g ^u<^w TO) TTo'Se. h Ap. C. iv. s. 20 ; iv. s. 17 ; viii. s. 4.
132 Diojiysiiis the Areopagife
with the initiating invocations of the Leitourgoi.
Upon each of them the cruciform seal °^ is impressed,
by the ordaining Hierarch, and, in each case,
a sacred proclamation of name takes place, and
a perfecting salutation, since every sacerdotal person
present, and the Hierarch v/ho ordained, salute him
who has been enrolled to any of the aforenamed
sacerdotal Ranks.
///. Contemplation. Section I.
These things, then, are common both to the Hler-
archs, and Priests, and Leitourgoi, in their sacerdotal
consecrations, — the conducting to the Divine Altar
and kneeling, — the imposition of the Hierarchical
hand, — the cruciform seal, — the announcement of
name, — the completing salutation.
And special and select for the Hierarchs is the
imposition of the Oracles upon the head, since the
subordinate Ranks have not this ; and for the Priests
the bending of both knees, since the consecration of
the Leitourgoi has not this ; for the Leitourgoi, as
has been said, bend the one of two knees only.
Section IL
The conducting then to the Divine Altar, and
kneeling, suggests to all those who are being sacer-
dotally ordained, that their own life is entirely placed
under God, as source of consecration, and that their
on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, 133
whole intellectual self, all pure and hallowed, ap-
proaches to Him, and that it is of one likeness, and,
as far as possible, meet for the supremely Divine
and altogether most holy, both Victim'' and Altar,
which purifies, sacerdotally, the Godlike Minds.
Section III.
And the imposition of the Hierarchical hand
signifies at once the consecrating protection, by
which, as holy children, they are paternally tended,
which bequeaths to them a sacerdotal condition and
power, and drives away their adverse powers, and
teaches, at the same time also, to perform the sacer-
dotal operations, as those who, having been conse-
crated, are acting under God, and have Him as
Leader of their own operations in every respect.
Section IV.
And the cruciform seal manifests the inaction of
all the impulses of the flesh, and the God-imitated
life looking away unflinchingly to the m.anly most
Divine life of Jesus, Who came even to Cross and
death with a supremely Divine sinlessness, and
stamped those who so live with the cruciform image
of His own sinlessness as of the same likeness.
Section V.
And the Hierarch calls aloud the name of the
consecrations and of those consecrated, the mystery
denoting that the God-beloved consecrator is mani-
n Christ.
134 Dionysius the Ai'eopagite
festor of the supremely Divine choice, — not of his
own accord or by his own favour leading those who
are ordained to the sacerdotal consecration, but
being moved by God to all the Hierarchical dedi-
cations. Thus Moses, the consecrator under the
Law, does not lead even Aaron, his brother, to
sacerdotal consecration, though thinking him both
beloved of God and fit for the priesthood, until
moved by God to this, he in submission to God,
Head of consecration, completed by Hierarchical
rites the sacerdotal consecration ^ But even our
supremely Divine and first Consecrator (for the most
philanthropic Jesus, for our sake, became even this),
did "not glorify Himself," as the Logia say, but He
Who said to Him, " Thou ^ art Priest for ever after
the order of Melchizedek." Wherefore also whilst
Himself leading the disciples to sacerdotal conse-
cration, although being as God chief Consecrator,
nevertheless He refers the Hierarchical completion
of the work of consecration to His altogether most
Holy Father, and the supremely Divine Spirit, by
admonishing the disciples, as the Oracles say, not
to depart from Jerusalem, but to " await the promise
of the Father, which ye heard of Me, that ye shall
be baptized in Holy Ghost "i." And indeed, the
Coryphaeus of the disciples himself, with the ten,
of the same rank and Hierarchy with himself, when
he proceeded to the sacerdotal consecration of the
twelfth of the disciples, piously left the selection to
o Exod. xxix. 4. P Ps. ex. 4. <i Acts i. 4, 5.
