Apophatic Theology

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter III

“In the first place, therefore, you say, “ it must be granted that there are Gods .” Thus to speak, however, is not right on this subject. For an innate knowledge of the Gods is coexistent with our very essence; and this knowledge is superio…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter IV-a

“With respect to your inquiry, “ what the peculiarities are in each of the more excellent genera, by which they are separated from each other? ” if you understand by peculiarities the specific differences under the same genus, which are dis…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter IV-b

“This, therefore, subsists contrarily to what you suppose, for the purpose of discovering the peculiarity which you now investigate. In short, whether you think that there is one genus of the Gods, one of dæmons, and in a similar manner of…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter V-a

“In the next place, let us direct our attention to the solution of your inquiries. There is, therefore, the good itself which is beyond essence, and there is that good which subsists according to essence; I mean the essence which is most an…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter V-b

“Again, however, according to another mode of considering the subject, it is necessary to ascribe to the Gods the whole of that which is united, of whatever kind it may be; that which is firmly established in itself, and which is the cause o…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VII

“Of the extremes, therefore, one is supreme, transcendent, and perfect; but the other is last in dignity, deficient, and more imperfect. And the former, indeed, is capable of accomplishing all things at once, uniformly in an instant; but the…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VIII-b

“Hence, through these things such a corporeal-formed division as you introduce, is demonstrated to be false. It is, indeed, especially necessary not to propose any thing of this kind; but if this should appear to you to be requisite, yet yo…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter IX-a

“I consider you, therefore, as asking, for it is your inquiry, “ Why, since the Gods dwell in the heavens alone, there are invocations by theurgists of terrestrial and subterranean Gods? ” For 45 what you assert in the beginning is not true…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 10, Section 1a

“CHAPTER X Concerning ” Omnipotent ,” ” Ancient of Days “; and also concerning ” Eternity “ and ” Time .” 1. Now ‘tis time that our Discourse should celebrate God (Whose Names are many) as “Omnipotent” and “Ancient of Days.” The former titl…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 10, Section 1b

“For where Scripture speaks of things as “eternal” it doth not always mean things that are absolutely Uncreated or verily Everlasting, Incorruptible, 171 Immortal, Invariable, and Immutable ( e.g. “Be ye lift up, ye eternal doors,” 461 461…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 10, Section 1c

“It is spoken of by ail the Christian Mystics as the root of our being, or as the spark, or the Synteresis, etc. Our perfection consists in this ultimate reality, which is each man’s self, shining through his whole being and transforming it…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1a

“51 CHAPTER I Dionysius the Presbyter, to his fellow-Presbyter Timothy. 45 45 The name of St. Paul’s companion is intended to give colour to the writer’s pseudonym. See Introduction, p. 1; cf. iii. 2. What is the purpose of the discou…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1b

“For even as things which are intellectually discerned 52 52 i. e. The Transcendent Truths which are beyond ordinary knowledge. νοητά . The word νοῦς = Mind in the sense not merely of abstract intellect but of the spiritual personality.…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1c

“59 59 ὡς οὐκ ὄντος ἴχνους τῶν ἐπὶ τὴν κρυφίαν αὐτῆς ἀπειρίαν διεληλυθότων. Two interpretations of this passage are possible: (1) Those who have penetrated the hidden Depths cannot describe the Vision (cf. Dante, Par. xxxiii. 55–66) ; (2…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1d

“And we press upwards to those beams which in the Holy Scripture shine upon us; wherefrom we gain the light which leads us unto 55 the Divine praises 64 64 πρὸς τοὺς θεαρχικοὺς ὕμνους. Either (1) “leads us to declare the Divine praises”; or…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1e

“These mysteries we learn from the Divine Scriptures, and thou wilt find that in well-nigh all the utterances of the Sacred Writers the Divine Names refer in a Symbolical Revelation 72 72 ἐκφαντορικῶς καὶ ὑμνητικῶς. to Its beneficent Emanat…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1f

“And in all the other Divine enlightenments which the occult Tradition of our inspired teachers hath, by mystic Interpretation, accordant with the Scriptures, bestowed upon us, we also have been initiated: apprehending these things in the pr…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1g

“But if It is greater than all Reason and all knowledge, and hath Its firm abode altogether beyond Mind and Being, and circumscribes, compacts, embraces and anticipates all things 87 87 παντῶν . . . προληπτική—i.e. contains them eternall…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1h

“that which makes an individual thing to be one thing); (2) Mental or Spiritual intercourse; (3) Physical intercourse; (4) Sense perception. Here it = either (1) or (2), probably (1). limit, infinity, everything that exists. And yet since…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1i

“1 . as “God of Gods” and “Lord of Lords”, 108 108 Ps. cxxxvi. 2, 3 . and “Holy of Holies,” 109 109 Isa. vi. 3 . as “Eternal,” 110 110 Deut. xxxiii. 27 . as “Existent” 111 111 Ex. iii. 14 . and as “Creator of Ages,” 112 112 Gen.…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1j

“143 143 God is above Time. For the Nameless Goodness is not only the cause of cohesion or life or perfection in such wise as to derive Its Name from this or that providential activity alone; nay, rather does It contain all things beforehan…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1k

“) with our hearts predisposed unto the vision of God, and let us bring holy ears to the exposition of God’s holy Names, implanting holy Truths in holy instruments according to the Divine command, and withholding these things from the mocker…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1l

“The formless essence (ἀμορφία) of a thing is simple and imageless—a Platonic idea—perceived by the mind; things which have bodily form are, as it were, types and symbols perceived by the senses. 54 Or “indeterminate.” 55 Thus the three gra…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1m

“65 In the whole of this passage God is spoken of as at the same time Efficient, Formal and Final Cause of the soul’s activity. D. teaches that God is present in all things, but not equally in all. Cf. Intr., p. 14 66 Gen. i. 67 Three…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1n

“82 ἐν θειοτέρᾳ μιμήσει τῶν ὑπερουρανίων νοῶν—i. e. the angels. 83 Luke xx. 36 84 Meditation leads on to Contemplation; and the higher kind of Contemplation is performed by the Via Negativa. 85 i.e. The Angels. I have throughout trans…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1o

“99 Ex. iii. 14 . 100 John xiv. 6 . 101 John viii. 12 . 102 Gen. xxviii. 13 . 103 John xiv. 6 . 104 Matt. xix. 17 . 105 Ps. xxvii. 4 . 106 Rom. xvi. 27 . 107 Isa. v. 1 . 108 Ps. cxxxvi. 2, 3 . 109 Isa. vi. 3 . 1…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 11, Section 1a

“CHAPTER XI Concerning ” Peace “ and what is meant by ” Very Being “ Itself , ” Very Life ,” ” Very Power ,” and similar phrases . 1. Now let us praise with reverent hymns of peace the Divine Peace which is the Source of all mutual attract…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 11, Section 1b

“Plotinus says the Godhead is indivisibly divided. doth not leave Its own Unity, but, even in the act of going forth to all things, remains entirely within Itself through the excess of that all-transcendent Unity: concerning these things ‘t…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 11, Section 1c

“And the perfect Peace guards each several individuality unalloyed by Its providential gift of peace, keeping all things without internal or mutual discord or confusion, and establishing all things, in the power of unswerving stability, so a…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 11, Section 1d

“Now, since thou hast, on a previous occasion, sent me an epistle asking what I mean by Very Being Itself, Very Life Itself, Very Wisdom Itself: and since thou saidst thou couldst not understand why sometimes I call God “Life” and sometimes…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 11, Section 1e

“Hence the Good God is called the Fount, first, of the Very Primaries: then, of those creatures which share completely therein; then, of those which share partially therein. 484 484 Migne’s text here is corrupt, I have emended it. (1) The…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 11, Section 1f

“472 Contemplation, Act of Contemplation, and Object Contemplated are all united together, and so imply a fundamental Unity which exists ultimately in God. 473 Cf. p. 174, n. 3. 474 D.‘s paradox is the paradox of sanity. We must hold a…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 12, Section 1a

“181 CHAPTER XII Concerning ” Holy of holies ,” ” King of kings ,” ” Lord of lords ,” ” God of gods .” 1. Forasmuch as the things which needed to be said concerning this matter have been brought, I think, to a proper ending, we must praise…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 12, Section 1b

“Which meaneth that just as things that have no substantial Being 490 490 i. e. The material things (cf. Myst. Theol. I.). This is the ordinary meaning of the phrase in D. are transcended by things that have such Being, together with…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 12, Section 1c

“For while this emanation can be communicated the Godhead cannot. (Cf. Via Negativa. See esp. Myst. Theol. I.). 492 i. e. The higher ranks whether among angels or among human souls. (Cf. “I have said, ‘Ye are gods,’” “hath made us…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 13, Section 1a

