68 Dioiiysius the Areopagite
Mind and superessential, the Source and Essence,
and most supremely Divine Power of every Hier-
archy and Sanctification and Divine operation —
illuminates the blessed Beings who are superior
to us, in a manner more clear, and at the same
time more intellectual, and assimilates them to His
own Light, as far as possible ; and by our love
of things beautiful elevated to Him, and which
elevates us, folds together our many diversities, and
after perfecting into a uniform and Divine life and
habit and operation, holily bequeaths the power of
the Divine Priesthood ; from which by approaching to
the holy exercise of the priestly office, we ourselves
become nearer to the Beings above us, by assimi-
lation, according to our power, to their abiding and
unchangeable holy steadfastness ; and thus by look-
ing upwards to the blessed and supremely Divine''
self of Jesus, and reverently gazing upon whatever,
we are permitted to see, and illuminated with the
knowledge of the visions, we shall be able to be-
come, as regards the science of Divine mysteries,
purified and purifiers ; images of Light, and workers
with God, perfected and perfecting.
Section H.
Then what is the Hierarchy of the Angels ^ and
Archangels, and of supermundane Principalities and
Authorities, Powers and Lordships, and Divine
Thrones, or of the Beings of the same ranks as
the Thrones — which the ^Vord of God declares to
c o.\)Tr\v. auyTjv. or apxvy' ^ See Epistle to Trallians,
071 the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 69
be near, and always about God, and with® God,
naming them in the Hebrew tongue Cherubim and
Seraphim — by pondering the sacred ranks and di-
visions of their Orders and Hierarc]:Hes, you will
find in the books we have written — not as befits
their dignity but to the best of our ability — and
as the Theology of the most holy Scriptures guided,
when they extolled their Hierarchy. Nevertheless, it
is necessary to say this, that both that, and every
Hierarchy extolled now by us, has one and the same
power, throughout the whole Hierarchical trans-
action ; and that the Hierarch himself, according
to his essence, and analogy, and rank, is initiated in
Divine things, and is deified and imparts to the
subordinates, according to the meetness of each
for the sacred deification which comes to him from
God ; also that the subordinates follow the superior,
and elevate the inferior towards things in advance ;
and that some go before, and, as far as possible,
give the lead to others ; and that each, as far as
may be, participates in the truly Beautiful, and
Wise, and Good, through this the inspired and
sacerdotal harmony.
But the Beings and ranks above us, of whom
we have already made a reverent mention, are both
incorporeal, and their Hierarchy is Uoth intelligible
and supermundane ; but let us view our Hierarchy,
comformably to ourselves, abounding in the variety
of the sensible symbols, by which, in proportion
to our capacity, we are conducted, hierarchically
e John i. I.
yo Di07iysius the Areopagite
according to our measure, to the uniform deification
— God and Divine virtue. They indeed, as minds,
think, according to laws laid down for themselves ;
but we are led by sensible 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 communi-
cation 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 good-
ness *\ 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 assimi-
lation to, and union with, God, as far as attain-
able, is deification. And this is the common goal
of every Hierarchy, — the clinging love towards God
and Divine things divinely and uniformly minis-
tered ; and previous to this, the complete and
unswerving removal of things contrary, the know-
ledge 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.
Let us affirm, then, that the supremely Divine Blessedness, the ' essential Deity, the Source of
^ Creation through goodness — not necessity.
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 super-
mundane and blessed inheritances there is be-
queathed something more immaterial and intellec-
tual (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 mul-
titude of divisible symbols, as we are able to re-
ceive 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
^ 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 Hier-
archy, 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 Di-
vine, by things human, and things immaterial, by things
material, and the superessential, by things belong-
ing 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. Neverthe-
less 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, know-
ing that the Lawgivers of things divinely transmitted
deliberately arranged the Hierarchy in well-estab-
lished and unconfused ranks, and in proportionate
and sacred distributions of that which was conve-
nient 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 thy-
self, 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 re-
generation P. For, as our illustrious Leader used
^ John xiv. 23. o Ibid. i. 13. P Ibid. iii. 5.
on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 75
to say, the very first movement of the mind towards
Divine things is the wilHng reception of Almighty
God, but the very earhest step of the reUgious
reception towards the rehgious performance of the
Divine commandments is the unutterable operation
of our being 'I from God. For if our^ being from
God is the Divine engendering, never would he
know, and certainly never perform, any of the Divine
instructions, who had not had his beginning to be
in God. To speak after the manner of men, must
we not first begin to be, and then to do, our affairs ?
Since he, who does not exist at all, has neither
movement nor even beginning; since he, who in
some way exists, alone does, or suffers, those things
suitable to his own nature. This, then, as I think,
is clear. Let us next contemplate the Divine sym-
bols of the birth in God. And I pray, let no
uninitiated person approach the sight ^ ; for neither
is it without danger to gaze upon the glorious
rays of the sun with weak eyes, nor is it without
peril to put our hand to things above us. For
right was the priesthood of the Law, when rejecting
Osias ^, because he put his hand to sacred things ;
and Korah ", because to things sacred above his
capacity ; and Nadab ^ and Abihu, because they
treated things, within their own province, unholily.
^ rov fhai dftws. r See Baptismal Offices,
s C. 2. s. 62. t 2 Chron. xxvi. 16 — 21. ^ Num. xvi.
1—33. ^ Ibid. iii. 4.
76 Dionysius the Areopagite
II. Mysterion of Illiiminaiion.
Section I.
The Hierarch, then, wishing ^ that all men what-
soever should be saved by their assimilation towards
God, and come to recognition of truth, proclaims
to all the veritable Good News, that God being
compassionate towards those upon earth, out of
His own proper and innate goodness, deigned Him-
self to come to us with outstretched arms, by reason
of loving-kindness towards men ; and, by the union
with Him, to assimilate, like as by fire, things that
have been made one, in proportion to their aptitude
for deification. " For as many as received Him,
to them gave He power ^ to become children of
God — to those who believe on His Name, who were
begotten, not of bloods, nor of will of flesh, but
of God V
Section II.
He, who has felt a religious longing to participate
in these truly supermundane gifts, comes to some
one of the initiated, and persuades him to act as
his conductor to the Hierarch. He then professes
wholly to follow the teaching that shall be given
to him, and prays him to undertake the superin-
tendence of his introduction, and of all his after
life. Now he, though religiously longing for his
salvation, when he measures human infirmity against
the loftiness of the undertaking, is suddenly seized