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Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology · 4 of 11 · tr. C.E. Rolt

Chapter IIb

but now ascending upwards from 196 particular to universal conceptions we strip off all qualities 528 528 The process from the universal to the particular is the process of actual development (existence before life, and life before rationality, etc.); the converse is the natural process of thought, which seeks to refer things to their universal laws of species, etc. (Divine Names, V. 3). But this latter process is not in itself the Via Negativa, but only the ground plan of it, differing from it as a ground plan of a mountain path differs from a journey up the actual path itself. The process of developing life complicates, but enriches, the world; that of thought simplifies, but eviscerates it. Contemplation, being an act of the human spirit, is a process of developing life, and yet follows the direction of thought. Hence it enriches and simplifies at the same time. in order that we may attain a naked knowledge of that Unknowing which in all existent things is enwrapped by all objects of knowledge, 529 529 Cf. p. 194, n. 1. and that we may begin to see that super-essential Darkness which is hidden by all the light that is in existent things.
Themes
◆Apophatic Theologytheology

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

The passage explicitly describes the goal of attaining a 'naked knowledge of that Unknowing' and refers to 'super-essential Darkness'.

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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 text states that the process of thought 'eviscerates' the world, implying the material realm is stripped away from true knowledge.

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◆Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

The text contrasts 'super-essential Darkness' with 'light that is in existent things', establishing an ontological opposition between these realms.

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◆Divine Hiddennesstheology

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

The text emphasizes the concealment of the divine 'super-essential Darkness' behind all light and objects of knowledge.

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◆Evil As Privationtheology

Augustinian and Plotinian doctrine that evil has no positive being of its own but is a lack, distortion, or absence of the good — denying ontological dualism while preserving moral seriousness.

The text describes the material world as being 'eviscerated' by thought, suggesting evil or deficiency is a lack of true existence.

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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 describes the goal of attaining 'naked knowledge' and seeing 'super-essential Darkness', which aligns with direct experiential knowledge of the divine.

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◆Inner Lightanthropology

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

The text mentions that light exists within existent things, implying a luminous quality resides in the material world that can be transcended.

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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 text describes 'Contemplation' as an act of the human spirit that enriches and simplifies at the same time.

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◆Mystical Unionsoteriology

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

The goal is to see the super-essential Darkness hidden by light, implying a union with or recognition of the divine hidden nature.

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◆Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

The text presents the simultaneous enrichment and simplification of the world through contemplation as a paradoxical state.

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◆Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The passage describes an ascent from particular to universal conceptions toward the divine Unknowing.

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◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The text explicitly describes the process of ascending upwards from particular to universal conceptions as a journey toward the divine.

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Related passages · 3 parallels
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 274 (part 1)
“Section 8 8. From this basis we proceed: In the advancing stages of Contemplation rising from that in Nature, to that in the Soul and thence again to that in the Intellectual-Principle itself- the object contemplated becomes progressively…”
Both passages discuss the process of contemplation and the nature of the divine as it relates to human understanding. They both emphasize the unity and simplicity of the divine, and the limitations of human thought in comprehending it. However, they come from different mystical traditions, Pseudo-Dionysius from Christian mysticism and Plotinus from Neoplatonism.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 558
“Section 20 20. We may thus distinguish two phases of Intellect, in one of which it may be taken as having no contact whatever with particulars and no Act upon anything; thus it is kept apart from being a particular intellect. In the same wa…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the universal and the particular, exploring how the universal contains the particular in potentiality and how the particular manifests the universal in actuality. They share a mystical perspective on the nature of intellect and existence, though they come from different traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 559 (part 1)
“Section 21 21. How then does the universal Intellect produce the particulars while, in virtue of its Reason-Principle, remaining a unity? In other words, how do the various grades of Being, as we call them, arise from the four primaries?…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the universal and the particular, and the process of contemplation or intellection that transcends these distinctions to reach a higher, unifying reality. They share a mystical approach to understanding the divine or ultimate reality through negation and contemplation.