“184 CHAPTER XIII Concerning ” Perfect “ and ” One .” 1. So much for these titles. Now let us, if thou art willing, proceed to the most .important Title of all. For the Divine Science attributes all qualities to the Creator of all things…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 13, Section 1b

“abundant and inexhaustible supple, whereby It perfects all perfect 498 498 “Perfect,” a term taken from the Mysteries expressing the final state of the initiated. things and fills them with Its own Perfection. 2. And the title “One” impl…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 13, Section 1c

“Emily Brontë: “Every existence would exist in Thee.”) And if all things be conceived as being ultimately unified with each other, then all things taken as a whole are One. 507 507 All things possess the same Super-Essence, and that is why…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 13, Section 1d

“And hence, when we speak of the All-Transcendent Godhead as an Unity and a Trinity, It is not an Unity or a Trinity such as can be known by us or any other creature, though to express the truth of Its utter Self-Union and Its Divine Fecundi…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 13, Section 1e

“But be these matters as God wills 513 513 This anthropomorphic phrase is not inconsistent with the conceptions D. has been expounding; because he regards the limits of individual human capacities, etc., as timelessly existent in the Super-…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 13, Section 1f

“Thus in the form “1 x 1” the first figure represents the unity underlying all numbers, the second figure represents unity as a particular number among other numbers. The first figure may thus be taken as a symbol of the Godhead, the second…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1a

“65 CHAPTER II Concerning the Undifferencing and the Differentiation in Divinity, and the Nature of Divine Unification and Differentiation. 166 166 περὶ ἡνωμένης καὶ διακεκριμένης θεολογίας καὶ τίς ἡ θεία ἕνωσις καὶ διάκρισις. I. ’ Tis th…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1c

“But if he taketh Scriptural Truth as his Standard, this is the very Rule and Light by which we will (so far as in us lies) proceed straight to our defence, and will declare that the Sacred Science sometimes employs a method of Undifference…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1d

“and Manifestations; and following the Holy Scripture they declare that some Attributes belong especially to Undifference, and some, on the other hand, to Differentiation. 190 190 The received text reads: Φᾶσι . . . καὶ τῆς εἰρημένης ἑνώ…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1e

“even as the lights of lamps (to use visible and homely similes) being in one house and wholly interpenetrating one another, severally possess a clear and absolute distinction each from each, and are by their distinctions united into one, an…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1f

“Yea, ‘tis a common and undifferenced activity of the whole Godhead that It is wholly and entirely communicated unto each of them that share It and unto none merely in part; 197 197 D. here touches on the fundamental difference between spir…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1g

“Their ultimate nature, which they possess in their own original being, is beyond Mind and beyond all Being and Knowledge. 203 203 Even the Differentiations finally lead us up into the Undifferenced Godhead Where they transcend themselves.…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1h

“Even so if any one says that Very Life lives, or that Very Light is enlightened, he will be wrong (according to my view) unless, perchance, he were to use these terms in a different sense from the ordinary one to mean that the qualities of…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1i

“The Godhead is not a Whole because it is indivisible, nor a Part because there is nothing, on the ultimate plane, outside It. Yet It is a Whole because It includes the true existence of all things, and is Partitive because It contains the…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1j

“And since that Supra-Divine Being hath in loving kindness come down from thence unto the Natural Estate, and verily took substance and assumed the name of Man (we must speak with reverence of those things which we utter beyond human thought…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1k

“Indeed, He is not an unity in this sense, and doth not participate in unity nor possess it; 224 224 These two phrases well express the meaning of the title “Beyond things and supernally infusing Unity” (ὑπερηνωμένη), which I have generally…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1l

“166 περὶ ἡνωμένης καὶ διακεκριμένης θεολογίας καὶ τίς ἡ θεία ἕνωσις καὶ διάκρισις. 167 The point of this section is that God’s Nature is not a sum total of separate Attributes. Therefore when we say that the Scriptural titles of God are o…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1m

“καὶ τῆς εἰρημένης ἑνώσεως ἴδια καὶ αὖθις τῆς διακρίσεως εἶνάι τινας ἰδικὰς καὶ ἱνώσεις καὶ διακρίσεις. This, as it stands, must be translated: “They say that certain qualities belong to the said Undifference, and that to Differentiation, o…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1n

“200 Redemption is a work performed by the whole Trinity through the Second Person. (So, too, is Creation. Cf. p. 65, n. 2). 201 i. e. We strive to distinguish the two planes of Being in God. Cf. Athan. Creed: “Neither confounding…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1o

“Yet It is a Whole because It includes the true existence of all things, and is Partitive because It contains the principle of separate Individuality whereby Christ possesses a Human Soul distinct from all other human souls, and whereby, too…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1p

“224 These two phrases well express the meaning of the title “Beyond things and supernally infusing Unity” (ὑπερηνωμένη), which I have generally translated, like ἡνωμένη, as “Undifferenced.” 225 τῇ ἐξ αὐτοῦ θεώσει . . . θεῶν πολλῶν γιγνομ…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 3, Section 1a

“CHAPTER III What is the power of Prayer? Also concerning the Blessed Hierotheus and concerning Reverence and the Writing of Divinity. 1. And first of all, if it like thee, let us consider the highest Name, even “Goodness,” by which all t…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 3, Section 1c

“It would be an impiety to do so, for he is almost equal to the Scriptural Writers, as he showed when he met with them to view the body of the B. V. M. even among our inspired Hierarchs (when, as thou knowest, we with him and many of our…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 3, Section 1d

“233 Cf p. 77, n. 1. 234 This is profound. Spatial metaphors are always dangerous, though unavoidable, in Theology. In space if A is touching B then B must be touching A. In the spiritual world this is not so. God is near me (or rathe…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1a

“CHAPTER IV Concerning ” Good ,” ” Light ,” ” Beautiful ,” “ Desire ,” ” Ecstasy ,” “ Jealousy .” Also that Evil is neither existent nor Sprung from anything existent nor inherent in existent things . 1. Now let us consider the name of “Go…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1b

“Hence have they their celestial orders, their self-unities, their mutual indwellings, their distinct Differences, the faculties which raise the lower unto the higher ranks, the providences of the higher for those beneath them; their preserv…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1c

“The Good is beyond this distinction, for nothing (on the ultimate plane) is outside It. See Intr., p. 5. and Lifelessness an excess of Life and Its Mindless state is an excess of Wisdom, 252 252 This apparently profitless speculation rea…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1d

“Nay, even the foundation and the boundaries of the heavens (as we forgot to say while 91 thinking of other matters) owe their origin to the Good. Such is this universe, which lessens not nor grows, and such the noiseless movements (if nois…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1e

“260 260 The light permeates water but it does not permeate a stone. It passes over the stone and permeates the water beyond it. Yea, and it contributes to the birth of material bodies and brings them unto life, and nourishes them that the…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1f

“But these things are dealt with in the “Symbolic Divinity.” Here I desire to declare what is the spiritual meaning of the name “Light” as belonging to the Good. 267 267 Two worlds: (1) Nature, (2) Grace. God is revealed in both; the forme…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1g

“and because It is the Cause of the harmony and splendour in all things, flashing forth upon them all, like light, the beautifying communications of Its originating ray; and because It summons all things to fare unto Itself (from whence It h…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1h

“Hence comes the bare existence of all things, and hence their unions, 277 277 ἑνώσεις, διακρίσεις, ταὐτότητες, ἑτερότητες. their differentiations, their identities, their differences, 278 278 Hence parts are united into wholes and wholes a…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1j

“For from It and through It are all Being and life of spirit and of soul; and hence in the realm of nature magnitudes both small, co-equal and great; hence all the measured order and the proportions of things, which, by their different harmo…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1k

“and all things are moved by a longing for the Beautiful and Good, to accomplish every outward work and form every act of will. And true reasoning will also dare to affirm that even the Creator of all things Himself yearneth after all thing…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1l

“Need is there to understand that in proper truth we do but use the elements and syllables and phrases and written terms and words as an aid to our senses; inasmuch as when our soul is moved by spiritual energies unto spiritual things, our s…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1m

“See also the translator’s note on ἔρως . Ed .] And in the “Introductions’ of Scripture 310 310 ἐν ταῖς προεισαγωγαῖς τῶν λογίων. Apparently this was a title of the books ascribed to Solomon. The present reference is Wisdom viii. 2 . th…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1o

“And herein the Divine Yearning showeth especially its beginningless and endless nature, revolving in a perpetual circle for the Good, from the Good, in the Good, and to the Good, with unerring revolution, never varying its centre or directi…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1p

