Author of
“Christianity Chronologically Confirmed.”
“Why am I a Christian ?” “Dionysius the Areopagite.”
“How charming is Divine Philosophy!
Not harsh and crabbed, as dull fools suppose,
But musical as is Apollo’s lute.”
James Parker and Co,
6 SOUTHAMPTON-STREET, STRAND, LONDON;
AND 27 BROAD-STREET, OXFORD.
1897.
My thanks are due to Miss M. C. Dawes, M. A., for careful
revision of the translation.
DEDICATED
TO
L’ABBÉ J. FABRE D’ENVIEU,
HON. CANON OF ST. DENIS,
IN THANKFUL RECOGNITION
OF THE
CONFIRMATION GIVEN TO THE FAITH, BY HIS
“LIVRE DU PROPHÈTE DANIEL.”
Felix es Gallia! quae, tantos et tales meruisti suscipere
sacerdotes.
Editions.
Venice. Antwerp. Migne (Paris).
Translations.
Syriac.
Sergius of Ras’ain, A.D. 530. B. Mus. Add. 12151-2, 22370.
Latin.
Johannes Scotus.
Johannes Sarracinus.
Ambrosius Camaldulensis.
Balthasar Corderius.
Ficinnus.
Fabure Stapulensis.
Paraphrase.
Cel. and Ecc. Hier., Dean Colet
French.
Frère Jean de St. François.
Monseigneur Darboy.
L’Abbé Dulac.
German.
Dr. Ceslaus Maria Schneider.
English.
Dean Colet by Rev. J. H. Lupton.
Rev. J. Parker.
Commentaries.
John of Scythopolis, 490.
Joseph Huzaja.
Phocas, bar. Sergius of Edessa.
John, Bishop of Dara.
Theodore, bar. Zarudi of Edessa.
Hugo of St. Victor.
John of Salisbury.
Robert of Lincoln.
St. Thomas Aquinas.
Albertus Magnus.
Dionysius Carthusianus.
Scholia.
Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, A.D. 250.
Sergius of Ras’ain.
Maximus.
Pachymera.
Vindiciae Areopagaticae, 1702.
Hilduinus Areopagatica, 9th Century, Galenus, 1563.
L’Abbé Barras, St. Denis, premier evêque de Paris, 1863. Vives. Paris.
J, Baltenweck, La question de l’authenticité des écrits Rixheim, J. Sutter.
Vidieu, St. Denis l’Areopagite, 1889. Firmin Didot.
Canon Bernard, St. Trophime d’Arles, 1888.
Schneider, “Areopagitica,” Regensburg, 1884.
Manz. Jahn, “Dionysiaca,” 1889.
Altona. Millet, “Responsio ad De duobus Dionysiis,” 1642.
Pearson, “Ignatii vindiciae,” with two letters of “Vossius.” Cambridge.
Erasmus, “Ratio verae, religionis,” and “Institutio.”
Hippolytus, “Refutation of all heresies,” 1859. Göttingen.
Dexter’s Chronicon, Migne, Tom. 31.
Myrothecum sacrorum Elaeochrismaton, 1625-7.
The Conversion of India, George Smith, C.I.E., John Murray, 1893.
Launoy, 1660.
Daillé, 1666.
Montet, 1848.
Hipler, 1861.
Nirschl, 1888, Histpolit Blatter, p. 172-184, and p. 257-270
In British Museum there are about 30 Editions, and 40 Treatises, and the Book of Hierotheus (Add. Rich. 7189), translation of which is promised by Professor A. L. Frothingham. Leyden, E. J. Brill.
In Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, 12 Editions. Avignon, 16 Editions, between 1498 and 1600. Leyden, superb MSS. with marginal scholia, 15th century.
In Rome there are many editions. Unfortunately the Codex produced at the Greek and Latin Council, in the Lateran, A.D. 660, is not in the Vatican, the whole Library in the tower of Santa Francisca having been destroyed in 1219. There is, in the Vatican, a letter in Latin from Dionysius to St. Paul, in which he speaks of the beauty of the blessed Virgin, no doubt as seen in death. There is another pathetic letter to Timothy describing the martyrdom of St. Paul, and his own desolation. In the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, there is an autobiography in Syriac, in which it is stated that when St. Paul described the Crucifixion in his speech at Athens, Dionysius sent to fetch his notes, made in Egypt, which were publicly read and found to agree with St. Paul, both as to day and hour. It says, St. Paul’s visit to Athens was fourteen years after the darkness in Egypt, which would place the conversion of Dionysius A.D. 44.
