Section II.
Now, the Chants and Readings of the supremely
Divine promises are explanatory of the most blessed
inheritances, to which those, who have attained a
Divine perfection, shall be eternally appointed, and
1 Wisdom iii. 9. "^ ctTreA-XTJpwo-ai'. See Papias, fragment 5.
11 K/i^a.ra. in text. I suggest KTi-j/xara.
071 the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 151
descriptive of him who has religiously fallen asleep,
and stimulative of those, who are still living, to the
same perfection.
Section III.
Observe, however, that not all the ranks
under purification are customarily dismissed, but
only the catechumens are expelled from the holy
places, for this class is entirely uninitiated in every
holy Rite, and is not permitted to view any of the
religious celebrations, great or small, inasmuch as
it has not participated in the faculty of contem-
plating the holy mysteries, through the Birth from
God, which is Source and gift of light. The rest,
however, of the ranks under purification, have already
been under instruction in sacred tradition ; but, as
they have foolishly returned to an evil course it is
incumbent to complete their proper elevation in
advance, and they are reasonably dismissed from
the supremely Divine contemplations and commu-
nions, as in holy symbols ; for they will be
injured, by partaking of them unholily, and will
come to a greater contempt of the Divine Mysteries
and themselves.
Section IV.
Naturally, however, they are present at the things
now done, being clearly taught by seeing both the
fearlessness of death amongst us, and the last honour
of the saints extolled from the unfailing Oracles,
and that the sufferings threatened to the unholy
152 Dlonysius the Areopagite
like themselves will be endless ; for it will perhaps
be profitable for them to have seen him, who has
religiously finished his course, reverently proclaimed
by the public proclamation of the Leitourgoi, as
being certainly companion of the Saints for ever**.
And, perchance, even they will come to the like
aspiration, and will be taught from the science of
the Liturgy, that the consummation in Christ is
blessed indeed.
Section V.
Then the Divine Hierarch, advancing, offers a
holy prayer over the man fallen asleep. After the
prayer, both the Hierarch himself salutes him, and
next all who are present. Now the prayer beseeches
the supremely Divine Goodness to remit to the man
fallen asleep all the failings committed by reason of
human infirmity, and to transfer him in lights and
land of living \ into the bosom of Abraham ^, and
Isaac, and Jacob : in a place where grief and sorrow
and sighing are no more. It is evident, then, as
I think, that these, the rewards of the pious, are
most blessed. For what can be equal to an im-
mortality entirely without grief and luminous with
light. Especially if all the promises which pass
man's understanding, and which are signified to us
by signs adapted to our capacity, fall short, in their
description, of their actual truth. For we must
o Luke i. 70. P Ps. Ivi. 13. q Ps. cxvi. 9.
r Luke xvi. 22.
on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 153
remember that the Logion is true, that " Eye hath
not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into
the heart of man to conceive, the things which God
hath prepared for them that 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 inherit-
ance, 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 command-
ments, 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 fol-
lowing 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, since the supremely Di-
vine 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 regu-
lation, and betaking himself to a wretched self-con-
ceit, 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 cor-
relative 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 right-
leous 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, ac-
cording 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 arro-
gate, on his own authority, a function of the Hier-
archy, without being moved by the Supreme Legis-
lator, 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 re-
tained." 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 announc-
ing 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. The inspired Hierarchs then must so exer-
cise their separations and all their Hierarchical
i John XX. 22, 23. ^ Matt. xvi. 19. • Ibid. 17.
158 Diojiysiiis the Arcopagite
powers as the Godhead, the Supreme Initiator,, may
move them ; and the others must so cHng to the
Hierarchs as moved by God, in what they may
do hierarchically, " For he who despiseth you," He
says, " despiseth Me '"."
Section VIII.
Let us now proceed to that, which follows the
prayer mentioned. When the Hierarch has finished
it, he first salutes the fallen asleep, and next, all
who are present ; for dear and honoured by all God-
like men is he who has been perfected in a Divine
life. After the salutation, the Hierarch pours the
oil upon the man fallen asleep. And remember,
that during the sacred Birth from God, before the
most Divine Baptism, a first participation of a holy
symbol is given to the man initiated — the oil of
Chrism — after the entire removal of the former
clothing ; and now, at the conclusion of all, the
Oil is poured upon the man fallen asleep. Then
indeed the anointing with the Oil summoned the
initiated to the holy contests ; and now the Oil
poured upon him shews the fallen asleep to have
struggled, and to have been made perfect, through-
out those same contests.
Section IX.
When the Hierarch has finished these things, he' places the body in an honourable chamber, with
" Luke X. 16.
on the Ecclesiastical Ilieraj'chy. 159
other, holy bodies of the same rank. For if, in soul
and body, the man fallen asleep passed a life dear
to God, there will be honoured, with the dqvout
soul, the body also, which contended with it through-
out the devout struggles. Hence the Divine justice
gives to it, together with its own body, the retri-
butive inheritances, as companion and participator
in the devout, or the contrary, life. Wherefore, the
Divine institution of sacred rites bequeaths the
supremely Divine participations to them both — to
the soul, indeed, in pure contemplation and in
science of the things being done, and to the body,
by sanctifying the whole man, as in a figure with
the most Divine Muron, and the most holy symbols
of the supremely Divine Communion, sanctifying
the whole man, and announcing, by purifications of
the whole man, that his resurrection will be most
complete.