“let us now yet further resume and compact them all together into the one and concentrated Yearning which is the Father of them all, and let us collect together into two kinds their general desiderative 109 powers, over which the entire mast…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1q

“In this passage “Non-Existent” is used in three senses: (1) “Matter,” or force, cannot exist without some form (which is its complement) and therefore is technically called non-existent. (2) Evil cannot exist at all on the ultimate plane o…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1r

“Now we will bid the questioner look towards the truth of things, and in the first place we will venture thus to answer: “Evil cometh not of the Good; and if it cometh therefrom it is not evil. For even as fire cannot cool us, so Good canno…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1s

“And if any one says that it is productive, and that by the destruction of one thing it giveth birth to somewhat else, the true answer is that it doth not so qua destructive. Qua destructive and evil it only destroys and debases; but it tak…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1t

“For in the case of other qualities, such as heat or cold, the things which have been warmed have their being even when they lose their warmth, and many of the creatures there are which have no life or mind; and in like manner God transcende…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1u

“For things of the same kind cannot 333 333 Exuberant vitality is per se a good thing and the more exuberant the better, though, like all good things, it is dangerous, and unless properly directed is disastrous. be wholly contradictory to o…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1v

“cannot be free from pain, nor without a feeling of ill, since there would be something causing Him trouble, yea, all things must in that case be in a state of disorder and perpetual strife; whereas the Good imparts a principle of harmony to…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1w

“For, were they such, they would not have sprung from the Good, nor have a place amongst existent creatures, nor have fallen from Goodness (being by their very nature always evil). Moreover, are they evil with respect to themselves or to ot…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1x

“Hence if they are always in the same condition, they are not evil; for to remain always the same is a property of the Good. But if they are not always evil, then they are not evil by their natural constitution, but only through a lack of a…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1aa

“127 There remains but one alternative: Evil is a weakness and deficiency of Good. 31. Good things have all one cause. If evil is opposed to the Good, then hath evil many causes. The efficient causes of evil results, however, are not any…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1ac

“In this present treatise we have, to the best of our abilities, celebrated the Good as truly Admirable, as the Beginning and the End of all things, as the Power that embraces them, as That Which gives form to non-existent things, as That wh…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1ad

“And such was the Incarnate Life of Christ and such is the Life of God in eternity. So too the wisdom of Christ is, from a worldly point of view, foolishness. For worldly wisdom = self-seeking, but the Wisdom of Christ = self-abandonment.…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1ae

“Intr., p. 5. 259 Here we get once more the Aristotelian classification of causes. The Good is:— (i) Formal Cause (1) immanent in the world (Order— τάξις ); (2) containing the world (Embracing Power— περιοχή ). (ii) Efficient Cause (Caus…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1af

“277 ἑνώσεις, διακρίσεις, ταὐτότητες, ἑτερότητες. 278 Hence parts are united into wholes and wholes articulated into parts, and hence each thing is identical with itself and distinct from everything else. 279 e.g. Moisture interpenetrates…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1ag

“The types of things existent in the permanent spiritual world before the things were created in this transitory material world; the Platonic Ideas. There was also a Jewish belief in such a pre-existence of things. Cf. Rev. iv. 11 (R.…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | 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&g…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1aj

“Good cannot have produced it because a thing cannot produce its own opposite; evil cannot have produced itself because evil is always destructive and never productive. All things that exist are produced by the Good or the desire for the Go…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1ak

“In the one case we get Immanence without Transcendence: in the other Transcendence without Immanence. D. holds a Transcendent Immanence (cf. Bradley, Appearance and Reality, rebutting charge of Pantheism). 328 e. g. The cruelty of Nat…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1al

“also “I have said, Ye are Gods.” 344 i. e. If totally and essentially by very nature evil with respect to themselves. In so far as they continue to exist they are good with respect to themselves. 345 Evil is the contrary of the Good. H…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1a

“131 CHAPTER V Concerning ” Existence “ and also concerning ” Exemplars .” I. Now must we proceed to the Name of “Being” which is truly applied by the Divine Science to Him that truly Is. But this much we must say, that it is not the purpo…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1b

“367 367 Sense-perception is a direct apprehension of that which we actually touch, see, hear, taste, or smell; Reason or Inference is an indirect apprehension of that which we do not actually touch, see, etc. Intuition is a direct apprehen…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1c

“You would have expected those which participate in God’s greater gifts to be the higher, and to surpass the rest.” Now if intelligent beings were defined as having no 134 Existence or Life, the argument would be sound; but since the divine…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1d

“All the properties, etc., of each thing exist outside that thing as an element in the Transcendent Being of God. the Existence of those that have any kind of existence, the Life-Process of those which in any way pass through that process.…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1e

“And if these Universals exist by participating in Existence, far more is this true of the things which participate in them. 6. Thus the first gift which the Absolute and Transcendent Goodness bestows is that of mere Existence, and so It d…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1f

“And the highest measure of existence He bestows upon the more exalted Beings, which the Scripture calls eternal; 380 380 2 Cor. iv. 18 but also the mere existence of the world as a whole is perpetual; and its very existence comes from the…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1h

“is attacking the irreligious attitude in science, philosophy, and life. We must seek for all things (including our own personalities) not in themselves but in God. The great defect of Natural Science in the nineteenth century was its fail…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1i

“364 The ultimate Godhead is reached only by the Negative Path, and known only by Unknowing. The Affirmative Path of philosophical knowledge leads only to the differentiated manifestations of the Godhead: e.g. the Trinity, in Its creative…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1j

“Hence the title “Existent” is not quite so general as the title “Good.” “Living” is a less general title still (since a stone, for instance, has no life), and “Wise” is yet less general (since a plant is not wise). Thus we get the followin…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1k

“Hence the soul possessing God is in a state of “having nothing and yet possessing all things.” Cf. Dante, cio che per l’universa si squaderna, etc. 382 Cf. Section 5. 383 i. e. The Platonic ideas of things—their ultimate essences. Bu…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1l

“This apparent hair-splitting is really of the utmost practical importance. D. is attacking the irreligious attitude in science, philosophy, and life. We must seek for all things (including our own personalities) not in themselves but in…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 6, Section 1a

“144 CHAPTER VI Concerning ” Life .” 1. Now must we celebrate Eternal Life as that whence cometh very Life and all life, 392 392 The Godhead, though called Eternal Life, is really supra-vital, because life implies differentiations, and the…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 6, Section 1b

“And wherever (under the form of intelligence, reason, sensation, nutrition, growth, or any mode whatsoever) you find life or the 146 Principle of life or the Essence of life, there you find that which lives and imparts life from the Life tr…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 7, Section 1a

“CHAPTER VII Concerning “Wisdom,” “Mind,” “Reason,” “Truth,” “Faith.” 1. Now, if it like thee, let us consider the Good and Eternal Life as Wise and as Very Wisdom, or rather as the Fount of all wisdom and as Transcending all wisdom and und…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 7, Section 1b

“(2) Wisdom as a whole = Wisdom embodied in the universe as a whole. (3) Wisdom in each individual instance = Wisdom as shown in the structure of some particular plant or animal, or part of a plant or animal. (1) Is an Emanation; (2) and (…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 7, Section 1c

“And in the same way we attribute lack of Reason to Him that is above Reason, and Imperfectibility to Him that is above and before Perfection; and Intangible and Invisible Darkness we attribute to that Light which is Unapproachable because I…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 7, Section 1d

“Furthermore, we must ask how it is that we know God when He cannot be perceived by the mind or the senses and is not a particular Being. Perhaps ‘tis true to say that we know not God by His Nature (for this is unknowable and beyond the rea…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 7, Section 1e

“i and more especially because the Divine Reason is more simple than all simplicity, and, in the transcendence of Its Super-Essential Being, is independent of all things. 419 419 God is called Reason: (1) because He is the Giver of reason;…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 7, Section 1f

“The angels are conceived of as being always in such a state of contemplation. 408 God is the Manifested Absolute. Hence qua Absolute He is supra-sapient, qua Manifested He is wise (cf. ch. i, § 1). The Persons of the Trinity possess on…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 8, Section 1a

“CHAPTER VIII Concerning ” Power ,” ” Righteousness ,” ” Salvation ,” ” Redemption “; and also concerning ” Inequality .” 1. Now since the Sacred Writers speak of the Divine Truthfulness and Supra-Sapient Wisdom as Power, and as Righteousne…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 8, Section 1b

“From this Source come the Godlike Powers of the Angelic Orders; from this Source they immutably possess their being and all the ceaseless and immortal motions of their spiritual life; and their very stability and unfailing desire for the Go…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 8, Section 1c

