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.
2. Now perhaps there is need of an explanation why, when our renowned teacher Hierotheus hath compiled! his wonderful Æ/ements of Divinity, we have composed other Tractates of Divinity, and now are writing this present as if his work were not sufficient. Now if he had professed to deal in an ordered system with all questions of Divinity, and had gone through the whole sum of Divinity with an exposition of every branch, we should not have gone so far in madness or folly as to suppose that we could touch these problems with a diviner insight than he, nor would we have cared to waste our time in a vain repetition of those same truths; more especially since it would be an injury to a teacher whom we love were we thus to claim for ourselves the famous speculations and expositions of a man who, next to Paul the Divine, hath been our chief preceptor. But since, in his lofty “ Instructions on Divinity,” he gave us comprehensive and pregnant definitions fitted to our understanding, and to that of such amongst us as were teachers of the newly initiated souls, and bade us unravel and explain with whatever powers of reason we possessed, the comprehensive and compact skeins of thought spun by his mighty intellect; and since thou hast thyself oftentimes urged us so to do, and hast remitted his treatise to us as too sublime for comprehension, therefore we, while setting him apart (as a teacher of advanced and perfect spirits) for those above the commonalty, and as a kind of second Scriptures worthy to follow the Inspired Writings, will yet teach Divine Truths, according to our capacity, unto those who are our peers. For if solid food is suited only to the perfect, what degree of perfection would it need to give this food to others? Wherefore we are right in saying that the direct study of the spiritual1 Scriptures and the comprehensive teaching of them need advanced capacities, while the understanding and the learning of the matter which contribute thereto is suited to the inferior Initiators and Initiates.2 We have, however, carefully observed the principle: Whatsoever things our Divine Preceptor has throughly dealt with and made clearly manifest we have never in any wise ventured thereon, for fear of repetition, nor given the same explanation of the passage whereof he treated. For3 even among our inspired Hierarchs (when, as thou knowest, we with him and many of our holy brethren met together to behold that mortal body, Source of Life, which received the Incarnate God,* and James, the brother of God, was there, and Peter, the chief and highest of the Sacred Writers, and then, having beheld it, all the Hierarchs there present celebrated, according to the power of each, the omnipotent goodness of the Divine weakness): on that occasion, I say, he surpassed all the Initiates next to the Divine Writers, yea, he was wholly transported, was wholly outside of himself, and was so moved by a communion with those Mysteries he was celebrating, that all who heard him and saw him and knew him (or rather knew him not) deemed him to be rapt of God and endued with utterance Divine. But why should I tell thee of the divine things that were uttered in that place? For, unless I have forgotten who I am, I know that I have often heard from thee certain fragments of those enraptured praises; so earnest hast thou been with all thy soul to follow heavenly things.
2. Now perhaps an explanation is needed as to why, when our renowned teacher Hierotheus has compiled1 his wonderful Elements of Divinity, we have composed other Tractates of Divinity, and are now writing this present one, as if his work were not sufficient. Now if he had professed to deal with all questions of Divinity in an ordered system, and had gone through the whole sum of Divinity with an exposition of every branch, we would not have gone so far in madness or folly as to suppose that we could touch these problems with a diviner insight than his, nor would we have cared to waste our time in a vain repetition of those same truths; all the more since it would wrong a teacher whom we love if we were thus to claim for ourselves the famous speculations and expositions of a man who, next to Paul the Divine, has been our chief preceptor.
But in his lofty “Instructions on Divinity” he gave us comprehensive and pregnant definitions fitted to our understanding, and to that of those among us who were teachers of newly initiated souls, and he bade us unravel and explain, with whatever powers of reason we possessed, the comprehensive and compact skeins of thought spun by his mighty intellect; and you yourself have often urged us to do so, and have sent his treatise back to us as too sublime for comprehension.
Therefore, while setting him apart (as a teacher of advanced and perfect spirits) for those above the common run, as a kind of second Scriptures worthy to follow the Inspired Writings, we will nevertheless teach Divine Truths, according to our capacity, to those who are our peers. For if solid food is suited only to the perfect, what degree of perfection would be needed to give this food to others? We are right, then, in saying that the direct study of the spiritual1 Scriptures and the comprehensive teaching of them require advanced capacities, while the understanding and learning of the matters that contribute to this is suited to the inferior Initiators and Initiates.2
We have, however, carefully observed this principle: whatever our Divine Preceptor has thoroughly dealt with and made clearly manifest, we have never in any way ventured upon, for fear of repetition, nor have we given the same explanation of any passage he treated. For3 even among our inspired Hierarchs (when, as you know, we with him and many of our holy brethren met together to behold that mortal body, Source of Life, which received the Incarnate God,* and James, the brother of God, was there, and Peter, the chief and highest of the Sacred Writers, and then, having beheld it, all the Hierarchs present celebrated, each according to his power, the omnipotent goodness of the Divine weakness): on that occasion, I say, he surpassed all the Initiates next to the Divine Writers; indeed, he was wholly transported, wholly outside himself, and was so moved by communion with the Mysteries he was celebrating that all who heard him and saw him and knew him (or rather knew him not) deemed him to be rapt of God and endowed with Divine utterance. But why should I tell you of the divine things that were uttered in that place? For, unless I have forgotten who I am, I know that I have often heard from you certain fragments of those enraptured praises, so earnest have you been with all your soul to follow heavenly things.