential Existence—not only in that He hath without change or confusion of Attributes shared in our human lot while remaining unaffected by that unutterable Self-Emptying as regards the fullness of His Godhead, but also because (most wonderful of all wonders !) He passed in His Supernatural and Super-Essential state through conditions of Nature and Being, and receiving from us all things that are ours, exalted them far above us:
11. So much for these matters. Now let us proceed to the object of our discussion and endeavour to explain the Common and Undifferenced Names belonging to God’s Differentiated Being. And, that the subject of our investigation may be clearly defined beforehand, we give the name of Divine Differentiation (as was said) to the beneficent Emanations of the Supreme Godhead.1 For bestowing upon all things and supernally infusing Its Communications unto the goodly Universe, It becomes differentiated without loss of Undifference ;* and multiplied without loss of Unity; from Its Oneness it becomes manifold while yet remaining within Itself. For example, since God is super-essentially Existent and bestows existence upon all things that are, and brings the world into being, that single Existence of His is said to become manifold through bringing forth the many existences from Itself, while yet He remains One in the act of Self-Multiplication ; Undifferenced throughout the process of Emanation, and Full in the emptying process of Differentiation ; Super-Essentially transcending the Being of all things, and guiding the whole world onwards by an indivisible act, and pouring forth without diminution His indefectible bounties. Yea, being One and communicating of His Unity both unto every part of the world and also unto the whole, both unto that which is one and unto that which is many, He is One in an unchangeable and super-essential manner, being neither an unit in the multiplicity of things nor yet the sum total of such units. Indeed, He is not an unity in this sense, and doth not participate in unity nor possess it ;* but He is an Unity in a manner far different from this, above all unity which is in the world ; yea, He is an Indivisible Plurality, insatiable yet brim-full, producing, perfecting, and maintaining all unity and plurality. Moreover, since many, through Deification from Him, are made Gods1 (so far as the Godlike capacity of each allows), there thus appears to be what is called a Differentiation2 and a Reduplication of the One God, yet none the less He is the primal God, the Supra-Divine and Super-Essentially One God, who dwells Indivisibly within the separate and individual things, being an Undifferenced Unity in Himself and without any commixture or multiplication through His contact with the Many. And supernaturally perceiving this, thus speaketh (by inspiration, in his holy writings) that Guide unto Divine illumination by whom both we and our teacher are led, that mighty man in things Divine, that Luminary of the world. For though (saith he) there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth (as there be gods many and lords many). But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him. For in divine things the undifferenced Unities are of more might than the Differentiations* and hold the foremost place and retain their state of Undifference even after the One has, without departing from Its oneness, entered into Differentiation. These Differentiations or beneficent Emanations of the whole perhaps the Divine Motion taken in the abstract. The Godhead includes both Rest and Motion by transcending them.
1 Behind Nature are certain higher supernatural possibilities (which are manifested, e. g., in the Miracles of Christ and His Disciples), and beyond our personalities there is a mystery which is greater than our finite selves, and yet, in a sense, is our true selves. The Godhead possesses in Itself the supernatural possibilities of Nature and the supra-personal possibilities of our personalities.
* i.e. Christ did not merely keep His Godhead parallel, as it were, with His Manhood, but brought It into His Manhood and so exalted the Manhood.
3 i.e. Let us explain what are the Names which belong indivisibly to all Three Persons of the Trinity.
Abundance in those Beings that lack, and a Super-Abundance in those that abound; unutterable, ineffable; beyond Mind, beyond Life, beyond Being; It supernaturally possesses the supernatural and super-essentially possesses the super-essential.*
And since that Supra-Divine Being has in loving kindness come down from there into the Natural Estate, and truly took substance and assumed the name of Man (we must speak with reverence of those things which we utter beyond human thought and language), even in this act He possesses His Supernatural and Super-Essential Existence—not only in that He has shared in our human lot without change or confusion of Attributes, while remaining unaffected by that unutterable Self-Emptying as regards the fullness of His Godhead, but also because (most wonderful of all wonders!) He passed in His Supernatural and Super-Essential state through conditions of Nature and Being, and, receiving from us all things that are ours, exalted them far above us:
11. So much for these matters. Now let us proceed to the object of our discussion and try to explain the Common and Undifferenced Names belonging to God’s Differentiated Being. And, so that the subject of our investigation may be clearly defined beforehand, we give the name of Divine Differentiation (as was said) to the beneficent Emanations of the Supreme Godhead.1 For, bestowing Itself upon all things and infusing Its Communications from above into the goodly Universe, It becomes differentiated without loss of Undifference,* and multiplied without loss of Unity; from Its Oneness It becomes manifold while still remaining within Itself.
For example, since God is super-essentially Existent and bestows existence upon all things that are, and brings the world into being, that single Existence of His is said to become manifold by bringing forth the many existences from Itself, while He remains One in the act of Self-Multiplication; Undifferenced throughout the process of Emanation, and Full in the emptying process of Differentiation; Super-Essentially transcending the Being of all things, guiding the whole world onwards by an indivisible act, and pouring forth His indefectible bounties without diminution. Indeed, being One, and communicating His Unity both to every part of the world and to the whole, both to that which is one and to that which is many, He is One in an unchangeable and super-essential manner, being neither a unit in the multiplicity of things nor the sum total of such units. In fact, He is not a unity in this sense, and does not participate in unity or possess it;* but He is a Unity in a manner far different from this, above all unity that is in the world; indeed, He is an Indivisible Plurality, insatiable yet brim-full, producing, perfecting, and maintaining all unity and plurality.
Moreover, since many, through Deification from Him, are made Gods1 (so far as the Godlike capacity of each allows), there appears to be what is called a Differentiation2 and a Reduplication of the One God; yet none the less He is the primal God, the Supra-Divine and Super-Essentially One God, who dwells Indivisibly within the separate and individual things, being an Undifferenced Unity in Himself, without any commixture or multiplication through His contact with the Many.
And, perceiving this supernaturally, that Guide to Divine illumination by whom both we and our teacher are led, that mighty man in things Divine, that Luminary of the world, speaks thus (by inspiration, in his holy writings): For though (he says) there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth (as there be gods many and lords many). But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him. For in divine things the undifferenced Unities are of more might than the Differentiations,* and they hold the foremost place and retain their state of Undifference even after the One has, without departing from Its oneness, entered into Differentiation. These Differentiations or beneficent Emanations of the whole perhaps the Divine Motion taken in the abstract. The Godhead includes both Rest and Motion by transcending them.
1 Behind Nature there are certain higher supernatural possibilities (which are manifested, e.g., in the Miracles of Christ and His Disciples), and beyond our personalities there is a mystery which is greater than our finite selves and yet, in a sense, is our true selves. The Godhead possesses in Itself the supernatural possibilities of Nature and the supra-personal possibilities of our personalities.
* i.e. Christ did not merely keep His Godhead parallel, as it were, with His Manhood, but brought It into His Manhood and so exalted the Manhood.
3 i.e. Let us explain which Names belong indivisibly to all Three Persons of the Trinity.