“The wise Elymas, forsooth, did not perceive this; and so is like an unskilled athlete, who (as often happens), thinking his adversary to be weak, through judging by his own estimation, misses him each time and manfully strikes at his shadow…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 8, Section 1e

“It thus = (1) “equality”; (2) “rightness.” D. maintains that all things possess the latter though not the former. 421 The highest power our minds can conceive is that of the angels. But God has the dominion over them, and hence His power…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 9, Section 1a

“162 CHAPTER IX Concerning ” Great ,” ” Small ,” ” Same ,” ” Different ,” ” Like ,” “ Unlike ,” ” Standing ,” ” Motion ,” ” Equality .” 1. Now , since Greatness and Smallness are ascribed to the Universal Cause, and Sameness and Difference,…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 9, Section 1b

“Dante passes outwards through the concentric spheres of space to the Empyrean which is beyond space and encloses it. There he sees the Empyrean as a point and his whole journey from sphere to sphere as a journey inwards instead of outwards…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 9, Section 1c

“For just as, supposing we were in thought to represent the soul itself in bodily shape, and represent this indivisible substance as surrounded by bodily parts, we should, in such a case, give the surrounding parts a different meaning suited…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 9, Section 1d

“Scripture itself declares 451 451 Cf. e. g. Ps. lxxxvi. 8 . that God is Dissimilar to the world, and not to be compared therewith. It says that He is different from all things, and (what is yet more strange) that there is nothing eve…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 9, Section 1e

“power bestowed upon all according to their worth; and because all Equality (perceived or exercised by the intellect, or possessed in the sphere of 169 reason, sensation, essence, nature, or will) is transcendently contained beforehand as an…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter I-a

“Wheat is the Divine Gloom. T rinty, which exceedeth all Being, Deity, and Goodness! 514 514 Lit. “Super-Essential, Supra-Divine, Super-Excellent.” Thou that instructeth Christians in Thy heavenly wisdom! Guide us to that topmost height…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter I-b

“They are useful and necessary up to a point, but the Truth lies beyond them and is to be apprehended to a supernatural manner by what later writers call “infused” contemplation. The sum of the whole matter is that God is incomprehensible.…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter II-a

“How it is necessary to be united with and render praise to Him Who is the cause of all and above all. Unto this Darkness which is beyond Light we pray that we may come, and may attain unto vision through the loss of sight and knowledge, an…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter II-b

“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 rational…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter III-a

“What are the affirmative expressions respecting God, and what are the negative. Now I have in my Outlines of Divinity set forth those conceptions which are most proper to the affirmative method, and have shown in what sense God’s holy natu…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter III-b

“Now in the former treatises the course of the argument, as it came down from the highest to the lowest categories, embraced an ever-widening number of conceptions which increased at each stage of the descent, but in the present treatise it…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter IV

“That He Who is the Pre-eminent Cause of everything sensibly perceived is not Himself any one of the things sensibly perceived. We therefore maintain 536 536 Being about to explain, in these two last chapters, that no material or mental qual…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter V-a

“That He Who is the Pre-eminent Cause of everything intelligibly perceived is not Himself any one of the things intelligibly perceived. Once more, ascending yet higher we maintain 537 537 It is not (1) a Thinking Subject; nor (2) an Act or…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter V-b

“The ultimate truth about God and our relation to Him is held to be that He is a “Person” and that He has “made” the world. (This attitude is seen at its worst in Unitarian theology. Bradley’s criticisms on Lotze show how this fails on the…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter V-c

“begins with the notion of Goodness (which he holds to be possessed by all things) and proceeds thence to Existence (which is not possessed by things that are either destroyed or yet unmade), and thence to Wisdom (which is not possessed eith…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter V-d

“safeguards the position against pure negativity by explaining that they are not absent either. The rest of this chapter deals with the qualities (1) of inanimate matter; (2 ) of material life. 537 It is not (1) a Thinking Subject; nor (2)…”

Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | PREFACE-a

““ Meister Eckhart ,” who has been called the “Father of German thought,” was a Dominican monk, and one of the most profound thinkers of the Middle Ages. He was born about 1260 A.D. in Thuringia, and died at Cologne 1327 A.D. In 1295 he w…”

Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | II-a

“THE NEARNESS OF THE KINGDOM St Luke xxi. 31 .—“Know that the Kingdom of God is near.” Our Lord saith that the Kingdom of God is near us. Yea, the Kingdom of God is within us as St Paul saith “our salvation is nearer than when we believed.…”

Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | III-a

“THE ANGEL’S GREETING St Luke i. 28 .—“Hail, thou that art highly favoured among women, the Lord is with thee.” Here there are three things to understand: the first, the modesty of the angel; the second, that he thought himself unworthy to…”

Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | III-b

“The earth cannot flee from heaven: whether it flee up or down, the heaven rains its influence upon it, and stamps its impress upon it, and makes it fruitful, whether it be willing or not. Thus doth God with men: whoever thinketh to escape…”

Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | IV-a

“TRUE HEARING Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 30 .—“Whoso heareth Me shall not be confounded.” The everlasting and paternal wisdom saith, “Whoso heareth Me is not ashamed.” If he is ashamed of anything he is ashamed of being ashamed. Whoso worketh in…”

Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | V-a

“THE SELF-COMMUNICATION OF GOD St John xiv. 23 .—“If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” We read in the Gospels that Our Lord fed many people with five…”

Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | V-b

“It is necessary, therefore, for all the creatures which issued forth from God to co-operate earnestly with all their powers to form a Man who may again attain that union with God which Adam enjoyed before he fell, and who may again restore…”

Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | V-c

“Thus happens it to the noble soul which goes to God to school, and learns there what God is in His essence, and what He is in the Trinity, and what He is in man, and what is most acceptable to Him. St Augustine saith that the righteousness…”

Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | VI-a

“SANCTIFICATION 1 1 That is separation from all outward things. St Luke x. 42 .—“One thing is needful.” I have read many writings both of heathen philosophers and inspired prophets, ancient and modern, and have sought earnestly to discover…”

Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | VI-c

“Here some one may make the objection: “Are then all good works and prayers thrown away, since God is unmoved by them, and at the same time we are told to pray to Him for everything?” In answer to this I say that God from all eternity saw ev…”

Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | VII-c

“When a good work is done by a man, he is free of it, and through that freedom is liker and nearer to his Original than he was before. The moral task of man is a process of spiritualization. All creatures are go-betweens, and we are placed…”

Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XLVI-a

“"It is needful to see and to know that we are sinners: wherefore we deserve pain and wrath." "He is God: Good, Life, Truth, Love, Peace: His Clarity and His Unity suffereth Him not to be wroth" But our passing life that we have here in our…”

Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XLIX-a

“"Where our Lord appeareth, peace is taken, and wrath hath no place." "Immediately is the soul made at one with God when it is truly set at peace in itself" For this was an high marvel to the soul which was continually shewed in all the Reve…”

Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LI-d

“And thus Mercy and Pity dwelleth with mankind unto the time we come up into Heaven. But man is blinded in this life and therefore we may not see our Father, God, as He is. And what time that He of His goodness willeth to shew Himself to m…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 1 (part 1)

“p. 33 THE DOCTRINES OF JACOB BOEHME. "Our whole doctrine is nothing else but an instruction to show how man may create a kingdom of light within himself. . . . He in whom this spring of divine power flows, carries within himself the d…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 1 (part 2)

“"Natural man knows nothing about the mystery of the kingdom of God, because he is outside and not within the state of divinity, as is daily proved by the action of the philosophisers who are disputing about the attributes and the will of Go…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 1 (part 4)

“Let them, therefore, again go out with their will from their wilful ignorance or malignity and enter again into the will of God." ( Menschwerdung , 3, 5.) All this goes to show that it is useless and vain to seek for divine wisdom, meaning…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 1 (part 6)

“The human selfhood will then follow in its perceptions the Spirit of God, tremblingly and in the joy of humility, and become able to see what is contained in time and in eternity. Everything is near to a soul in that state, for the soul is…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 1 (part 8)

“1 "When my spirit, full of sorrow, earnestly, and as if moving in a great storm, arose in God, carrying with it my whole heart and mind, with all my thoughts and with the whole of my will, and when I would not cease to wrestle with the love…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 1 (part 10)

“It is itself the most secret thing, which can be known by no one except by him who has experienced it; neither do those that live entirely within the realm of animality, or within that of the speculating intellect, believe that such a state…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 1 (part 12)

“56 Neither is such a state attained without a hard fight against the powers of darkness. "If any one desires to follow me, let him not be intoxicated by terrestrial thoughts and desires, but girded with the sword of the Spirit, because he…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 2 (part 1)

