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 IX treats the Titles Great, Small, Same, Different, Like, Unlike, Standing, Motion, and Equality. Section 1 introduces these as ascribed to the Universal Cause and states the intention to consider them: Greatness is attributed to God in the firmament, Smallness in thin air; Sameness in "Thou art the same," Difference in His many forms; Similarity as Creator of similar things, Dissimilarity because none is His like; Standing and Seated, yet Moving and going forth. Section 2 explains Greatness as giving to all great things, exceeding all Space, Number, and Infinity, undiminished when shared, Infinite and without Quantity. Section 3 explains Smallness or Rarity as penetrating all things unhindered, reaching to the dividing of soul and spirit, without Quantity or Quality, comprehending all yet Incomprehensible. Section 4 attributes Sameness as an Eternal, Unchangeable Quality, Birthless, causing Identity in participating things and yoking different things in harmony. Section 5 ascribes Difference to God's providential presence in all things while remaining Himself, giving Himself for Deification; the differing visions signify something beyond what is shown, illustrated by representing the soul's parts (head as Intellect, neck Opinion, breast Passion, belly Animal Desire, legs Vital Nature), and by Breadth, Length, and Depth. Section 6 treats Similar: God bestows Divine Similitude on those who turn to Him, though He resembles nothing, as a portrait analogy shows Cause and effect are not interchangeable. Section 7 states Scripture declares God Dissimilar, yet things are both like and unlike Him. Section 8 explains Standing and Sitting as immovable Sameness, Cause of all stability. Section 9 explains God's Motion as Straight, Spiral, and Circular, befitting Him. Section 10 calls God Equal, Fount of Very Equality, containing all Equality beforehand as Unity.
Chapter 9, Section 1aChapter 9, Section 1bChapter 9, Section 1cChapter 9, Section 1dChapter 9, Section 1e