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Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names · 12 of 15 · tr. C.E. Rolt

Chapter 1, Section 1l

The formless essence (ἀμορφία) of a thing is simple and imageless—a Platonic idea—perceived by the mind; things which have bodily form are, as it were, types and symbols perceived by the senses. 54 Or “indeterminate.” 55 Thus the three grades are: (1) the material world; (2) the spiritual world of truths, personality, etc.; (3) the Godhead which is, so to speak, supra-spiritual. 56 i. e. A Supra-Personal Personality. See Intr., p. 4 f. 57 νοῦς ἀνοητός. Probably not ” Irrational Mind” (as Dr. Inge translates it). Maximus takes it passively, as translated above. 58 Ps. cxlv. 3 ; Matt. xi 27 ; Rom. xi. 33 ; I Cor. ii. 11 ; Eph. iii. 8 . 59 ὡς οὐκ ὄντος ἴχνους τῶν ἐπὶ τὴν κρυφίαν αὐτῆς ἀπειρίαν διεληλυθότων. Two interpretations of this passage are possible: (1) 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. 60 θεωριά, κοινωνία, δμοίωσις. These are three elements of one process. Resemblance is the final goal, cf. I John iii. 2. D. defines Deification as “a process whereby we are made like unto God (ἀφομοίωσις) and are united unto Him (ἕνωσις) so far as these things may be.” (Eccl. Hier. I. 4. Migne, p. 376, A.) 61 Two kinds of danger: (1) spiritual presumption; (2) the temptations of our earthly nature. In dealing with the first D. warns us against leaving the Affirmative Path until we are ready. The Negative Path goes on where the Affirmative Path stops. St. John of the Cross and other spiritual writers insist that, though contemplation is a higher activity than meditation through images, yet not all are called to it, and that it is disastrous prematurely to abandon meditation. S. John of the Cross, in the Dark Night of the Soul, explains the signs which will show when the time has come for the transition. Note the spiritual sanity of D. His Unknowing is not a blank. 62 τὰς ὅλας . . . τῶν ὑπερουρανίων τάξεων ἁγίας διακοσμήσεις. 63 A depth opens up in the heart of man corresponding to the depth of the Godhead. Deep answers unto deep. Cf. I Cor. ii. 10, 11 . 64 πρὸς τοὺς θεαρχικοὺς ὕμνους. Either (1) “leads us to declare the Divine praises”; or (2) “leads us to apprehend the Divine praises as sung by angels,” etc.
Themes
◆Apophatic Theologytheology

Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.

The text emphasizes that God is 'Supra-spiritual' and cannot be described by human language or categories.

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◆Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

The material world is contrasted with the spiritual realm, implying the body hinders higher knowledge.

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◆Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

The passage explicitly states that those who have penetrated the hidden Depths cannot describe the Vision.

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◆Divine Simplicitytheology

The doctrine that God has no parts, divisions, or composite attributes; pure undivided being.

The formless essence of a thing is described as 'simple and imageless,' mirroring God's nature.

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◆Emanation Hierarchycosmology

A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.

The text outlines three grades of reality: material world, spiritual world, and supra-spiritual Godhead.

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◆Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

The passage focuses on the 'Vision' and 'perception by the mind' of the divine essence as a path to Deification.

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◆Hidden Sayingssoteriology

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

The text warns that those who have penetrated the hidden Depths cannot describe the Vision.

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◆Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

A depth opens up in the heart of man corresponding to the depth of the Godhead.

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◆Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

The text suggests that a depth opens up in the heart of man corresponding to the depth of the Godhead.

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◆Meditationpraxis

Disciplined inward attention — sitting, focused, or open-awareness practice — as a stand-alone term that umbrellas active_contemplation, inner_silence, and dhyana-style sitting.

The passage discusses the dangers of abandoning meditation prematurely and distinguishes it from contemplation.

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◆Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

The goal described is 'united unto Him' and 'Deification' where we are made like unto God.

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◆Theosis Deificationsoteriology

The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.