“p. 58 CHAPTER II. THE UNITY OF THE ALL. "We are all one body in Christ, and have all the Spirit of Christ within our reach. If, then, we enter into the Christ, we may see and know everything by the power of His Spirit." ( Forty Question…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 2 (part 3)

“This other will is the sensitivity and conceivability of the primordial will, by means of which that which is nothing finds itself to be something. By so doing the inconceivable causeless will issues by means of that which it has eternally…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 2 (part 4)

“She is passive, but the Spirit of God is active, like the soul in the body." ( Clavis , v. 18.) This eternal Trinity is inconceivable in its aspect as a spiritual potentiality, in the same sense as a fire is inconceivable if it does not bu…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 2 (part 5)

“The will beholding itself in the mirror of wisdom causes its own image to appear within the groundlessness, and thus it creates a foundation in its own imagination." ( Menschwerdung , ii. 1.) "Wisdom, the eternal virgin, the playmate of Go…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 2 (part 6)

“2.) "If there is to be a light, there must be a fire. The fire produces the light, and the light renders the fire manifest; it receives the nature of the fire within itself and resides in the fire." ( Mysterium , xl. 2.) "Joy enters the s…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 3 (part 1)

“p. 71 CHAPTER III. THE SEVEN PROPERTIES OR QUALITIES OF ETERNAL NATURE. 1 I. ♄ ☾ II. ☿ ♃ III. ♂ ♀ IV. ☉ V. ♀ ♂ VI. ♃ ☿ VII. ☾ ♄ When the Eternal One, in its aspect as a Trinity and with reference to divine wisdom, reveals itself o…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 3 (part 4)

“The will cannot attain this light, and the more it desires for freedom the greater will be the attraction caused by the desire." ( Six Theosophical Points , i, 38.) "There must be au opposition, for the will desires not to be dark, and this…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 3 (part 5)

“The first of these three states, being a beginning of all power and strength, originates from the quality of the Father; the second, being the source of all activity and differentiation, comes from the quality of the Son; and the third, bei…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 3 (part 8)

“Without it the form of the spirit would not be knowable; it is the corporeity of the spirit. To be sure, it is not a bodily, tangible substance, like the bodies of men, but has nevertheless substantial and visible qualities which the spiri…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 4 (part 2)

“91 "Christ never said, 'I, in my human selfhood, am the voice of God, I am speaking as God, in or with God,' &c.; but He said, 'The words which I speak are the Father's, who lives in me '—that is to say, who lives in my human or natural sel…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 4 (part 3)

“7.) "We cannot reasonably suppose any formation or differentiation to have existed in the eternal One from which, or according to which (formation) something could have been made; for if such a form, or predisposition to making a form, had…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 4 (part 7)

“25.) "Whether or not God will create something more out of His will after the end of this time is not perceptible to my spirit, for it does not penetrate deeper than within its own centre wherein it lives, and therein is the paradise and th…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 5 (part 1)

“p. 101 CHAPTER V. THE ANGELS. "If you wish to hear the Holy Ghost speak out of the mouth of another you must first enter yourself with your will into the spirit of holiness."— Jacob Boehme . IT is perfectly useless to attempt to enter i…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 6 (part 3)

“123.) "The day's works refer to the seven qualities, six of them belonging to the actual regiment, but the seventh, or the essentiality, is that wherein the others are resting; for these qualities have been spoken out by God and rendered vi…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 6 (part 8)

“They are fire-flames, illumined by the light of God, but we attain the great fountain of meekness and love which is welling up within the holy essentiality of God." 1 ( Menschwerdung , i. 5.) Man comprises all three principles: the princip…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 6 (part 9)

“Thus he was in possession of divine and terrestrial essentiality; but the terrestrial one was in the divine one like consumed or impotent (latent). The substance or the matter from which the body was made or created contained itself also t…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 7 (part 2)

“36.) "In Paradise there is perfect life without disturbance, and a perpetual day, and the paradisiacal man is clear like transparent glass, and he is fully penetrated by the light of the divine sun." 1 ( Signature , xi. 5 1.) His body like…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 7 (part 4)

“28.) "In Paradise the substance of the divine world penetrated the substance belonging to time, comparable to the power of the sun penetrating a fruit growing on a tree, and endowing it with such qualities as render it lovely to the sight a…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 7 (part 5)

“13.) Man can attain real similarity to God and perfect beatitude only by decisively willing to put his will into the Son, as the Heart or Light of the Father. "God has the eternal and unchangeable will to generate His Heart and his Son, an…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 8 (part 5)

“Thus the earth is filled with hunger after the stars and after the spiritus mundi , so that they have no peace." ( Clavis , 110.) "The earth is turning around because she has both fires, the hot and the cold fire, and that which is below al…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 9 (part 1)

“p. 180 CHAPTER IX. GENERATION. "Let every Brahman, with fixed attention, consider all nature, both visible and invisible, as existing in the Divine Spirit. For when he contemplates the boundless universe in the Divine Spirit, he cannot…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 11 (part 8)

“Neither is God measurable, and there has no place of residence been discovered in Him, unless He should establish for Himself such a dwelling in one of His creatures; but even then He remains a whole apart from and beyond such a created bei…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 11 (part 9)

“225:1 All disputes about the nature of Christ only prove that the disputants are not Christians, because if they were true followers of the Christ they would have the living Christ within themselves, and know His true nature. The misunders…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 11 (part 10)

“"Human reason can understand nothing about the kingdom of Christ, nor about His person or office, because the testament of Christ is celestial, and human reasoning is terrestrial; the latter seeks Christ in time, while He can only be found…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 11 (part 11)

“421.) 239:1 It is universal and nevertheless individual, like that of a god. 239:2 This would be like imagining that the trunk of a tree was dwelling within the leaves. 240:1 The universal life and the individual life are only one princip…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 13 (part 2)

“265 To form a correct conception of the regeneration of man, and of what kind of a being it is which is to be brought to life in us, we must learn to know what is eternity and time, light and darkness, good and evil, and especially the orig…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 13 (part 12)

“In the place which formerly was the seat of self-will there is now nothing, and wherever there is nothing there the love of God is solely active." ( Supernatural Life , xxviii.) "A true Christian knows himself to be a servant of God, whose…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 13 (part 13)

“Nevertheless he has nothing (objectively), because that which is before Him is nothing in His comprehension, for it does not comprehend Him. Likewise will this be the state of a person according to his submitted will if he entirely surrend…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 13 (part 14)

“It would then be easy for us to grant our own desires, if in that divine state there could be room for personal desires of any kind. 268:1 True prayer is the bringing of will, thought, and word into one Δ by the power of the Spirit of God.…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 13 (part 15)

“If he then, in his imagination, sinks himself into the abyss, he is then already there, and in this abyss is his pearl (the celestial jewel)." ( Grace , ii. 43.) 279:1 This may be expressed in other words by saying that desire gives rise t…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 14 (part 9)

“The faith of the living caught that of the saints, and the faith performed the miracle. Faith can overthrow mountains. It could destroy the world, if God were so to direct it." 1 ( Forty Questions , xxvi.) In the above we have considered…”

The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 14 (part 12)

“Certainly, from the point of view of the divine spirit, all forms are merely illusive, and as long as man is rooted within that spirit he may recognise them as such; but for the godless they are horrible realities, as real as the images of…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 2 (part 1)

“The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page xvii]] INTRODUCTORY. ------- "Gently to hear, kindly to judge." -- S HAKESPEARE. S INCE the appearance of Theosophical literature in England, it has become customary to c…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 2 (part 2)

“"When Buddhi absorbs our E GOtism (destroys it) with all its Vikaras, Avalokiteshvara becomes manifested to us, and Nirvana, or Mukti, is reached," "Mukti" being the same as Nirvana, i.e. , freedom from the trammels of "Maya" or illusion.…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 2 (part 3)

“I say "a few truths," advisedly, because that which must remain unsaid could not be contained in a hundred such volumes, nor could it be imparted to the present generation of Sadducees. But, even the little that is now given is better than…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 3 (part 1)

“The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page 1]] PROEM ------- PAGES FROM A PRE-HISTORIC PERIOD. A N Archaic Manuscript -- a collection of palm leaves made impermeable to water, fire, and air, by some specific unknow…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 3 (part 2)

“The latter is either "awake" or "asleep." The Svabhavikas, or philosophers of the oldest school of Buddhism (which still exists in Nepaul), speculate only upon the active condition of this "Essence," which they call Svabhavat, and deem it f…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 3 (part 3)