071 the Ecclesiastical Hie7'archy. 135
the Godhead, saying, "Shew'" whom Thou hast
chosen," and received him, who was divinely desig-
nated by the Divine lot, into the Hierarchical
number of the sacred twelve. Now concerning
the Divine lot, which fell as a Divine intimation
upon Matthias, others have expressed another view,
not clearly, as I think, but I will express my own
sentiment. For it seems to me that the Oracles
name " lot " a certain supremely Divine gift, pointing
out to that Hierarchical Choir him who was desig-
nated by the Divine election; more particularly,
because the Divine Hierarch must not perform the
sacerdotal acts of his own motion, but, under God,
moving him to do them as prescribed by the Hier-
archy and Heaven.
Section VI.
Now the salutation, for the completion of the
sacerdotal consecration, has a religious significance.
For all the members of the sacerdotal Ranks present,
as well as the Hierarch himself who has consecrated
them, salute the ordained. For when, by sacerdotal
habits and powers, and by Divine call and dedica-
tion, a religious mind has attained to sacerdotal
completion, he is dearly loved by the most holy
Orders of the same rank, being conducted to a
most Godlike comeliness, loving the minds similar
to himself, and religiously loved by them in return.
Hence it is that the mutual sacerdotal salutation
is religiously performed, proclaiming the religious
r Acts i. 24. Ap. C. p. 168.
136 Dionysius the Areopagite
communion of minds of like character, and their
loveable benignity towards each other, as keeping
throughout, by sacerdotal training, their most God-
like comeliness.
Section VII
These things, as I said, are common to the whole
sacerdotal consecration. The Hierarch, however,
as a distinctive mark, has the Oracles most reverently
placed upon his head. For since the perfecting
power and science of the whole Priesthood is be-
queathed to the inspired Hierarchs, by the supremely
Divine and perfecting goodness, naturally are placed
upon the heads of the Hierarchs the Divinely trans-
mitted Oracles, which set forth comprehensively
and scientifically every teaching of God*, work
of God, manifestation of God, sacred word, sacred
work, in one word, all the Divine and sacred works
and words bequeathed to our Hierarchy by the
beneficent Godhead ; since the Godlike Hierarch,
having participated entirely in the whole Hierar-
chical power, will not only be illuminated, in the
true and God-transmitted science of all the sacred
words and works committed to the Hierarchy, but
will also transmit them to others in Hierarchical
proportions, and will perfect Hierarchically in most
Divine kinds of knowledge and the highest mystical
instructions, all the most perfecting functions of the
whole Hierarchy. And the distinctive feature of the
ordination of Priests, as contrasted with the ordering
on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 137
of the Leitourgoi, is the bending of the two knees,
as that bends only the one, and is ordained in this
Hierarchical fashion.
Section VIII.
The bending then denotes the subordinate intro-
duction of the conductor, who places under God that
which is reverently introduced. And since, as we
have often said, the three Orders of the consecrators,
through the three most holy Mystic Rites and powers,
preside over the three ranks of those initiated, and
minister their saving introduction under the Divine
yokes, naturally the order of Leitourgoi as only puri-
fying, ministers the one introduction of those who
are being purified, by placing it under the Divine
Altar, since in it the minds being purified, are
supermundanely hallowed. And the Priests bend
both their knees, since those who are religiously
brought nigh by them have not only been purified,
but have been ministerially perfected into a contem-
plative habit and power of a life thoroughly cleansed
by their most luminous ministrations through instruc-
tion. And the Hierarch, bending both his knees,
has upon his head the God-transmitted Oracles,
leading, through his office of Hierarch, those who
have been purified by the Leitourgic power, and
enlightened by the ministerial, to the science of
the holy things contemplated by them in proportion
to their capacities, and through this science perfect-
ing those who are brought nigh, into the most com-
plete holiness of which they are capable.
138 DioJiysiiis the Areopagite
CAPUT VI.
/. Concerning the Ranks, of the Initiated.
Section I.
These, then, are the sacerdotal Ranks and elections,
their powers, and operations, and consecrations.
