Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names
§ About this work
Writing to his fellow-Presbyter Timothy, Dionysius, having ended the Outlines of Divinity, undertakes an Exposition of the Divine Names, holding that God is celebrated only as the Scriptures reveal, as Super-Essential Cause who is nameless yet named from His beneficent Emanations (Part 1). Part 2 shows the Sacred Writers calling the Godhead both Nameless—citing the vision that rebukes one asking "What is thy name?"—and possessed of all names, human and symbolic. Continuing sections state that qualities pre-exist in the Creative Originals, that the Incarnation of Jesus surpasses all minds, and quote Hierotheus's Elements of Divinity on the Deity of Jesus and on Differentiation; extensive scriptural and editorial notes accompany each part. Chapter 3 opens with invocation of the Trinity, prayer figured by cord and cables, and Dionysius naming Hierotheus his preceptor next to Paul, recalling the gathering where James and Peter were present. Chapter 4 treats Good, Light, Beautiful, and Yearning, then argues at length that Evil is not existent and inheres neither in angels, devils, souls, beasts, nature, bodies, nor matter, being only deficiency of Good. Chapter 5 celebrates "Being" and the Exemplars; Chapter 6, Eternal Life, dismissing Simon; Chapter 7, Wisdom and "Foolish Wisdom"; Chapter 8, Power, Righteousness, Salvation, and Redemption, where the reply confounds Elymas the sorcerer. Chapters 9 and 10 expound Great, Small, Same, Motion, Equality, and "Omnipotent" and "Ancient of Days." Chapter 11 praises Peace and Very Being; Chapter 12, Holy of holies, King of kings, Lord of lords, God of gods. Chapter 13, on "Perfect" and "One," preferring the Negative method, closes the treatise on Intelligible Names, Dionysius asking Timothy to correct it before proceeding to Symbolical Divinity.
Chapter XII treats the titles "Holy of holies," "King of kings," "Lord of lords," and "God of gods," proposing to praise God, whose Names are infinite, under these names. It defines Holiness as freedom from defilement and untainted purity, Royalty as the power to assign limit, order, law, and rank, Dominion as superiority and complete possession of good things and steadfast firmness, and Deity as the Providence contemplating and holding together all things. A footnote records that D. holds God's dominion an absolute quality, that St. Augustine says God could not be called "Lord" before creation, and that Eckhart says before creation God was not God. The titles are assigned absolutely to the All-Transcendent Cause, from which all Perfection, Order, and Providence come forth. Being brim-full of all things, the Creator is called "Holy of Holies" by His overflowing Causality. Scripture's Holy Ones, Kings, Lords, and Gods designate the higher Ranks distributing God's gifts to secondary Ranks.
Chapter 12, Section 1aChapter 12, Section 1bChapter 12, Section 1c