“The esoteric symbol of Kali Yuga is the five-pointed star reversed, thus -- the sign of human sorcery, with its two points (horns) turned heavenward, a position every [[Footnote(s)]] ------------------------------------------------- * See t…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 3 (part 4)

“The orthodox Brahmins, those who rise the most against the Pantheists and Adwaitees, calling them Atheists, are forced, if Manu has any authority in this matter, to accept the death of Brahma, the creator, at the expiration of every "Age" o…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 3 (part 5)

“But this view does not prevent him from believing in its existence so long as it lasts, to wit, for one Mahamanvantara; nor from applying Akasa, the radiation of Mulaprakriti,* to practical purposes, connected as the World-Soul is with all…”

The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 5 (part 2)

“The anonymous Cloud of Unknowing belongs, I believe, to the early part of the fifteenth century, and it is to be classed among the most signal presentations of the conditions and mode of the Union which I have met with in Christian literatu…”

The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 5 (part 4)

“Blessed and Holy are those who receive the experience of God in the dilucid contemplation, but sanctity and benediction and all in all is that state wherein contemplation is ineffably unified, by a super-eminent leap over of love, with that…”

The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 5 (part 5)

“The technicalities of the occult sciences may seem hard to the beginner, and they are actually hard like the wilderness, because they are barren wastes, but they are in words of one syllable if compared with the little catechisms of eternal…”

The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 41

“§ 4. Concerning the External Preparation of the Operator, and firstly Concerning Ablution The rite of lustration, being the sacramental mark of inward cleanliness, is prescribed in all magical ceremonies, and is equally important in Goëtic…”

The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter IV (part 1)

“CHAPTER IV THE ALL "Under, and back of, the Universe of Time, Space and Change, is ever to be found The Substantial Reality--the Fundamental Truth."--The Kybalion. "Substance" means: "that which underlies all outward manifestations; the es…”

The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter IV (part 2)

“And still more presumptuous are those who attempt to ascribe to THE ALL the personality, qualities, properties, characteristics and attributes of themselves, ascribing to THE ALL the human emotions, feelings, and characteristics, even down…”

The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter IV (part 3)

“It must be Infinite in Space--it must be Everywhere, for there is no place outside of THE ALL--it cannot be otherwise than continuous in Space, without break, cessation, separation, or interruption, for there is nothing to break, separate,…”

The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter IV (part 4)

“The answer is "LIVING MIND," as far above that which mortals know by those words, as Life and Mind are higher than mechanical forces, or matter--INFINITE LIVING MIND as compared to finite "Life and Mind." We mean that which the illumined so…”

The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Monad-a

“[I also] asked to [understand it; and he said] to me: “The monad [is a unity with nothing] higher than it. [It is that which exists] as [God] and as Father of the All, [the unseen] one, who is higher than [the All, who exists as] indestruct…”

The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | Barbelo

“This is because [we do] not [understand unspeakable things, and we] do not understand what [cannot be measured], apart from him who originated [from] him, that is, [the] Father, because he [alone] is the one who [explained] it to us, given…”

Gospel of Judas | Jesus Reveals Everything to Judas-a

“Jesus said, "[Come] and I'll teach you about the [mysteries that no] human [will] see, because there exists a great and boundless realm whose horizons no angelic generation has seen, [in] which is a [great] invisible Spirit, which no [angel…”

Gospel of Philip | Section 1a

“(Above image of the Gospel of Thomas courtesy of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont Graduate University) Visit the Bookstore for a complete selection of translations and books about The Nag Hammadi Library The Nag Hamma…”

Gospel of Philip | Section 1c

“And Jesus said, “Whoever will not eat my flesh and drink my blood has no life within him.” What does he mean? His flesh is the word and blood the holy spirit. Who has received these has food and drink and clothing. I condemn those who sa…”

Gospel of Philip | Section 1j

“In the world these are the true people. They are the attendants of the bridal chamber. POWER AND WEAKNESS In this world, power and weakness mingle when man and woman have sex. Joining is different in the eternal realm, though we use the…”

Gospel of Thomas | Logion 7

“Jesus said, "Blessed is the lion which becomes man when consumed by man; and cursed is the man whom the lion consumes, and the lion becomes man."…”

Gospel of Thomas | Logion 13

“Jesus said to his disciples, "Compare me to someone and tell me whom I am like." Simon Peter said to him, "You are like a righteous angel." Matthew said to him, "You are like a wise philosopher." Thomas said to him, "Master, my mouth is who…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 1

“The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name. (Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth; (conceived of as) having a n…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 2

“All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is; they all know the skill of the skilful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what the want of skill is. So it is that existe…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 4

“The Tao is (like) the emptiness of a vessel; and in our employment of it we must be on our guard against all fulness. How deep and unfathomable it is, as if it were the Honoured Ancestor of all things! We should blunt our sharp points, and…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 5

“Heaven and earth do not act from (the impulse of) any wish to be benevolent; they deal with all things as the dogs of grass are dealt with. The sages do not act from (any wish to be) benevolent; they deal with the people as the dogs of gras…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 6

“The valley spirit dies not, aye the same; The female mystery thus do we name. Its gate, from which at first they issued forth, Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth. Long and unbroken does its power remain, Used gently, and wi…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 10

“When the intelligent and animal souls are held together in one embrace, they can be kept from separating. When one gives undivided attention to the (vital) breath, and brings it to the utmost degree of pliancy, he can become as a (tender) b…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 11

“The thirty spokes unite in the one nave; but it is on the empty space (for the axle), that the use of the wheel depends. Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness, that their use depends. The door and windows are c…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 14

“We look at it, and we do not see it, and we name it 'the Equable.' We listen to it, and we do not hear it, and we name it 'the Inaudible.' We try to grasp it, and do not get hold of it, and we name it 'the Subtle.' With these three qualitie…”

Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter V — Of the Wonderful Natures of Fire and Earth | Chapter V, Section 1a

“CHAPTER V. Of the Wonderful Natures of Fire and Earth . There are two things, saith Hermes, viz., Fire and Earth, which are sufficient for the operation of all wonderful things: the former is active, the latter passive. Fire, as saith Di…”

The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-b

“It is not a fury of black bile which sends him drifting outside of judgment, reason, and acts of prudence, and tossed by the discordant tempest, like those who, having violated certain laws of the divine Adrastia, are condemned to be scourg…”

The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-c

“Here he shows his love not to be like that of the butterfly, of the stag, and of the unicorn, who would flee away if they had knowledge of the fire, of the arrow, and of the snares, and who have no other sense than that of pleasure; but he…”

The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-e

“Others esteem him unhappy through this appearance of an evil destiny, as being condemned to these pangs, for he will never cease from acknowledging the obligation he is under to love, nor cease from rendering thanks to him because he has pr…”

The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-f

“Fitly, therefore, this rapture of heroic enthusiasm feeds on such "high emprise." For the object is infinite, and in action most simple, and our intellectual power cannot apprehend the infinite except in speech or in a certain manner of spe…”

The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogue-b

“He forms intelligible conceptions in his own way and proportions them to his capacity, so that they are received according to the manner of the recipient. Tans. And does he hunt through the operation of the will, by the act of which he co…”

The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogue-c

“Whence he says, "Come not back to me till thou art mine," and not unworthily may I say with that other— Thou has left me, oh, my heart, And thou, light of my eyes, art no more with me. Here he describes the death of the soul, which by the…”

The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogue-d

“To be infinite, it must be infinitely pursued with that form of pursuit which is not incited physically, but metaphysically, and is not from imperfect to perfect, but goes circulating through the grades of perfection to arrive at that infin…”

Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres | Section 1f

“All this befell me from my Mind, that is Man-Shepherd, Word (Logos) of all masterhood, by whom being God-inspired I came unto the Plain of Truth. Wherefore with all my soul and strength thanksgiving give I unto Father-God. 31. Holy art T…”

Corpus Hermeticum 2: The Serapeum | Section 1a

“To Asclepius <This dialogue sets forth the difference between the physical and metaphysical worlds in the context of Greek natural philosophy. Some of the language is fairly technical: the "errant spheres" of sections 6 and 7 are the celes…”

Corpus Hermeticum 2: The Serapeum | Section 1c

“H: Alack, Asclepius, for thy far-wandering from the truth! Think'st thou that things most full and most replete are void? 11. A: How meanest thou, Thrice-greatest one? H: Is not air body? A: It is. H: And doth this body not pervade al…”

Corpus Hermeticum 4: The Epistles | Section 1a

“The Cup or Monad <This short text gives an unusually lucid overview of the foundations of Hermetic thought. The stress on rejection of the body and its pleasures, and on the division of humanity into those with Mind and those without, are…”

