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.
The chapter announces its subject: the Divine Names of Power, Righteousness, Salvation, Redemption, and also Inequality. The text states that the Sacred Writers call the Divine Truthfulness and Supra-Sapient Wisdom Power, Righteousness, Salvation, and Redemption, and proposes to unravel these names. It asserts that the Godhead transcends every mode of Power, noting Scripture attributes Dominion to the Godhead, distinguishing It from the Celestial Powers, and asks in what sense It is called Power. The answer: God is Power because He contains all power beforehand, causes all power, and is Infinitely Powerful, His activity being inexhaustible. This distribution of Power permeates all things, so nothing is wholly bereft of power, whether as Intuition, Reason, Perception, Life, or Being. From this Source come the Powers of the Angelic Orders, and its effects enter men, animals, plants, and the Universe, preserving natural laws, stars, elements, and bestowing Deification. The text then introduces Elymas the sorcerer, who objects that if God is Omnipotent, Paul is wrong to say God cannot deny Himself. The reply: denial of the true Self is declension from Truth and Being, and God cannot fall from Being; Elymas is compared to an unskilled athlete striking his shadow. God is next called Righteousness because He gives all things what is right, ordering Proportion, Beauty, and Rank. Those who blame Divine Righteousness are self-condemned. An objection about holy men oppressed by the wicked is answered. Righteousness is also called Salvation, preserving each thing's being, and Redemption, keeping things from falling into nothingness and restoring what stumbles. The chapter closes on Righteousness measuring equality and inequality.
Chapter 8, Section 1aChapter 8, Section 1bChapter 8, Section 1cChapter 8, Section 1dChapter 8, Section 1e