Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names · 34 of 39 · tr. C.E. Rolt
Chapter 4, Section 1ah
Aug., Transcende mundum et sape animum, transcende animum et sape Deum.
307 This shows that the Via Negativa starts from something positive.
It is a transcendence, not a mere negation.
308 Prov.
iv.
6, 8 .
309 ὁ ἐμὸς Ἔρως ἐσταύρωται>.
Ignatius Ep.
ad Rom.
§ 6.
But possibly St.
Ignatius means: “My earthly affections are crucified.” St.
Ignatius wrote just before being martyred, at the beginning of the second century.
This reference would alone be sufficient to make the authenticity of the Dionysian writings improbable.
[It is perhaps impossible to determine whether Ignatius meant by the words “my Love is crucified” to refer to Jesus or to himself.
The latter is supported by Zahn and by Lightfoot, the former by Origen, Prologue to Commentary on Canticles.
” Nec pato quod culpari possit, si quis Deum, sicut Joannis, charitatur, ita ipse amorem nominit.
Denejire memini, aliquem sanctorum dixisse Ignatium nomine de Christo: Mens autem amor crucifixus est: nec reprehendi eum per hoc dignum judico.
“ Much further evidence is given in Jacobson’s Apostolic Fathers (p.
377).
Jacobson himself supports it, observing that the Greek commemoration of Ignatius takes the words in this sense.
Whether Dionysius followed Origen or not, his exposition is very interesting and is quite possibly the true.
See also the translator’s note on ἔρως .
Ed .] 310 ἐν ταῖς προεισαγωγαῖς τῶν λογίων.
Apparently this was a title of the books ascribed to Solomon.
The present reference is Wisdom viii.
2 .
311 τοῖς θείοις μᾶλλον ἀναθεῖναι τὸν ὄντως ἔρωτα.
312 Earthly desire is below static conditions, the Divine Desire is above them.
313 i.
e.
The word ἔρως is sometimes used concerning God to stimulate our minds by its unexpectedness and so to make us penetrate beyond the word to the mystery hinted at by it.
On the other hand ἀγάπη or ἀνάπησις is sometimes used concerning human relationships to prevent any degrading associations from entering in.
314 2 Sam.
i.
26 .
315 καὶ ἐστι τοῦτο δυνάμεως ἑνοποίου καὶ συνδετικῆς καὶ διαφερόντως συγκρατικῆς.
316 This finely suggests that the “Selfhood” of God is selfless.
Vide Intr., p.
9.
Note also the combination of rest and motion alluded to here.
317 Yearning is a movement in the soul; the Object of Yearning causes such movement in the soul.
318 Cf.
St.
Thomas Aquinas: Deus movet sicut desideratum a Se Ipso.
Cf.
§ Ask Guru about this passage →Themes
Apophatic Theologytheology
Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.
The passage explicitly defines the Via Negativa as a transcendence that starts from something positive rather than mere negation.
All passages →Detachment Gelassenheitpraxis
Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit/Gelassenheit — radical letting-go of will, image, and grasping that opens the soul to God; distinct from inner_silence (quietness) and from material renunciation, and adjacent to Sufi tark and Buddhist non-grasping as a practice rather than a metaphysical claim.
The command to transcend the earthly mind aligns with the practice of radical letting-go of attachments to achieve spiritual receptivity.
All passages →Divine Hiddennesstheology
The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.
The text emphasizes transcending the earthly mind to reach God, implying a hidden divine reality beyond ordinary perception.
All passages →Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology
Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.
The text suggests penetrating beyond words to the mystery hinted at by them through spiritual insight.
All passages →Ladder Of Lovesoteriology
Diotima's staged ascent from love of beautiful bodies → beautiful souls → beautiful pursuits → beautiful knowledge → Beauty itself; the canonical scala amoris that grounds Plotinus's On the Beautiful and Bruno's Eroici Furori — distinct from generic spiritual_ascent in that eros is the specific motive force.
The passage discusses earthly and Divine Desire as opposing movements that guide the soul's ascent toward God.
All passages →Living Godtheology
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
God is addressed directly with commands to transcend Him, indicating an active divine presence.
All passages →Mystical Unionsoteriology
The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.
The goal of transcending the earthly mind and reaching God implies a union or merging with the divine source.
All passages →Return To Sourcesoteriology
The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.
The instruction to transcend the earthly mind indicates a journey back to the divine origin.
All passages →Spiritual Ascentpraxis
A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.
The passage outlines a movement from earthly desire to Divine Desire as a journey upward toward God.
All passages →Related passages · 15 of 40 parallels
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Shared concept: Apophatic Theology — Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa. (derived)
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Shared concept: Apophatic Theology — Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa. (derived)
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Shared concept: Apophatic Theology — Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa. (derived)
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Shared concept: Apophatic Theology — Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa. (derived)
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“Section 6 6.
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Shared concept: Apophatic Theology — Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa. (derived)
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Very true, said Agathon.
And you would say the same of a mother?
He assented.
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Shared concept: Apophatic Theology — Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa. (derived)
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Shared concept: Apophatic Theology — Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa. (derived)
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Shared concept: Apophatic Theology — Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa. (derived)
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Shared concept: Apophatic Theology — Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa. (derived)