Corpus Hermeticum 4: The Epistles | Section 1b

“And having raised themselves so far they sight the Good; and having sighted it, they look upon their sojourn here as a mischance; and in disdain of all, both things in body and the bodiless, they speed their way unto that One and Only One.…”

Corpus Hermeticum 4: The Epistles | Section 1c

“It is Itself Its Source, since It may have no other Source. The Oneness then being Source, containeth every number, but is contained by none; engendereth every number, but is engendered by no other one. 11. Now all that is engendered is…”

Corpus Hermeticum 5: The Discourse of Hermes to Asclepius | Section 1a

“Though Unmanifest God Is Most Manifest 1. I will recount to thee this sermon (logos) too, O Tat, that thou may'st cease to be without the mysteries of the God beyond all name. And mark thou well how that which to the many seems unmanifest…”

Corpus Hermeticum 5: The Discourse of Hermes to Asclepius | Section 1b

“Would that it were possible for thee to get thee wings, and soar into the air, and, poised midway 'tween earth and heaven, behold the earth's solidity, the sea's fluidity (the flowings of its streams), the spaciousness of air, fire's swiftn…”

The Dhammapada | Chapter XIV, Section 1a

“p. 49 CHAPTER XIV. THE BUDDHA (THE AWAKENED). 179. He whose conquest is not conquered again, into whose conquest no one in this world enters, by what track can you lead him, the Awakened, the Omniscient, the trackless? 180. He whom no…”

The Dhammapada | Chapter XXVI, Section 1d

“Him I call indeed a Brâhma n a who has left what gives pleasure and what gives pain, who is cold, and free from all germs (of renewed life), the hero who has conquered all the worlds. 419. Him I call indeed a Brâhma n a who knows the dest…”

The Dhammapada | Chapter XXVI, Section 1e

“Him I call indeed a Brâhma n a who calls nothing his own, whether it be before, behind, or between, who is poor, and free from the love of the world. 422. Him I call indeed a Brâhma n a, the manly, the noble, the hero, the great sage, the…”

Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1b

“observes that pa kkh abhatta m pi nd apâtapa t ikkânto is a {Greek ú!oteron próteron }, as it means, having returned from his rounds, and then made his meal on the food obtained on his rounds. 4. Pâli pa ññ ata. 5. Burnouf, Lotus, p. 3…”

Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1c

“Because that Bodhisattva, O Subhûti, who gives a gift, without believing in anything, the measure of his stock of merit is not easy to learn.'--'What do you think, O Subhûti, is it easy to learn the measure of space in the eastern quarter?'…”

Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1d

“In the next or third 500 years, they will be strong in 'much learning,' i.e. bahu s ruta, religious knowledge. In the next or fourth 500 years, they will be strong in founding monasteries, &c. In the last or fifth 500 years, they will be…”

Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1e

“But eka k ittaprasâda may also be 'faith producted by one thought,' 'immediate faith,' and this too is a recognised form of faith in Buddhism. See Sukhâvatî, pp. 71, 108.] they would believe in a being, they would believe in a living bein…”

Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1f

“Because, O Subhûti, the highest perfect knowledge of the holy and enlightened Tathâgatas is produced from it; the blessed Buddhas are produced from it. And why? Because, O Subhûti, when the Tathâgata preached: [1. See Childers, s.v. Lok…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn V. PROTOGONUS, Or the FIRST-BORN

“V. TO PROTOGONUS, Or the FIRST-BORN. The FUMIGATION from MYRRH. O Mighty first-begotten, hear my pray'r, 1 Two-fold, egg-born, and wand'ring thro' the air, p. 119 Bull-roarer, glorying in thy golden wings, 3 From whom the race of Gods and m…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn IX. NATURE

“IX. TO NATURE. * The FUMIGATION from AROMATICS. NATURE, all parent, ancient, and divine, O Much-mechanic mother, art is thine; p. 127 Heav'nly, abundant, venerable queen, In ev'ry part of thy dominions seen. p. 128 Untam'd, all-taming, ever…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn XI. HERCULES

“XI. TO HERCULES. The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE. HEAR, pow'rful, Hercules untam'd and strong, To whom vast hands, and mighty works belong, Almighty Titan, prudent and benign, Of various forms, eternal and divine, Father of Time, the theme…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn XII. SATURN

“XII. TO SATURN. The FUMIGATION from STORAX. ETHERIAL father, mighty Titan, hear, 1 Great fire of Gods and men, whom all revere: Endu'd with various council, pure and strong, To whom perfection and decrease belong. Consum'd by thee all forms…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn XIII. RHEA

“XIII. TO RHEA * . The FUMIGATION from AROMATICS. DAUGHTER of great Protogonus, divine, 1 Illustrious Rhea, to my pray'r incline, p. 138 Who driv'st thy holy car with speed along, Drawn by fierce lions, terrible and strong. 4 Mother of Jove,…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn XXVIII. PROSERPINE

“XXVIII. TO PROSERPINE. A HYMN DAUGHTER of Jove, almighty and divine, Come, blessed queen, and to these rites incline: Only-begotten, Pluto's honor'd wife, 3 O venerable Goddess, source of life: 'Tis thine in earth's profundities to dwell, 5…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn XXIX. BACCHUS

“XXIX. TO BACCHUS. The FUMIGATION from STORAX. BACCHUS I call, loud-sounding and divine, Fanatic God, a two-fold shape is thine: Thy various names and attributes I sing, O, first-born, thrice begotten, Bacchic king: 4 Rural, ineffable, two-f…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn XXX. THE CURETES

“XXX. TO THE CURETES. A HYMN. LEAPING Curetes, who with dancing feet And circling measures, armed footsteps beat: Whose bosom's mad, fanatic transports fire, Who move in rythm to the founding lyre: Who traces deaf when lightly leaping tread,…”

The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1a

“CHAPTER V. 1. (It is written) Isa. i. 4: "Woe unto the sinful nation, unto the people heavy with iniquity, unto the seed of evildoers, &c." (Here the author of the "Siphra Dtzenioutha" reasoneth concerning the small word HVI, "woe," whi…”

The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter XIV (part 2)

“None of the angels could enter and could behold His face by reason of the magnificence and glory and no flesh could behold Him. 22. The flaming fire was round about Him, and a great fire stood before Him, and none around could draw nigh H…”

The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter XXXIX

“XXXIX. The Abode of the Righteous and of the Elect One: the Praises of the Blessed . CHAPTER XXXIX. 1. [ And it †shall come to pass in those days that elect and holy children †will descend from the high heaven, and their seed †will become o…”

The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter LXIII

“LXIII. The unavailing Repentance of the Kings and the Mighty . CHAPTER LXIII. 1. In those days shall the mighty and the kings who possess the earth implore (Him) to grant them a little respite from His angels of punishment to whom they were…”

The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter LXXI

“LXXI. Two earlier visions of Enoch . CHAPTER LXXI. 1. And it came to pass after this that my spirit was translated And it ascended into the heavens: And I saw the holy sons of God . They were stepping on flames of fire: Their garments were…”

The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter XCIII

“XCIII. XCI. 12-17. The Apocalypse of Weeks . p. 132 CHAPTER XCIII. 1. And after that Enoch both †gave† and began to recount from the books. And Enoch said: 'Concerning the children of righteousness and concerning the elect of the world, And…”

The Kabbalah Unveiled | Introduction, Section 1a

“p. 43 SPRA DTzNIOVThA (SIPHRA DTZENIOUTHA); OR, THE BOOK OF CONCEALED MYSTERY. CHAPTER I. 1. Tradition .--"The Book of Concealed Mystery" is the book of the equilibrium of balance. [The word "Dtzenioutha" is difficult to translate, but…”

The Kabbalah Unveiled | Introduction, Section 1b

“[But the first idea of equilibrium is the Ancient One (the first Sephira, or Crown Kether), because it is the first potential limitation of the boundless light which proceeds from the Limitless One. That is, the central point of Kether is…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 7 (part 3)

“xi.) that the Prisse papyrus was copied about the period of the XVIIth dynasty and that the works in it only date from the XIIth dynasty; but many Egyptologists assign the composition of the work to the age of Assa. See Wiedemann, Aegyptis…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 8 (part 3)

“As a result, it seems that the word "God" should be reserved to express the name of the Creator of the Universe, and that neteru , usually rendered "gods," should be translated by some other word, but what that word should be it is almost i…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 8 (part 4)

“No man knoweth how to know Him--His name remaineth hidden; His name is a mystery unto His children. His names are innumerable, they are manifold and none knoweth their number--God is truth and He liveth by truth and He feedeth thereon. He…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 8 (part 6)