We must next explain the triad of the Ranks being
initiated under them. We affirm then that the mul-
titudes, of whom we have already made mention, who
are dismissed from the ministrations and consecra-
tions, are Ranks under purification ; since one is
being yet moulded and fashioned by the Teitourgoi
through the obstetric Oracles to a living birth ; and
another is yet to be called back to the holy life, from
which it had departed, by the hortatory teaching of
the good Oracles ; and another, as being yet terror-
ized, through want of manliness, by opposing fears,
and being fortified by the strengthening Oracles ; and
another, as being yet led back from the worse
to holy efforts; and another as having been led
back, indeed, but not yet having a chaste fixedness
in more Godlike and tranquil habits. For these are
the Orders under purification, by the nursing and
purifying power of the Leitourgoi. These, the Lei-
tourgoi perfect, by their sacred powers, for the
purpose of their being brought, after their -complete
cleansing, to the enlightening contemplation and
participation in the most luminous ministrations.
on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 139
Section II.
And a middle rank is the contemplative, which
participates in certain Divine Offices in all purity,
according to its capacity, which is assigned to the
Priests for its enlightenment.
For it is evident, in my opinion, that, that having
been cleansed from all unholy impurity, and having
acquired the pure and unmoved steadfastness of
its own mind, is led back, ministerially, to the
contemplative habit and power, and communicates
the most Divine symbols, according to its capability,
filled with every holy joy in their contemplations
and communions, mounting gradually to the Divine
love of their science, through their elevating powers.
This, I affirm, is the rank of the holy people, as
having passed through complete purification, and
deemed worthy, as far as is lawful, both of the
reverent vision, and participation of the most lumi-
nous Mystic Rites.
Section III.
Now the rank, higher than all the initiated, is
the sacred Order of the Monks, which, by reason
of an entirely purified purification, through complete
power and perfect chastity of its own operations,
has attained to intellectual contemplation and com-
munion in every ministration which it is lawful for it
to contemplate, and is conducted by the most perfect-
ing powers of the Hierarchs, and taught by their
inspired illuminations and hierarchical traditions the
ministrations of the Mystic Rites, contemplated, ac-
140 Dionysius the Areopagite
cording to its capacity, and elevated by their sacred
science, to the most perfecting perfection of which
it is capable. Hence our Divine leaders have deemed
them worthy of sacred appellations, some, indeed,
calHng them " Therapeutas," and others "Monks,"
from the pure service and fervid devotion to the. true
God, and from the undivided and single life, as it
were unifying them, in the sacred enfoldings of
things divided, into a God-like Monad, and God-
loving perfection. Wherefore the Divine institution
accorded them a consecrating grace, and deemed
them worthy of a certain hallowing invocation — not
hierarchical — for that is confined to the sacerdotal
orders alone, but ministrative, as being ministered,
by the pious Priests, by the hierarchial consecration
in the second degree.
//. Mysierion on Mo7iasiic Consecration.
The Priest then stands before the Divine Altar,
religiously pronouncing the invocation for Monks.
The ordinand stands behind the Priest, neither bend-
ing both knees, nor one of them, nor having upon
his head the Divinely-transmitted Oracles, but only
standing near the Priest, who pronounces over him
the mystical invocation. When the Priest has fin-
ished this, he approaches the ordinand, and asks him
first, if he bids farewell to all the distracted— not
lives only, but also imaginations. Then he sets
before him the most perfect Ufe, testifying that it is
his bounden duty to surpass the ordinary life. When
on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 141
the ordinand has promised steadfastly all these things,
the Priest, after he has sealed him with the sign of
the Cross, crops his hair, after an invocation to the
threefold Subsistence of the Divine Beatitude, and
when he has stripped off all his clothing, he covers
him with different, and when, with all the holy men
present, he has saluted him, he finishes by making
him partaker of the supremely Divine Mysteries.
III. Contemplation. Section I.
The fact that he bends neither knee, nor has upon
his head the Divinely-transmitted Oracles, but stands
by the Priest, who pronounces the invocation, sig-
,nifies, that the monastic Rank is not for leading others,
but stands by itself, in a monastic and holy state,
following the sacerdotal Ranks, and readily conducted
by them, as a follower, to the Divine science of
sacred things, according to its capacity.