46 Dionysius the Areopagite
again unjustly. For, if in his solitary hermitage he
lived far from the haunts of men, yet he wrote an
entire treatise on the institutional side of Religion ;
and he describes with impassioned enthusiasm the
visible beauties of Nature. And, in fact, in his
treatment of evil, he goes out of his way to assert
that the whole material world is good. Outward
things are assumed as the starting-point from which
the human spirit must rise to another region of
experience. Dionysius does not mean that they are
all worthless ; he simply means that they are not
ultimate. In the passage concerning the three move-
ments of the soul he implies that the human faculties
are valuable though they must finally be transcended.
Even so Macarius tells us that " Revelation " is a
mental state beyond " Perception " and beyond
" Enlightened Vision." ^ All our natural activities
must first silt together the particles which form the
block of marble before we can by the Via Negativa
carve the image out of it. And if this process of
rejection destroys the block's original shape, yet it
needs the block to work upon, and it does not seek
to grind the whole material into powder. All life,
when rightly understood, is a kind of Via Negativa,
and we must struggle after certain things and then
deliberately cast them aside, as a musician must first
master the laws of Counterpoint and then sometimes
ignore them, or as the Religion of the Law is a
preparation for the higher Religion of the Spirit.
Dionysius, nurtured in philosophy, passed beyond
Philosophy without obscurantism, as St. Paul, nurtured
in the Law, passed beyond the Law without dis-
obedience. Finite things are good, for they point us
on to the Infinite ; but if we chain ourselves to them
they will become a hindrance to our journey, when
they can no longer be a guide. And Dionysius
* Horn., vii. q.
Conclusion 47
would have us not destroy them but merely break our chains.
His doctrines are certainly dangerous. Perhaps
that is a mark of their truth. For the Ultimate
Truth of things is so self-ccjntradictory that it is
bound to be full of peril to minds like ours which can
only a}3prehend one side of Reality at the time.
Therefore it is not perhaps to be altogether desired
that such doctrines should be very popular. They
can only be spiritually discerned, through the
intensest spiritual effort. Without this they will only
too readily lead to blasphemous arrogance and selfish
sloth. And yet the Via Negativa, for those who can
scale its dizzy ascent, is after all but a higher altitude
of that same royal road which, where it traverses
more populous regions, we all recognize as the one
true Pilgrim's Way. For it seeks to attain its goal
through self-renunciation. And where else are the
true principles of such a process to be found if it be
not in the familiar virtues of Christian humility and
Christian love?
X. — Bibliography
[The writings of the Areopagite consist of four im-
portant treatises : De divinis Nominibiis^ De mystica
Theologia^ De Coclesti Hierarchia, De ecclesiatica Hier-
arcJiia ; some letters ; and a number of lost docu-
ments referred to in the treatises. Little has been
done as yet towards the provision of a critical text.
The Syriac, Armenian and Arabic versions have
not been investigated. Migne's text contains many
manifest errors ; it is a reprint of the Venice edition
of 1755-6.
The ideas of Dionysius's system are discussed in all
books on Mysticism, and a multitude of magazine
articles, mainly in German, deal with isolated points
48 Dionysius the Areopagite
in the actual treatises besides the problem of author-
ship. The brief list given below will suffice for the
present purpose.
The Dionysian Documents have been critically in-
vestigated by Hipler. His work was followed by
J. Draseke in an Essay entitled " Dionysiaca," in the
Zcitschrift filr WissenschaftlicJie TJieologie, 1887, pp.
300-333. Also by Nirschl. and by Styglmayr. in the
Historische JahrbucJi^ 1895. Criticism on the author-
ship has been continued by Hugo Koch, " Pseudo-
Dionysius Areopagita," in the Foi^schimgen ^nr
Christliche7i Litteratiir-und DogmengescJiichte^ 1900.
Ed. by Ehrhard and Kirsch. Hugo Koch's work is
one of the best on the subject.
Colet, J. (Dean), Tzvo Treatises on The Hierarchies
of DionysiuSy with introduction and translation, by
J. H. Lupton (London, 1869).
Fowler, J., The Works of Dionysius, especially in
Reference to Christian Art (London, 1872). J.
Parker, English Translation (Oxford, 1897).
Sharpe, A. B., Mysticism : Its True Nature and
Value (London, 1910). Contains a translation of
the Mystical Theology and of the letters to Caius
and Dorotheus.
Inge, W. R., CJiristian Mysticism (London, 1899), pp. 104-122.
Jones, Rufus M., Studies in Mystical Religion (London, 1909), Chap. IV.
Gardner, Edmund G., Dante and the Mystics (London, 191 3), Chap. III.