Page | |
PRINCIPAL WORKS ON DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE | v |
BOOKS TO BE READ | vi |
WORKS AGAINST GENUINENESS | ib. |
Preface to the “Divine Names” | ix |
DIVINE NAMES | 1 |
Note — Ignatius | 128 |
Preface to Mystic Theology | 129 |
MYSTIC THEOLOGY | 130 |
Preface to the Letters of Dionysius the Areopagite | 139 |
LETTERS OF DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE | 141 |
Preface to Liturgy | 185 |
LITURGY OF ST DIONYSIUS, BISHOP OF THE ATHENIANS | 187 |
OBJECTIONS TO GENUINENESS | 202 |
THE Treatise on “Divine Names” was written by Dionysius, at the
request of Timothy, and at the instigation of Hierotheus, to express, in a form
more easily understood, the more abstract Treatise of Hierotheus, who was his chief
instructor after St. Paul. Its purpose is to explain the epithets in Holy Scripture
applied alike to the whole Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It does not pretend
to describe the unrevealed God, Who is beyond expression and conception, and can
only be known through that union with God, “by which we know, even as we are known.”
Holy Scripture is the sole authority, beyond which we must neither think nor speak
of Almighty God. The Treatise, being written by one of the most learned Greeks,
the phraseology is, naturally, that of Plato and Aristotle ; but Plato and Aristotle
are not authorities here. When Plato treated his Hebrew instructor with such reverence,
and was so versed in the Pentateuch, we need not be sensitive as to the admission
of Plato’s authority. But, as a matter of fact, on the question of Exemplars
The only heresiarch, whom Dionysius mentions by name, is Elymas, the Sorcerer, Simon Magus, a man of great intellectual attainments and a considerable author. Flavius Clemens and Eugenius, Bishop of Toledo, were disciples of Simon before their conversion to Christ. The tenets of Elymas are described by Hippolytus. He formed an eclectic system from the Old Testament and the Christian Faith, and with Cerinthus and Carpocrates originated many heresies to which the apostolic epistles allude, and which in later times became prominent in the Church. In refuting these heresies, by manifestation of the truth, Dionysius anticipated many errors—ancient and modern.
Jerome informs us (Scr. Ecc. 46) that Pantaenus
I cannot but believe that many of the beautiful expressions about
Vishnu, the Redeemer, in the Râmâyana of Tulsidâs are Christian Truths under a Hindu
dress
Dionysius was first converted, and then, through him, those who naturally and properly followed his lead.
LUCIUS FLAVIUS DEXTER.
Dexter was a friend of Jerome. Jerome even addresses him as “filius amicus,” and describes him as “clarus apud saeculum et Christi fidei deditus.”
Dexter became Prefect of the Pretorian Oriental Guards, and was one of the most illustrious statesmen of his time. He resided two years in Toledo. From the archives of the Church of Toledo and other cities he compiled a chronicle from A.D. 1 to A.D. 430, giving a brief summary of the Church events in Spain. That chronicle he dedicated to Jerome, who, enrolled both Chronicle and Author amongst his “illustrious men.” It was at the request of Dexter that Jerome wrote his book on Ecclesiastical Writers. Among the earliest Bishops of Toledo, Dexter describes a remarkable man,—Marcellus,—surnamed Eugenius, on account of his noble birth.
Bivarius says he was of the house and family of Caesar, being uncle to the Emperor Hadrian. Marcellus was consecrated Bishop by Dionysius the Areopagite at Aries, and sent to Toledo. Respecting him, Dexter records that Dionysius dedicated the books of the Divine Names to him, u.c. 851, A.D. 98. Dexter further records that Dionysius surnamed Marcellus, Timothy, on account of his excellent disposition. Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus, relates that Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus, to whom the works of Dionysius were originally dedicated, was martyred during the reign of Nerva, A.D. 96-97. Upon the return of Dionysius to Gaul, after his visit to St. John, released from Patmos, we find him calling his friend Marcellus, Timothy, and presenting the books of the “Divine Names “to him, A.D. 98; in order that he might still have a Timothy on earth,— “in vivis”—although his first Timothy, “migravit ad Christum,” A.D. 97.
