The Works of Dionysius the Areopagite — trans. John Parker

hat love^ Him." " Bosoms " of the blessed Patriarchs, and of all the other pious men, are, in my judgment, the most divine and blessed inheritances, which await all godly men, in that consummation ^ which grows not old, and is full of blessedness.

Section VI.

But thou mayst, perhaps, say that these things are correctly affirmed by us, indeed, but want to know for what reason the Hierarch beseeches the supremely Divine Goodness, for the remission of the faults committed by the man fallen asleep, and his most glorious inheritance, amongst godly men of the same rank. For, if every one shall receive, by the Divine justice, equivalents for what he has done in the present life, whether it be good or different, and the man fallen asleep has finished his own activities in this present life, from what prayer offered by the Hierarch will he be transferred to another inheritance, than that due to and equivalent for his life here ? Now, well do I know, following the Oracles, that each one will have the inheritance equivalent ; for the Lord says, he has closed respecting him, and each one shall receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it s I Cor. ii. 9. ^ Luke xvi. 22, 3.

154 Donyshis the Areopagite be good, or whether it be bad"." Yea, the sure traditions of the Oracles teach us that the prayers, even of the just, avail only for those who are worthy of pious prayers ^ during this present life, let alone ^ (by no means) after death. What forsooth did Saul gain from Samuel ^ ? and what did the intercession of the Prophet** profit the people of the Hebrews ? For, as if any one, when the sun is shedding its own splendour upon unblemished eyes, seeks to enjoy the solar splendour by obliterating his own powers of vision ; so does he cling to impossible and extravagant expectations, who beseeches the intercessions of holy men, and, by driving away the holy efforts natural to the same, plays truant from the most luminous and beneficent commandments, through heedlessness of the Divine gifts.

Nevertheless, according to the Oracles, I affirm that the intercessions of the pious ^^ are, in every respect, profitable in this present life, after the following fashion. If any one, longing for holy gifts, and having a religious disposition for their reception, as recognizing his own insufficiency, approaches some pious man, and should prevail upon him to become his fellow-helper, and fellow-suppliant, he will be benefitted in every respect, thereby, with a benefit superior to all ; for he will attain the most Divine gifts he prays for, 2own insufficiency, approaches some pious man, and should prevail upon him to become his fellow-helper, and fellow-suppliant, he will be benefitted in every respect, thereby, with a benefit superior to all ; for he will attain the most Divine gifts he prays for, since the supremely Divine Goodness assists him, as well as his pious

^ 2 Cor. V. lo. X C. si. s. 13. 4. 37. y ixr\Ti yi fieTo. Qdvaror. z j Sam. xvi. I. ^ Jer. vii. 16.

^ James v. 16.

on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 155 judgment of himself, and his reverence for devout men, and his praiseworthy craving for the rebgious requests requested, and his brotherly and Godlike disposition. For this has been firmly fixed by the supremely Divine decrees, that the Divine gifts are given, in an order most befitting God, to those who are meet to receive them, through those who are meet to distribute them.

If any one, then, should despise this sacred regulation, and betaking himself to a wretched self-conceit, should deem himself sufficient for the supremely "Divine Converse, and look down upon pious men, and if he should further request requests, unworthy of God, and not holy, and if he should have his aspiration for things divine not sustained, and correlative to himself, he will fail in his ignorant request, through his own fault. Now, with reference to the prayer mentioned, which the Hierarch prays over the man fallen asleep, we think it necessary to mention the tradition which has come to us from our inspired leaders. The Divine Hierarch, as the Oracles say, is interpreter of the supremely Divine awards ; for he is messenger <^ of the Lord God Omnipotent. He has learned then, from the God-transmitted Oracles, that to those who have passed their life piously, the most bright and divine'^ life is given in return, according to their due*^, by the most just balances, the Divine Love towards man overlooking, through its goodness, the stains which have come to them through human c Malachi ii. 7. ^ I John v. 16. ® /car' a.iia.v.

156 Dion) -sins the A reopagite infirmity, since no one, as the Oracles say, is pure from blemish ^.

Section VII.

Now, the Hierarch knew these things to have been promised by the infallible Oracles; and he asks, that these things may come to pass, and that the rightleous returns be given to those who have lived piously, whilst being moulded beneficently to the Divine imitation, he beseeches gifts for others, as favours to himself; and, whilst knowing that the promises will be unfailing, he makes known clearly to those present, that the things asked by him, 3ho have lived piously, whilst being moulded beneficently to the Divine imitation, he beseeches gifts for others, as favours to himself; and, whilst knowing that the promises will be unfailing, he makes known clearly to those present, that the things asked by him, according to a holy law, will be entirely realized for those who have been perfected in a Divine life. For the Hierarch, the expounder of the supremely Divine Justice, would never seek things, which were not most pleasing to the Almighty God, and divinely promised to be given by Him ^. Wherefore, he does not offer these prayers over the unholy fallen asleep, not only because in this he would deviate from his office of expounder, and would presumptuously arrogate, on his own authority, a function of the Hierarchy, without being moved by the Supreme Legislator, but because he would both fail to obtain his abominable prayer, and he, not unnaturally, would hear from the just Oracle, " Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss ^." Therefore, the Divine Hierarch beseeches things divinely promised, and

' Job xiv. 4. g Ap. C. viii. 43. ^ James iv. 3.

071 the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 157 dear to God, and which will, in every respect, be given, demonstrating both his own Ukeness to the good loving God, and declaring explicitly the gifts which will be received by the devout. Thus, the Hierarchs have discriminating powers, as interpreters of the Divine Awards, not as though the All-Wise Deity, to put it mildly, were slavishly following their irrational impulses, but, as though they, as expounders of God, were separating, by the motion of the Divine Spirit, those who have already been judged by God, according to due. For "receive," he says, "the Holy Spirit, whose ^ faults ye may have remitted, they are remitted ; whose ye may have retained, they are retained." And to him who was illuminated with the Divine revelations of the most Holy Father, the Oracles say, " Whatsoever thou shalt have bound upon the earth, shall be bound \\\ the heavens; and whatsoever thou shalt have loosed on earth, shall be loosed in the heavens'^," inasmuch as he, and every Hierarch like him, according to the revelations of the Father's awards through him, receives those dear to God, and rejects those without God, as announcing and interpreting the Divine Will. Further, as the Oracles affirm, he uttered that sacred and divine confession, not as self-moved \ nor as though flesh and blood had revealed it, but moved by God Who revealed to him the spiritual meaning of Divine things.