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.
Embracing Power, its Cause and its End:1 even so this great, all-bright and ever-shining sun, which is the visible image of the Divine Goodness, faintly reechoing the activity of the Good, illumines all things that can receive its light while retaining the utter simplicity of light, and expands above and below throughout the visible world the beams of its own radiance. And if there is aught that does not share them, this is not due to any weakness or deficiency in its distribution of the light, but is due to the unreceptiveness of those creatures which do not attain sufficient singleness to participate therein. For verily the light passeth over many such substances and enlightens those which are beyond them, and there is no visible thing unto which the light reacheth not in the exceeding greatness of its proper radiance? Yea, and it contributes to the birth of material bodies and brings them unto life, and nourishes them that they may grow, and perfects and purifies and renews them. And the light is the measure and the numerical principle of seasons and of days and of all our earthly Time; for ’tis the selfsame light (though then without a form) which, Moses the Divine declares, marked even that first period of three days which was at the beginning of time. And like as Goodness draweth all things to Itself, and is the great Attractive Power which unites things that are sundered® (being as It is the Godhead and the Supreme Fount and Producer of Unity); and like as all things desire It as their beginning, their cohesive power and end; and like as ’tis the Good (as saith the Scripture) from which all things were made and are (having been brought into existence thence as from a Perfect Cause); and like as in the Good all things subsist, being kept and controlled in an almighty Receptacle;+ and like as unto the Good all things are turned (as unto the proper End of each); and like as after the Good all things do yearn—those that have mind and reason seeking It by knowledge, those that have perception seeking It by perception, those that have no perception seeking It by the natural movement of their vital instinct, and those that are without life and have mere existence seeking It by their aptitude for that bare participation whence this mere existence is theirs ?— even so doth the light (being as it were Its visible image) draw together all things and attract them unto Itself: those that can see, those that have motion, those that receive Its light and warmth, those that are merely held in being by Its rays ;° whence the sun is so called because it summeth * all things and uniteth the scattered elements of the world. All material things desire the sun, for they desire either to see or to move and to receive light and warmth and to be maintained in existence by the light. I say not (as was feigned by the ancient myth) that the sun is the God and Creator of this Universe, and therefore takes the visible world under his special care; but I say that the “invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.”1
1 Here we get once more the Aristotelian classification of causes. The Good is:— (i) Formal Cause (1) immanent in the world (Order—vaéis); (2) containing the world (Embracing Power—zepioxn). (ii) Efficient Cause (Cause—airia). (iii) Final Cause (End—réAos).
2 The light permeates water but it does not permeate a stone. It passes over the stone and permeates the water beyond it.
Embracing Power, its Cause and its End:1 even so this great, all-bright and ever-shining sun, the visible image of the Divine Goodness, faintly re-echoing the activity of the Good, illumines all things that can receive its light while keeping the utter simplicity of light, and spreads the beams of its own radiance above and below throughout the visible world. And if anything does not share them, this is not due to any weakness or deficiency in its distribution of the light, but to the unreceptiveness of those creatures which do not attain enough singleness to participate in it. For indeed the light passes over many such substances and enlightens those which lie beyond them, and there is no visible thing which the light does not reach in the exceeding greatness of its proper radiance.2
Yes, and it contributes to the birth of material bodies and brings them to life, nourishes them so that they may grow, and perfects, purifies and renews them. And the light is the measure and the numerical principle of seasons and of days and of all our earthly Time; for it is the selfsame light (though then without a form) which, as the Divine Moses declares, marked even that first period of three days at the beginning of time.
And just as Goodness draws all things to Itself, and is the great Attractive Power which unites things that are sundered® (being, as It is, the Godhead and the Supreme Fount and Producer of Unity); and just as all things desire It as their beginning, their cohesive power and their end; and just as it is the Good (as Scripture says) from which all things were made and are (having been brought into existence from it as from a Perfect Cause); and just as in the Good all things subsist, kept and controlled in an almighty Receptacle;+ and just as all things turn to the Good (as to the proper End of each); and just as all things yearn after the Good — those that have mind and reason seeking It by knowledge, those that have perception seeking It by perception, those that have no perception seeking It by the natural movement of their vital instinct, and those that are without life and have mere existence seeking It by their aptitude for that bare participation from which this mere existence comes to them2 — so too the light (being, as it were, Its visible image) draws all things together and attracts them to Itself: those that can see, those that have motion, those that receive Its light and warmth, those that are merely held in being by Its rays;3 and hence the sun is so called because it summeth4 all things and unites the scattered elements of the world.
All material things desire the sun, for they desire either to see, or to move and to receive light and warmth, and to be maintained in existence by the light. I do not say (as the ancient myth pretended) that the sun is the God and Creator of this Universe and therefore takes the visible world under his special care; but I say that “the invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.”1
1 Here we meet once more the Aristotelian classification of causes. The Good is: (i) Formal Cause — (1) immanent in the world (Order — vaéis); (2) containing the world (Embracing Power — zepioxn). (ii) Efficient Cause (Cause — airia). (iii) Final Cause (End — réAos).
2 Light permeates water but does not permeate a stone. It passes over the stone and permeates the water beyond it.