This touch of nature, preserved in a chronicle, written more than 1400 years ago, by an illustrious statesman, who was son of a Bishop celebrated for learning and sanctity, may fairly be deemed, by an unprejudiced mind, reasonable proof that the “Divine Names” were written previous to A.D. 98.
N.B. As the result of some research I affirm that our Saviour’s
last commission is the Key to Church history in the first century. As He commanded
the Apostles to preach the Gospel throughout the world, so the Gospel was
preached when St. Paul wrote his
Dr. Schneider informs me “that in Germany they now admit that the external proofs are in favour of genuineness of Dionysius, but they confine themselves to the internal proofs. They pretend that the doctrine is too clear and precise to have been written in the apostolic age.”
How could the chief Areopagite, the convert and companion of St. Paul, and the familiar friend of St. John, Theologus, have understood theology!!
TO MY FELLOW PRESBYTER,
TIMOTHY,
DIONYSIUS THE PRESBYTER.
What is the purpose of the discourse, and what the tradition concerning Divine Names.
SECTION I.
Now then, O Blessed One, after the Theological Outlines
But, let the rule of the Oracles be here also prescribed for us, viz., that we
shall establish the truth of the things spoken concerning God, not in the persuasive
words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit-moved power of the Theologians,
by aid of which we are brought into contact with things unutterable and unknown,
in a manner unutterable and unknown, in proportion to the superior union of the
reasoning and intuitive faculty and operation within us. By no means then is it
permitted to speak, or even to think, anything, concerning the superessential and
hidden Deity, beyond those things divinely revealed to us in the sacred Oracles
SECTION II.
Concerning this then, as has been said, the superessential and hidden Deity,
it is not permitted to speak or even to think beyond the things divinely revealed
to us in the sacred Oracles. For even as Itself has taught (as becomes Its goodness)
in the Oracles, the science and contemplation of Itself in Its essential Nature
is beyond the reach of all created things, as towering superessentially above all.
And you will find many of the Theologians, who have celebrated It, not only as invisible
and incomprehensible, but also as inscrutable and untraceable, since there is no
trace of those who have penetrated to Its hidden infinitude. The Good indeed is
not entirely uncommunicated to any single created being, but benignly sheds forth
its superessential ray, persistently fixed in Itself, by illuminations analogous
to each several being, and elevates to Its permitted contemplation and communion
and likeness, those holy minds, who, as far as is lawful and reverent, strive after
It, and who are neither impotently boastful towards that which is higher than the
harmoniously imparted Divine manifestation, nor, in regard to a lower level, lapse
downward through their inclining to the worse, but who elevate themselves determinately
and unwaveringly to the ray shining upon them; and, by their proportioned love
SECTION III.
Following then, these, the supremely Divine standards, which also govern the
whole holy ranks of the supercelestial orders,—whilst honouring the unrevealed of
the Godhead which is beyond mind and matter, with inscrutable and holy reverence
of mind, and things unutterable, with a prudent silence, we elevate ourselves to
the glories which illuminate us in the sacred Oracles, and are led by their light
to the supremely Divine Hymns, by which we are supermundanely enlightened and moulded
to the sacred Songs of Praise, so as both to see the supremely Divine illuminations
given to us by them, according to our capacities, and to praise the good-giving
Source of every holy manifestation of light, as Itself has taught concerning Itself
in the sacred Oracles. For instance, that It is cause and origin and essence and
life of all things; and even of those who fall away from It, both recalling and
resurrection; and of those who have lapsed to the perversion of the Divine likeness,
renewal and reformation; of those who are tossed about in a sort of irreligious
unsteadiness, a religious stability; of those who have continued to stand, steadfastness;
of those who are being conducted to It, a protecting Conductor; of those being illuminated,
illumination; of those being perfected, source of perfection; of those being deified,
source of deification; of those being
SECTION IV.