“, the litany from the tomb of Seti I., published by Naville, La Litanie du Soleil , Leipzig, 1875, p. 13 ff. 2. E.g. , Hymn to Amen-Ra, translated by Goodwin from papyrus No. 17, now preserved in the Gizeh Museum (see Les Papyrus Égypt…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 8 (part 8)

“His name is gracious, and the love of him is sweet; and at the dawn all people make supplication unto him through his mighty power and terrible strength, and every god lieth in fear of him. He is the young bull that destroyeth the wicked,…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 10 (part 13)

“In turn it was identified with all the gods of Egypt, new or old, and its influence was so great upon the minds of the Egyptians that from the earliest days they depicted to themselves a material heaven wherein the Isles of the Blest were l…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 39 (part 1)

“PLATE XXXIII. Vignette: A lake of fire, at each corner of which is seated a dog-headed ape. Rubric: (1) Osiris Ani, triumphant, is girt about with [fine] raiment, he is shod with (2)white sandals, and he is anointed with very precious anta…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 43 (part 40)

“Thou art the heir of Seb and the sovereign of all the earth; [* This festival took place on the 17th and 18th days of the month Thoth; see Brugsch, Kalendarische Inschriften, p. 235.] {footnote page liii} Seb hath seen thy glorious power,…”

The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter II, Section 1b

“It is not born, nor does it ever die, nor, having existed, does it exist no more. Unborn, everlasting, unchangeable, and primeval, it is not killed when the body is killed . O son of P ri thâ! how can that man who knows it thus to be ind…”

The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter VII, Section 1b

“Whichever form (of deity) any worshipper wishes to worship with faith, to that form I render his faith steady. Possessed Of that faith, he seeks to propitiate (the deity in) that (form), and obtains from it those beneficial things which he…”

The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter VIII, Section 1a

“CHAPTER VIII. Ar g una said: What is that Brahman, what the Adhyâtma, and what, O best of beings! is action? And what is called the Adhibhûta? And who is the Adhiya g ña, and how in this body, O destroyer of Madhu? And how, too, are yo…”

The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter VIII, Section 1b

“This same assemblage of entities, being produced again and again, dissolves on the advent of night, and, O son of P ri thâ! issues forth on the advent of day, without a will of its own . But there is another entity, unperceived and eterna…”

The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter XI, Section 1a

“CHAPTER XI. Ar g una said: In consequence of the excellent and mysterious words concerning the relation of the supreme and individual soul,, which you have spoken for my welfare, this delusion of mine is gone away. O you whose eyes are li…”

The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter XI, Section 1c

“O infinite lord of gods! O you pervading the universe! you are the indestructible, that which is, that which is not, and what is beyond them . You are the primal god, the ancient being, you are the highest support of this universe . You…”

The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter XII, Section 1

“CHAPTER XII. Ar g una said: Of the worshippers, who thus, constantly devoted, meditate on you, and those who (meditate) on the unperceived and indestructible, which best know devotion? The Deity said: Those who being constantly devoted, and…”

The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter XIII, Section 1a

“CHAPTER XIII. The Deity said: This body, O son of Kuntî! is called Kshetra , and the learned call him who knows it the Kshetra g ña. . And know me also, O descendant of Bharata! to be the Kshetra g ña in all Kshetras. The knowledge of…”

Plato: Phaedo | Section 1ae

“I dare say that the simile is not perfect-for I am very far from admitting that he who contemplates existence through the medium of ideas, sees them only "through a glass darkly," any more than he who sees them in their working and effects.…”

Plato: Phaedo | Section 1af

“Very true, he said. Again, would you not be cautious of affirming that the addition of one to one, or the division of one, is the cause of two? And you would loudly asseverate that you know of no way in which anything comes into existence…”

Plato: Phaedo | Section 1ag

“The reason why I say this is that I want you to agree with me in thinking, not only that absolute greatness will never be great and also small, but that greatness in us or in the concrete will never admit the small or admit of being exceede…”

Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1o

“Zeus, the mighty lord, holding the reins of a winged chariot, leads the way in heaven, ordering all and taking care of all; and there follows him the array of gods and demigods, marshalled in eleven bands; Hestia alone abides at home in the…”

Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1ae

“I quite admit, Socrates, that the art of rhetoric which these men teach and of which they write is such as you describe-there I agree with you. But I still want to know where and how the true art of rhetoric and persuasion is to be acquire…”

Plato: Symposium | Section 1t

“to which you would find no difficulty in replying, of a son or daughter: and the answer would be right. Very true, said Agathon. And you would say the same of a mother? He assented. Yet let me ask you one more question in order to illus…”

Plato: Symposium | Section 1u

“True, he said. Then Love wants and has not beauty? Certainly, he replied. And would you call that beautiful which wants and does not possess beauty? Certainly not. Then would you still say that love is beautiful? Agathon replied: I fe…”

Plato: Symposium | Section 1aa

“"These are the lesser mysteries of love, into which even you, Socrates, may enter; to the greater and more hidden ones which are the crown of these, and to which, if you pursue them in a right spirit, they will lead, I know not whether you…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY I-a

“The Prince and the Handmaid. A prince, while engaged on a hunting excursion, espied a fair maiden, and by promises of gold induced her to accompany him. After a time she fell sick, and the prince had her tended by divers physicians. As,…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY II

“The Oilman and his Parrot. An oilman possessed a parrot which used to amuse him with its agreeable prattle, and to watch his shop when he went out. One day, when the parrot was alone in the shop, a cat upset one of the oil-jars. When the oi…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY V-d

“But the light that lights the heart is the Light of God, Which is distinct from the light of reason and sense. At night there is no light, and colors are not seen; Hence we know what light is by its opposite, darkness. At night no colors…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY V-e

“"In yourselves are signs; will ye not behold them?" (Koran li, 21). 12. See Gulshan i Raz, I. 92. Mr. Mansel (Bampton Lectures, p. 49) says: "A thing can be known as that which it is only by being distinguished from that which it is n…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VIII-a

“The Harper. In the time of the Khalifa 'Omar there lived a harper, whose voice was as sweet as that of the angel Israfil, and who was in great request at all feasts. But he grew old, and his voice broke, and no one would employ him any lo…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IX-c

“When love of God kindles a flame in the inward man, He burns, and is freed from effects. He has no need of signs to assure him of love, For love casts its own light up to heaven. Other details are wanting to complete this subject, But tak…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY XII

“Joseph a‚Žd the Mirror. An old friend came to pay his respects to Joseph, and, after some remarks upon the bad behaviour of his brethren, Joseph asked him what present he had brought to show his respect. The friend replied that he had long…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY XIV

“The Chinese and the Greek Artists. The Chinese and the Greeks disputed before the Sultan which of them were the better painters; and, in order to settle the dispute, the Sultan allotted to each a house to be painted by them. The Chinese pro…”

The Soul of the Indian | Chapter I-a

“THE GREAT MYSTERY Solitary Worship. The Savage Philosopher. The Dual Mind. Spiritual Gifts versus Material Progress. The Paradox of “Christian Civilization.” The original attitude of the American Indian toward the Eternal, the “Great My…”

The Soul of the Indian | Chapter II-d

“Names of any dignity or importance must be conferred by the old men, and especially so if they have any spiritual significance; as Sacred Cloud, Mysterious Night, Spirit Woman, and the like. Such a name was sometimes borne by three generat…”

The Soul of the Indian | Chapter IV-a

“BARBARISM AND THE MORAL CODE Silence the Corner-Stone of Character. Basic Ideas of Morality. “Give All or Nothing!” Rules of Honorable Warfare. An Indian Conception of Courage. Long before I ever heard of Christ, or saw a white man, I h…”

The Soul of the Indian | Chapter V-a

“THE UNWRITTEN SCRIPTURES A Living Book. The Sioux Story of Creation. The First Battle. Another Version of the Flood. Our Animal Ancestry. A missionary once undertook to instruct a group of Indians in the truths of his holy religion. H…”

The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESIN-i

“The names of the three springs From the midst of the ocean; One generated brine Which is from the Corina, To replenish the flood Over seas disappearing; The second, without injury It will fall on us, When there is rain abroad, Through the w…”

The Kalevala | Rune IX-g

“O, ye people of Wainola, People of this generation, And the folk of future ages, Fashion not in emulation, River boat, nor ocean shallop, Boasting of its fine appearance, God alone can work completion, Give to cause its perfect ending, Neve…”

Enuma Elish: The Epic of Creation | 1a

“THE FIRST TABLET When in the height heaven was not named, And the earth beneath did not yet bear a name, And the primeval Apsu, who begat them, And chaos, Tiamut, the mother of them both Their waters were mingled together, And no field was…”