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.
5. But these things are dealt with in the “Symbolic Divinity.” Here I desire to declare what is the spiritual meaning of the name “Light” as belonging to the Good.2 The Good God is called Spiritual Light because He fills every heavenly mind with spiritual light, and drives all ignorance and error from all souls where they have gained a lodgment, and giveth them all a share of holy light and purges their spiritual eyes from the mist of ignorance that surrounds them, and stirs and opens the eyes which are fast shut and weighed down with darkness, and gives them first a moderate illumination, then (when they taste the Light and desire It more) He giveth Himself in greater measure and shineth in more abundance on them “because they have loved much,” and ever He constraineth them according to their powers of looking upwards.
6. And so that Good which is above all light is called a Spiritual Light because It is an Originating Beam and an Overflowing Radiance, illuminating with its fullness every Mind above the world, around it, or within it and renewing all their spiritual powers, embracing them all by Its transcendent compass and exceeding them all by Its transcendent elevation.) And It contains within Itself, in a simple form, the entire ultimate principle of light;4 and is the Transcendent Archetype of Light; and, while bearing the light in its womb, It exceeds it in quality and precedes it in time; and so conjoineth together all spiritual and rational beings, uniting them in one. For as ignorance leadeth wanderers astray from one another, so doth the presence of Spiritual Light join and unite together those that are being illuminated, and perfects them and converts them toward that which truly Is—yea, converts them from their manifold false opinions and unites their different perceptions, or rather fancies, into one true, pure and coherent knowledge, and filleth them with one unifying light.
1 Rom. i, 20. The sun is not personal or supra-personal. But its impersonal activity is an emblem, as it were, of God’s supra-personal activity.
2 Two worlds: (1) Nature, (2) Grace. God is revealed in both; the former was apparently the subject of the Symbolic Divinity; the latter is that of the present treatise.
3 i.e. Men and different orders of angels.
4 Material light is diffused in space and hence is divisible. The Spiritual Light is indivisible, being totally present to each illuminated mind. Hence the Spiritual Light is simple in a way that the material light is not.
5. But these things are dealt with in the “Symbolic Divinity.” Here I wish to set out the spiritual meaning of the name “Light” as belonging to the Good.2 The Good God is called Spiritual Light because He fills every heavenly mind with spiritual light, and drives all ignorance and error from every soul in which they have found a lodging. He gives them all a share of holy light and clears their spiritual eyes of the mist of ignorance that surrounds them; He stirs and opens the eyes that are fast shut and weighed down with darkness, and gives them first a moderate illumination. Then, when they taste the Light and desire It more, He gives Himself in greater measure and shines on them more abundantly “because they have loved much,” and He always constrains them according to their powers of looking upward.
6. And so that Good which is above all light is called a Spiritual Light because It is an Originating Beam and an Overflowing Radiance, illuminating with its fullness every Mind above the world, around it, or within it, and renewing all their spiritual powers, embracing them all by Its transcendent compass and exceeding them all by Its transcendent elevation.3 It contains within Itself, in a simple form, the entire ultimate principle of light;4 It is the Transcendent Archetype of Light; and while bearing the light in Its womb, It exceeds it in quality and precedes it in time.
And so It joins together all spiritual and rational beings, uniting them in one. For just as ignorance leads wanderers astray from one another, so the presence of Spiritual Light joins and unites those who are being illuminated, perfects them, and turns them toward that which truly Is — turning them from their many false opinions, gathering their different perceptions, or rather fancies, into one true, pure and coherent knowledge, and filling them with one unifying light.
1 Rom. i, 20. The sun is not personal or supra-personal. But its impersonal activity is, as it were, an emblem of God’s supra-personal activity.
2 Two worlds: (1) Nature, (2) Grace. God is revealed in both. The former was apparently the subject of the Symbolic Divinity; the latter is the subject of the present treatise.
3 i.e. Men and the different orders of angels.
4 Material light is diffused in space and is therefore divisible. The Spiritual Light is indivisible, being wholly present to each illuminated mind. Hence the Spiritual Light is simple in a way that material light is not.