The Works of Dionysius the Areopagite — trans. John Parker
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middle as a secondary manifestation.
Section II.
No doubt, as regards that message, which is said to pass through one angel to another, we may take it as a symbol of a perfecting completed from afar, and obscured by reason of its passage to the second rank. For, as men skilled in our sacred initiations say, the fulness of Divine things manifested directly to ourselves is more perfecting than the Divine contemplations imparted through others. Thus, I think, the immediate participation of the Angelic ranks elevated in first degree to God, is more clear than those perfected through the instrumentality of others. Wherefore by our sacerdotal tradition, the first Minds are named perfecting, and illuminating, and purifying Powers of the subordinate, who are conducted, throu,2:h them, to the superessential Origin of all things, and participate, as far as is permissible to them, in the consecrating purifications, and illuminations, and perfections. For, this is divinely fixed absolutely by the Divine source of order that, through the first, the second partake of the supren:iely Divine illuminations. This you will find declared by the theologians in many ways. For, when the Divine and Paternal Love towards man whilst chastening, in a startling manner. His people Israel, for their religious preservation, after delivering them
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34 Dionysius the Areopagite to terrible and savage nations for correction, by various leadings of His guided people to better things, both liberated them from their misery, and mildly led them back, through His compassion, to their former state of comfort ; one of the theologians, Zechariah, sees one of the first Angels, as I think, and near God, (for the Angelic appellation is common, as I said, to them all), learning from God Himself the comforting words, as they are called, concerning this matter ; and another Angel, of inferior rank, advancing to meet the first, as for reception and participation of enlightenment ; then, by him instructed in the Divine purpose as from a Hierarch, and charged to reveal to the theologian that Jerusalem should be abundantly occupied by a multitude of people^. And another theologian, Ezekiel, says that this was righteously ordained by the glorious Deity Itself, seated above the Cherubim ^. For Paternal Love towards man, conducting Israel as we have said through chastisement to better things, by a righteousness worthy of God, deemed right to separate the guilty from the guiltless.
ordained by the glorious Deity Itself, seated above the Cherubim ^. For Paternal Love towards man, conducting Israel as we have said through chastisement to better things, by a righteousness worthy of God, deemed right to separate the guilty from the guiltless. This is first revealed to one after the Cherubim ^ ; him who was bound about the loins with a sapphire J, and wore displayed the robe coming down to the feet, as a Hierarchical symbol. But the Divine Government enjoins the other Angels, who bore the battle-axes ^, to be instructed from the former, as to the Divine judgment in this matter. For, to one. He said that he should
K Zech. i. 8—17. »> Ezek. ix. 3. ' Ibid. 3.
J Ibid. X. I. ^ Ibid. ix. 2.
on the Heavenly Hierarchy. 35 go through the midst of Jerusalem, and place the sign upon the forehead of the innocent men, but to the others; "Go into the city after him and strike, and draw not back your eyes, but to every one upon whom is the sign draw not near."
What would any one say concerning the Angel, who said to Daniel ', " The word has gone forth ? " or concerning him the first, who took the fire from the midst of the Cherubim, or what is more remarkable than this for shewing the good order amongst the Angels, that the Cherubim casts the fire into the hands "" of him who wears the sacred vestment ; or concerning Him Who called the most divine Gabriel, and said to him, " Make this man understand the vision"," or whatever else is recorded by the holy theologians concerning the Godlike order of the Heavenly Hierarchies ; by being assimilated to which, as far as possible, the discipline of. our Hierarchy will have the Angelic comeliness, as it were, in reflection, moulded through it, and conducted to the superessential Source of order in every
Hierarchy.
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CAPUT IX.
Concer?iing the Principalities, Archangels^ and Angels^ and concerning their last Hierarchy.
Section I.
There remains for our reverent contemplation a Division which completes the Angelic Hierarchies,
* Dan. ix. 23. ■" Ezek. x. 2—7. " Dan. viii. 16.
36 Diofiysitis the Areopagite that divided into the Godhke PrincipaHties, Archangels, and Angels. And I think it necessary, to declare first the meaning of their sacred appellations to the best of my ability.
Dan. ix. 23. ■" Ezek. x. 2—7. " Dan. viii. 16.
36 Diofiysitis the Areopagite that divided into the Godhke PrincipaHties, Archangels, and Angels. And I think it necessary, to declare first the meaning of their sacred appellations to the best of my ability. For that of the Heavenly Principalities manifests their princely and leading function, after the Divine example, with order religious and most befitting the Princely, and their being wholly turned to the super-princely Prince, and leading others in princely fashion, and being moulded, as far as possible, to that prince-making Princedom Itself, and to manifest its superessential princely order, by the regularity of the princely powers.
Section II.
The (Order) of the Holy Archangels is of the same rank with the heavenly Principalities. For there is one Hierarchy and Division, as I said, of them and the Angels. But since there is not a Hierarchy which does not possess first and middle and last powers, the holy order of Archangels occupies the middle position in the Hierarchy between the extremes, for it belongs alike to the most holy Principalities and to the holy Angels ; to the Principalities because it is turned in a princely fashion to the superessential Princedom, and is moulded to It . as far as attainable, and unites the Angels after the fashion of its own well-regulated and marshalled and invisible leadings ; and it belongs to the Angels, because it is of the messenger Order, receiving hierarchically the Divine illuminations from on the Heavenly Hierarchy. 37 the first powers, and announcing the same to the Angels in a godly manner, and, through Angels, manifesting to us, in proportion to the religious aptitude of each of the godly persons illuminated. For the Angels, as we have already said, complete the whole series of Heavenly Minds, as being the last Order of the Heavenly Beings who possess the Angelic characteristic ; yea, rather, they are more properly named Angels by us than those of higher degree, because their Hierarchy is occupied with the more manifest, and is more particularly concerned with the things of the world. For the very highest Order, as being placed in the first rank near the Hidden One, we must consider as directing in spiritual things the second, hiddenly; and that the second, which is composed of the holy Lordships and Powers and Authorities, leads the Hierarchy of the Principalities and Archangels and Angels, more clearly indeed than the first Hierarchy, but more hiddenly than the Order after it, and the revealing order of the Principalities, Archangels, and Angels,