The passage explicitly defines Deification as being made like unto God and united unto Him.

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Related passages · 9 parallels
◆buddhism|Prajña-pâramitâ-hridaya (Heart Sutra)|Section 1
“THE SMALLER PRA GÑ Â-PÂRAMITÂ- H RI DAYA-SÛTRA. ADORATION TO THE OMNISCIENT! The venerable Bodhisattva Avalokite s vara, performing his study in the deep Pra gñ âpâramitâ (perfection of wisdom), thought thus: 'There are the five Skandhas, a…”
Both passages explore the concept of the formless or empty nature of reality. The Heart Sutra discusses the emptiness of all phenomena, while the second passage talks about the formless essence of things and the ultimate Depths of Deity, both pointing towards a transcendent understanding beyond sensory perception.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 125
“Section 3 3. Now it may be observed, first of all, that we cannot hold utterly cheap either the indeterminate, or even a Kind whose very idea implies absence of form, provided only that it offer itself to its Priors and [through them] to th…”
Both passages discuss the nature of form and formlessness, and the relationship between different levels of reality. They explore the concept of an ultimate, formless essence that is perceived differently by the mind and senses, and the hierarchy of existence from the material world to the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 132
“Section 10 10. But how can I form the conception of the sizelessness of Matter? How do you form the concept of any absence of quality? What is the Act of the Intellect, what is the mental approach, in such a case? The secret is Indeterminat…”
Both passages explore the concept of the formless or indeterminate essence of reality, with Plotinus discussing the indetermination of Matter and Dionysius the Areopagite describing the formless essence of things. Both use the idea of the mind's struggle to comprehend that which is beyond form and definition.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 495
“Section 3 3. We will have to examine this Nature, the Intellectual, which our reasoning identifies as the authentically existent and the veritable essential: but first we must take another path and make certain that such a principle does ne…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the Intellectual-Principle or formless essence, emphasizing the distinction between the material and spiritual worlds and the role of the mind in perceiving higher realities. They share a conceptual parallel in exploring the relationship between the divine and the created world.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 642
“Section 3 3. What then is there to prevent man having been the object of planning There? No: all stands in that likeness, nothing to be added or taken away; this planning and reasoning is based only on an assumption; things are taken to be…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and the relationship between the divine and the material world, emphasizing the completeness and unity of the divine essence. They also explore the concept of perception and the limitations of human understanding in relation to the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 672
“Section 33 33. When therefore we name beauty, all such shape must be dismissed; nothing visible is to be conceived, or at once we descend from beauty to what but bears the name in virtue of some faint participation. This formless Form is be…”
Both passages discuss the concept of formlessness as the ultimate reality or principle of beauty, emphasizing that true beauty transcends physical and even intellectual forms. They both explore the idea of moving beyond the visible and the formed to reach a higher, formless essence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 696
“Section 14 14. Another approach: Everything to which existence may be attributed is either one with its essence or distinct from it. Thus any given man is distinct from essential man though belonging to the order Man: a soul and a soul's es…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and the relationship between the divine and created beings, emphasizing the simplicity and transcendence of the divine essence. They also explore the concept of the divine as the source of all being and the ultimate principle beyond human comprehension.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 701
“Section 19 19. Stirred to the Supreme by what has been told, a man must strive to possess it directly; then he too will see, though still unable to tell it as he would wish. One seeing That as it really is will lay aside all reasoning upon…”
Both passages discuss the ineffable nature of the divine and the limitations of human understanding and expression when encountering the ultimate reality. They share a mystical perspective on the transcendence of the divine beyond essence and human comprehension.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 707 (part 1)
“Section 3 3. What then must The Unity be, what nature is left for it? No wonder that to state it is not easy; even Being and Form are not easy, though we have a way, an approach through the Ideas. The soul or mind reaching towards the fo…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as formless and beyond being, emphasizing the difficulty of comprehending it through ordinary means. They also highlight the process of unification or deification as a means to approach the divine.