The Works of Dionysius the Areopagite — trans. John Parker
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ible figures to the Divine contemplations, as is possible to us. And, to speak truly, there is One, to Whom all the Godlike aspire, but they do not partake uniformly of this One and the Same, but as the Divine balance distributes to each the meet inheritance. Now these thino^s have been treated more systematically in the Treatise concerning "Intelligible and Sensible f." But now I will attempt to describe our Hierarchy, both its source and essence, as best I can ; invoking Jesus, the source and Perfecting of all Hierarchies.
Section HI.
Every Hierarchy, then, is, according to our august tradition, the whole account of the sacred things failing under it, a most complete summary of the sacred rites of this or that Hierarchy, as the case may be. Our Hierarchy, then, is called, and is, the comprehensive system of the whole sacred rites included within it, according to which the divine Hierarch, being initiated, will have the communication of all the most sacred things within himself, as chiefs of Hierarchy. For as he who speaks of Hierarchy speaks of the order of the whole sacred rites collectively, so he, who mentions Hierarch, denotes the inspired and godly man— the skilled jn all sacred knowledge — in whom the whole Hier-
' Ap. C. viii. l6. g iirciiyvfAos.
o?i the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 7 1 archy is clearly completed and recognized within Jiimself.
Head of this Hierarchy is the Fountain of Life, the Essence of Goodness, the one Triad, Cause of things that be, from Which both being and well-being come to things that be, by reason of goodness *\ Of this most supremely Divine blessedness — exalted beyond all, the threefold Monad, the really Being, — the Will, inscrutable to us, but known to Itself, is the rational preservation of beings amongst us and above us ; but that (preservation) cannot otherwise take place, except those who are being saved are being deified. Now the assimilation to, and union with, God, as far as attainable, is deification. And this is the common goal of every Hierarchy, — the clinging love towards God and Divine things divinely and uniformly ministered ; and previous to this, the complete and unswerving removal of things contrary, the knowledge of things as they are in themselves ; the vision and science of sacred truth ; the inspired communication of the uniform perfection of the One Itself, as far as attainable ; the banquet of contemplation, nourishing intelligibly, and deifying every man elevated towards it. . ""
Section IV.
themselves ; the vision and science of sacred truth ; the inspired communication of the uniform perfection of the One Itself, as far as attainable ; the banquet of contemplation, nourishing intelligibly, and deifying every man elevated towards it. . ""
Section IV.
Let us affirm, then, that the supremely Divine Blessedness, the ' essential Deity, the Source of
^ Creation through goodness — not necessity.
•J
72 Diony silts the Areopagite deification, from Which comes the deification of those deified, bequeathed, by Divine Goodness, the N^ Hierarchy, for preservation, and deification of all \ rational and intellectual Beings. And to the supermundane and blessed inheritances there is bequeathed something more immaterial and intellectual (for Almighty God does not move them to things divine, from without, but intelligibly, since they are illuminated as to the most Divine will from within, with brilliancy pure and immaterial), but to us — that which has been bequeathed to them, uniformly, and enveloped, is bequeathed from the Divinely transmitted Oracles, in a variety and multitude of divisible symbols, as we are able to receive it. For the Divinely transmitted Oracles are essence of our Hierarchy. And we afiirm that these Oracles — all such as were given from our godly initiators in inspired Letters of the Word of God ^ — are most august ; and further, whatever our leaders have revealed to us from the same holy men, by a less material initiation, and already akin, as it were, to the Heavenly Hierarchy, from mind to mind, through the medium of speech, corporeal, indeed, , but nevertheless more immaterial, without writing. Nor did the inspired Hierarchs transmit' these things, in conceptions clear to the commonalty of worshippers, but in sacred symbols. For it is not every one that is hallowed ; nor, as the Oracles affirm, does knowledge belong to all m
^ ayioypdcpois OfoXoyiKais A/Axotr. ^ Mark iv. ii. ™ I Cor. viii. 7.
on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 73
Section V.
Necessarily, then, the first leaders of our Hierarchy, after having been filled themselves with the sacred gift, from the superessential Godhead, and sent, by the supremely Divine Goodness, to extend the same gift successively, and, as godly, earnestly desiring themselves the elevation and deification of those after them, presented to us — by their written and unwritten revelations — in accordance with their sacred injunctions, things supercelestial, by sensible images, the enfolded, by variety and multitude, and things Divine, by things human, and things immaterial, by things material, and the o us — by their written and unwritten revelations — in accordance with their sacred injunctions, things supercelestial, by sensible images, the enfolded, by variety and multitude, and things Divine, by things human, and things immaterial, by things material, and the superessential, by things belonging to us. Nor did they do this merely on account of the unhallowed, to whom it is not permitted even to touch the symbols, but because our Hierarchy is, ^s I said, a kind of symbol adapted to our condition, which needs things sensible, for our more Divine elevation from these to things intelligible. Nevertheless the reasons of the symbols have been revealed to the Divine initiators, which it is not permitted to explain to those who are yet being initiated, knowing that the Lawgivers of things divinely transmitted deliberately arranged the Hierarchy in well-established and unconfused ranks, and in proportionate and sacred distributions of that which was convenient to each, according to fitness. Wherefore trusting in thy sacred promises (for it is a pious duty to recall them to thy recollection) — that, since every Hierarchical sacred word is of binding
74 Dionysius the Areopagite force, thou wilt not communicate to any other but those Godlike initiators of the same rank with thyself, and wilt persuade them to promise, according to hierarchical regulation, to touch pure things purely, and to communicate the mysteries of God to the godly alone, and things perfect to those capable of perfection, and things altogether most holy to the holy, I have entrusted this Divine gift to thee, in addition to many other Hierarchical gifts.
♦
CAPUT 11.
I. Concerning things dofie in Illumination,
We have, then, reverently affirmed that this is the purpose of our Hierarchy, viz., our assimilation j and union with God, as far as attainable. And, as the Divine Oracles teach, we shall attain this only by the love and the religious performance of the most worshipful Commandments. For He says : *'He° that loveth Me will keep My Word, and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and will make Our abode with him." What, then, is source of the religious performance of the most august commandments? Our preparation for the restitution of the supercelestial rest, which forms the habits of our souls into an aptitude for the reception of the other sacred sayings and doings °, the transmission of our holy and most divine regeneration P. For, as our illustrious Leader used
^ John xiv. 23. o Ibid. i. 13. P Ibid. iii. 5.