The Works of Dionysius the Areopagite — trans. John Parker
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old gulping of the destructive death, by the same Divine and resistless descent, those, who, according to the g I Tim. iii. i6. ^ John x. 36. i Ibid. xvii. 19.
^ Rom. i. 4. ^ Biap^iKWi. ^^ ivapOpwiri^aei.
n Phil. ii. 8.
on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 121 mysterious saying, "are baptized into His death ^," and renewing them to a godly and eternal existence p.
Section XI.
But further, the perfecting unction of the Muron gives to him who has been initiated in the most sacred initiation of the Birth in God, the abiding of the supremely Divine Spirit ; the sacred imagery of the symbols, portraying, as I think, the most Divine Spirit abundantly supplied by Him, Who, for our sakes, has been sanctified as man by the supremely Divine Spirit, in an unaltered condition of His essential Godhead.
Section XH.
And bear this also hierarchically in mind, that the Law of the most pure initiation completes the sacred consecration of the Divine Altar, by the all pure effusions of the most holy Muron. And the supercelestial and superessential contemplation is source and essence, and perfecting power, of all our deifying holiness. For if our most Divine Altar is Jesus — the supremely Divine sanctifying of the Godly Minds — in Whom, according to the Logion, " being sanctified and mystically offered as a whole burnt-offering, we have the access 'i," let us gaze with supermundane eyes upon the most Divine Altar itself (in which things being perfected, are perfected and sanctified), being perfected from the most Divine Muron itself; for o Rom. vi. 3. P Ibid. 4. *l Eph. iii. 12.
122 Dionyshis the Areopagite the altogether most holy Jesus sanctifies Himself on our behalf, and fills us full of every sanctification, since the things consecrated"^ upon them pass fraternally afterwards in their beneficent effects to us, as children of God. Hence, as I think, the Divine Leaders of our Hierarchy, in conformity with a Hierarchical conception divinely transmitted, name this altogether august ministration " consecration of Muron," from "being consecrated thoroughly," as one might say, "consecration of God%" extolHng its divine consecrating work in each sense. For both the being sanctified for our sakes, as becomes Man, and the consecrating all things as supreme God, and the sanctifying things being consecrated, is " consecration of Him." As for the sacred song of the inspiration of the God-rapt Prophets, it is called by those who know Hebrew, the " Praise of God," or " Praise ye the Lord," for since every divine manifestation and work of God is reverently portrayed in the ecration of Him." As for the sacred song of the inspiration of the God-rapt Prophets, it is called by those who know Hebrew, the " Praise of God," or " Praise ye the Lord," for since every divine manifestation and work of God is reverently portrayed in the varied composition of the Hierarchical symbols, it is not unfitting to mention the Divinely moved song of the Prophets ; for it teaches at once, distinctly and reverently, that the beneficent works of the Divine Goodness are worthy of devout praise.
"^ Observe the doctrine of the Atonement. eV aunSf, Jesus and the Altar. eV aviif is also another reading.
on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 12$
CAPUT V.
/. Concerning sacerdotal Consecrations,
Section I.
Such, then, is the most Divine perfecting work of the Muron. But it may be opportune, after these Divine ministrations, to set forth the sacerdotal Orders and elections themselves, and their powers, and operations, and consecrations, and the triad of the superior ranks under them ; in order that the arrangement of our Hierarchy may be demonstrated, as entirely rejecting and excluding the disordered, the unregulated, and the confused ; and, at the same time, choosing and manifesting the regulated and ordered, and well-established, m the gradations of the sacred Ranks within it. Now we have well shewn, as I think, in the Hierarchies already extolled by us, the threefold division of every Hierarchy, when we affirmed that Our sacred tradition holds, that every Hierarchical transaction is divided into * the most Divine Mystic Rites, and ^ the inspired experts and teachers of them, and those who are being religiously initiated ^ by them.
Section H.
Thus the most holy Hierarchy of the" supercelestial Beings has, for its initiation, its own possible and most immaterial conception of God and things Divine, and the complete likeness to God, and a persistent
124 Dionysius the Areopagite habit of imitating God, as far as permissible. And its illuminators, and leaders to this sacred consecration, are the very first Beings around God. For these generously and proportionately transmit to the subordinate sacred Ranks the ever deifying notions given to them, by the self-perfect Godhead and the wise-making Divine Minds. Now the Ranks, who are subordinate to the first Beings, are, and are truly called, the initiated Orders, as being religiously conducted, through those, to the deifying illumination of the Godhead.
hem, by the self-perfect Godhead and the wise-making Divine Minds. Now the Ranks, who are subordinate to the first Beings, are, and are truly called, the initiated Orders, as being religiously conducted, through those, to the deifying illumination of the Godhead. And after this, — the heavenly and supermundane Hierarchy, — the Godhead gave the Hierarchy under the Law, imparting its most holy gifts, for the benefit of our race, to them (as being children according to the Logion y), by faint images of the true, and copies ^ far from the Archetypes, and enigmas hard to understand**, and types having the contemplation enveloped within, as an analogous light not easily discerned ^, so as not to wound weak eyes by the light shed upon them. Now to this Hierarchy under the Law, the elevation to spiritual worship *^ is an initiation. Now the men religiously instructed for that holy tabernacle ^ by Moses, — the first initiated and leader of the Hierarchs under the Law, — were conductors; in reference to which holy tabernacle, — when describing for purposes of instruction the Hierarchy under the Law, — he called all the sacred services of the Law an image of the type shewn y Gal. iv. 3. 2 Heb. x. I. a Num. xii. 8.
^ Rom. ii. 20. c John iv. 23. ^ Heb. ix. 11.
on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 125 to him in Mount Sinai ®. But " initiated " are those who are being conducted to a more perfect revelation of the symbols of the Law, in proportion to their capacity. Now the Word of God calls our Hierarchy the more perfect revelation, naming it a fulfilment^ of that, and a holy inheritance. It is both heavenly and legal, like the mean between extremes, common to the one, by intellectual contemplations, and to the other, because it is variegated by sensible signs; and, through these, reverently conducts to the Divine Beinsj, And it has likewise a threefold division of the Hierarchy, which is divided into the most holy ministrations of the Mystic Rites, and into the Godlike ministers of holy things, and those who are being conducted by them, according to their capacity, to things holy.
And each of the three divisions of our Hierarchy, comformably to that of the Law, and the Hierarchy, more divine than ours, is arranged as first and middle and last in power ; consulting both reverent proportion, and well-ordered and concordant fellowship of all things in harmonious rank.
Section HI.