Yox the general influence of Dionysius reference should be made to the following writers —
Bach, Josef, Die Dogmengeschichte des Mittelalters^ I Theil., 1874, pp. 6-15.
Baur, Y. C, Die ChristlicJie LcJire von der Dreici-
151i;i.l()(iRArilY 49
ni[i^kcit and McnscJnuerdung Gottes^ 1842, Jul. II., 207-251.
Dorner, Development of tlic Doe trine of tJie Person of Christ, English translation, Div. ii., Vol. I., pp.
157 ff.
Westcott, Essay on Dionysius the Arcopagite in Religions TJiongkt in the West, 189 1, pp. 142- 1 93.
Uebinger, J., Die Gotteslehre des Nikolaus Cusaniis^ 1888.— Ed.]
The Divine Names
This Treatise contains thirteen chapters. The following is a brief summary of their contents.
Chapter I. Introductory. The Purpose of the Treatise.
Doctrine concerning God to be obtained from the
Scriptures. But all the Names there given Him cannot
represent Him who is Nameless. It is only Symbolical
Theology.
Chapter II. On the Divine Unity and Distinction.
Chapter III. On the Approach to the Divine.
Chapter IV. On Goodness as a Name of Deity, including a discussion on the Nature of Evil.
Chapter V. On Deity as Being. The three degrees : Existence, Life, Intelligence.
Chapter VI. On Deity as Life.
Chapter VII. Deity considered as Wisdom, Reason, Truth.
Chapter VIII. Deity considered as Power.
Chapter IX. Deity considered as Great and as Small. Might be called, as Deity in relation to Space.
Chapter X. Deity as Omnipotent : the Ancient of Days. God in relation to Time.
Chapter XL On God and Peace.
Chapter XII. On the Names Holy of holies. King of kings. Lord of lords, God of gods.
Chapter XIII. On the Divine Perfection and Unity.
The Divink Names 51
Chapter I
Pionvsius the rrcshytcr, to /lis fcllow-Pn'sbylcr Tiiiioihy}
What is the puipose of the (iiscoiirne, and what the
tradition concerning the Divine Names.
I. Now, l^lcssed Timothy, the Outlines of Divinity ^^
being ended, I will proceed, so far as in me lies, to an
Exposition of the Divine Names. And here also let
us set before our minds the scriptural rule that in
speaking about God \vc should declare the Truth, not
with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demon-
stration of the power which the Spirit * stirred up in
the Sacred Writers, whereby, in a manner surpassing
speech and knowledge,* we embrace those truths
which, in like manner, surpass them, in that Union
which exceeds our faculty, and exercise of discursive,
and of intuitive reason.^ We must not then dare to
speak, or indeed to form any conception, of the
hidden super-essential ^ Godhead, except those things
that are revealed to us from the Holy Scriptures^
^ The name of St. Paul's companion is intended to give colour to the writer's pseudonym. See Introduction, p. i ; cf. iii. 2.
^ This work is lost. ^ 2 Cor. ii. 4.
* Tols acpdeyKTOis Koi ayi/waTois a(pd4yKTMS /col ayvuffToos avva-mS^jL^Oa, See Intr. on " Unknowing," p. 32.
"* Kara rr}v KpelTTova rrjS Ka6' rjixas \oyiKrjs Kal i/oepas 5uud./j.€ws Kal euepy^ias. 1). frequently distinguishes between the discursive and the inluiiive reason. Together they cover the whole of the intellect, cf. Wordsworth, Prelude, xiv. 119, 120:
*' Hence endless occupation for the soul,
Whether discursive or intuitive."
The former gives us deductions, the latter the axioms on which these
are based. See Intr., p. 26.
® See Intr., p. 4.
' D. is here contrasting the Affirmative Path of Knowing with the Negative Path of Unknowing. The former has a value as leading up to the latter ; but it is only safe so far as we keep within the bounds of Scripture. Unscriplural conceptions of God are false : Scriptural conceptions are true so far as they go ; but their literal meaning must be transcended. See Intr., p. 41 f.