These things we have learned from the Divine Oracles, and you will find all the
sacred Hymnology, so to speak, of the Theologians arranging the Names, of God with
a view to make known and praise the beneficent progressions of the Godhead. Hence,
we see in almost every theological treatise the Godhead religiously celebrated,
both as Monad and unity, on account of the simplicity and oneness of Its supernatural
indivisibility from which, as an unifying power, we are unified, and when our divided
diversities have been folded together, in a manner supermundane, we are collected
into a godlike unit and divinely-imitated union; but, also as Triad, on account
of the tri-personal manifestation of the superessential productiveness, from which
all paternity in heaven and on earth is, and is named; also, as cause of things
existing, since all things were brought into being on account of Its creative goodness,
both wise and good, because all things, whilst preserving the properties of their
own nature
SECTION V.
And yet, if It is superior to every expression and every knowledge, and is altogether
placed above
But, as we said when we put forth the Theological Outlines, it is not
possible either to express or to conceive what the One, the Unknown, the Superessential
self-existing Good is,—I mean the threefold Unity, the alike God, and the alike
Good. But even the unions, such as befit angels, of the holy Powers, whether we
must call them efforts after, or receptions from, the super-Unknown and surpassing
Goodness, are both unutterable and unknown, and exist in those angels alone who,
above angelic knowledge, are deemed worthy of them. The godlike minds (men) made
one by these unions, through imitation of angels as far as attainable (since it
is during cessation of every mental energy that such an union as this of the deified
minds towards the super-divine light takes place) celebrate It most appropriately
through the abstraction of all created things—enlightened in this matter, truly
and super-naturally from the most blessed union towards It—that It is Cause Indeed
of all things existing, but Itself none of them, as being superessentially elevated
above all. To none, indeed, who are lovers of the Truth above all Truth, is it permitted
to celebrate
SECTION VI.
The theologians, having knowledge of this, celebrate It, both without Name and
from every Name. Without name, as when they say that the Godhead Itself, in one
of those mystical apparitions of the symbolical Divine manifestation, rebuked him
who said, “What is thy name?” and as leading him away from all knowledge of the
Divine Name, said this, “and why dost thou ask my Name? “and this (Name) “is wonderful,”
And is not this in reality the wonderful Name,
SECTION VII.
Thus, then, the “Nameless “befits the cause of all, which is also above all,
as do all the names of things existing, in order that there may be strictly a kingly
rule over the whole; and that all things
SECTION VIII.
Further also, the Theologians do not honour alone the Names of God which are
given from universal or particular Providences, or objects of His forethought; but
also from certain occasional Divine Visions, in the sacred temples or elsewhere,
which enlightened the initiated or the Prophets, they name the surpassing bright
Goodness which is above Name, after one or other causes and powers, and clothe It
in forms and shapes of man, or fire, or electron, and celebrate Its eyes and ears,
and locks of hair, and countenance, and hands, and back, and wings, and arms, and
hinder parts and feet. Also they assign to It crowns
Concerning common and distinctive theology, and what is the Divine Union and distinction.
SECTION I.
LET then the self-existent Goodness be sung from the Oracles as defining and
manifesting the whole
We must affirm, then, that this is to be received respecting the whole Deity.
For even the essentially Good Word Himself said, “I am Good
SECTION II.
But if any one should say that we introduce in so doing a confusion, in disparagement
of the distinction which befits God, we do not think that such a statement as this
is itself sufficient to convince that it is true. For, if there is any one who has
placed himself entirely in opposition to the Oracles, he will be also entirely apart
from our. philosophy; and, if he has no care for the divine Wisdom of the Oracles,
how shall we care for his guidance to the theological science? But, if he regards
the truth of the Oracles, we also, using this canon and illumination, will advance
unwaveringly to the answer, as best we can, by affirming that theology transmits
some things as common, but others as distinctive; and neither is it meet to divide
the common, nor to confuse the distinctive; but that following It according to our
ability, we ought to rise to the Divine splendours; for, by taking thence the Divine
revelations, as a most excellent canon of truth, we strive to guard the things lying
there, in their native simplicity and integrity and identity—being ourselves guarded
in our guard of
SECTION III.
The (Names) then, common to the whole Deity, as we have demonstrated from the Oracles, by many instances in the Theological Outlines, are the Super-Good, the Super-God, the Super-essential, the Super-Living, the Super-Wise, and whatever else belongs to the superlative abstraction; with which also, all those denoting Cause, the Good, the Beautiful, the Being, the Life-producing, the Wise, and whatever Names are given to the Cause of all Good, from His goodly gifts. But the distinctive Names are the superessential name and property of Father, and Son and Spirit, since no interchange or community in these is in any way introduced. But there is a further distinction, viz., the complete and unaltered existence of Jesus amongst us, and all the mysteries of love towards man actually existing within it.