52 Dionysius the Areopagite
For a super-essential understanding of It is proper
to Unknowing, which Heth in the Super-Essence
Thereof surpassing Discourse, Intuition and Being ;
acknowledging which truth let us lift up our eyes
towards the steep height, so far as the effluent light
of the Divine Scriptures grants its aid, and, as we
strive to ascend unto those Supernal Rays, let us gird
ourselves for the task with holiness and the reverent
fear of God. For, if we may safely trust the wise and
infallible Scriptures, Divine things are revealed unto
each created spirit in proportion to its powers, and
in this measure is perception granted through the
workings of the Divine goodness, the which in just
care for our preservation divinely tempereth unto
finite measure the infinitude of things which pass
man's understanding. For even as things which are
intellectually discerned ^ cannot be comprehended or
perceived by means of those things which belong to
the senses, nor simple and imageless things by means
of types and images, nor the formless and intangible
essence of unembodied things by means of those
which have bodily form,^ by the same law of truth
the boundless^ Super-Essence surpasses Essences,
the Super-Intellectual Unity surpasses Intelligences,
^ /. e. The Transcendent Truths which are beyond ordinary know- ledge.
fo-nrd. The word vovs = Mind in the sense not merely of abstract intellect but of the spiritual personality. Hence the word is often used to = an angel ; and i'or]T6s is often used as = spiritual, instead of irvfvfjiaTiKos, which D. does not employ. This use of vovs and its derivatives is ultimately due to the influence of Aristotle. (Cf. the use ot uovs in IMotinus. ) St. Thomas Acpiinas regards inlcllectus as = " personality." But here the reference is perhaps rather to the province of abstract intellect.
2 Ap})arently this is the same thought repeated in three difi'erent ways. The forndess essence (afiopcpia) of a thing is simj)le and image- less — a Piatonic u/ca — perceived by the mind ; things which have bodily form are, as it were, types and symbols perceived by the senses.
* Vv "indeterminate."
The Divine Names 53
tlic One wliicli is beyond thought surpasses the
apprehension of tlioui^ht, and tlie Good which is
beyond utterance surpasses the reach of words. ^
Yea, it is an Unity which is the unifying Source of
all unity and a Super-Essential Essence,^ a Mind
beyond the reach of mind ^ and a Word beyond
utterance, eluding Discourse, Intuition, Name, and
every kind of being. It is the Universal Cause of
existence while Itself existing not, for It is beyond
all Being and such that It alone could give, with
proper understanding thereof, a revelation of Itself.
2. Now concerning this hidden Super-Essential
Godhead we must not dare, as I have said, to speak,
or even to form any conception Thereof, except those
things which are divinely revealed to us from the
Holy Scriptures. For as It hath lovingly taught us
in the Scriptures concerning Itself^ the understanding
and contemplation of Its actual nature is not acces-
sible to any being ; for such knowledge is super-
essentially exalted above them all. And many of
the Sacred Writers thou wilt find who have declared
that It is not only invisible and incomprehensible,
but also unsearchable and past finding out, since
there is no trace of any that have penetrated the
hidden depths of Its infinitude.^ Not that the Good
is wholly incommunicable to anything ; nay, rather,
while dwelling alone by Itself, and having there
^ Thus the three grades are : (i) the material world ; (2) the spiritual world of truths, personality, etc. ; (3) the Godhead which is, so to speak, supra-spiritual.
2 i. e. A Supra- Personal Personality. See Intr., p. 4 f.
^ vovs avoriTus. Probably not "Irrational Mind" (as Dr. Inge translates it), Maximus takes it passively, as translated above.
* Ps. cxlv. 3 ; Matt, xi, 27 ; Rom. xi. 33 ; I Cor. ii. ll ; Eph. iii. 8.
^ ws ovK oVTos ^xvovs ovSevhs twv iirl ttjv Kpvtplav avTr^s aTTfipiau ^leXriXvdSTwv. Two interpretations of this passage arc possible: (i) Those who have penetrated the hidden Depths cannot describe the Vision (cf. Dante, Par. xxxiii, 55-66) ; (2) Nobody has ever penetrated into the ultimate Depths of Deity.
54 Dionysius the Areopagite
firmly fixed Its super-essential Ray, It lovingly
reveals Itself by illuminations corresponding to each
separate creature's powers, and thus draws upwards
holy minds into such contemplation, participation
and resemblance^ of Itself as they can attain —
even them that holily and duly strive thercaftc r
and do not seek with impotent presumption the
Mystery beyond that heavenly revelation which is so
granted as to fit their powers, nor yet through their
lower propensity slip down the steep descent,- but
with unwavering constancy press onwards toward the
ray that casts its light upon them and, through the
love responsive to these gracious illuminations, speed
their temperate and holy flight on the wings of a
godly reverence.
3. In obedience to these divine behests which guide
all the holy dispositions " of the heavenly hosts, we
worship with reverent silence the unutterable Truths
and, with the unfathomable'^ and holy veneration of our
mind, approach that Mystery of Godhead which ex-
ceeds all Mind and Being. And we press upwards to
those beams which in the Holy Scripture shine upon
us; wherefrom we gain the light which leads us unto