SECTION IV.
But it is rather necessary, I suppose, to resume and to set forth the complete
fashion of the Divine union and distinction, in order that the whole discourse may
be seen at a glance to reject everything ambiguous and indistinct, and to define
critically and distinctly the proper Names, as far as possible. For, as I said elsewhere,
the sacred instructors of our theological tradition call the “Divine Unions” the
hidden and unrevealed sublimities of the
SECTION V.
But there is a distinction in the superessential nomenclature of God, not only
that which I have mentioned, namely, that each of the One-springing Persons is fixed
in the union itself, unmingled and unconfused; but also that the properties of the
superessential Divine Production are not convertible in regard to one another.
The Father is sole Fountain of the superessential Deity, since the Father is not
Son, nor the Son, Father; since the hymns reverently guard their own characteristics
for each of the supremely Divine Persons. These then
SECTION VI.
And yet some one might say the seal is not whole and the same in the images throughout.
But of this the seal is not the cause, for it imparts itself all and the same to
each; but the difference of the recipients makes the figures dissimilar, since the
SECTION VII.
Now we have set forth in the Theological Outlines whatever Divine Causes
we have found in the Oracles, of these unions, and distinctions, by treating each
separately, according to our ability; by explaining some things, by the infallible
Word, and
SECTION VIII.
But. up to this point, our utmost power of mental energy carries us, namely,
that all divine paternity and sonship have been bequeathed from the Source of paternity
and Source of sonship—pre-eminent above all—both to us and to the supercelestial
SECTION IX.
Further also, the most conspicuous fact of all theology—the God-formation of
Jesus amongst us—is both unutterable by every expression and unknown to every mind,
even to the very foremost of the most reverend angels. The fact indeed that. He
took
SECTION X.
From the Theological Elements of the most holy Hierotheus.
Deity of the Lord Jesus,— the Cause and Completing of all, which preserves the
parts concordant
SECTION XI.
This then is sufficient on these matters, let us now advance to the purpose of
the discourse by unfolding, to the best of our ability, the kindred and common Names
of the Divine distinction. And, in order that we may first distinctly define everything,
in order, we call Divine distinction, as we have said, the goodly progressions of
the Godhead. For, by being given to all things existing, and pouring forth the whole
imparted goods in abundance, It is distinguished uniformly, and multiplied uniquely,
and is moulded into many from the One, whilst being self-centred. For example, since
Almighty God is superessentially Being, but the Being is bequeathed to things being,
and produces the whole Essences; that One Being is said to be fashioned in many
forms, by the production from Itself of the many beings, whilst It remains undiminished,
and One in the multiplicity, and Unified during the progression, and complete in
the distinction, both by being superessentially exalted above all beings, and by
the unique production of the whole; and by the un-lessened stream of His undiminished
distributions. Further, being One, and having distributed the One, both to every
part and whole, both to one and to multitude, He is One, as it were,
superessentially,
being neither a part of the multitude, nor whole from parts; and thus is neither
one, nor partakes of one, nor has the one. But, beyond these, He is One, above the
one, to things existing—One, and multitude indivisible, unfilled super-fulness,
producing
What is the power of prayer, and concerning the blessed Hierotheus, and concerning reverence and covenant in the Word of God.
SECTION I.
FIRST, with your permission, let us examine the all-perfect Name of Goodness,
which is indicative of the whole progressions of Almighty God, having invoked the
supremely good, and super-good Triad—the Name which indicates Its whole best Providences.
For, we must first be raised up to It, as Source of good, by our prayers; and by
a nearer approach to It, be initiated as to the all good gifts which are established
around It. For It is indeed present to all, but all are not present to It. But then,
when we have invoked It, by all pure prayers and unpolluted mind, and by our aptitude
towards Divine Union, we also are present to It. For, It is not in a place, so that
It should be absent from a particular place, or should pass from one to another.
But even the statement that It is in all existing beings, falls short of Its infinitude
(which is) above all, and embracing all. Let us then elevate our very selves by
our prayers to the higher ascent of the Divine and good rays,—as if a luminous chain
being suspended from the celestial heights,
SECTION II.
Perhaps also, this is worthy of apology, that whilst our illustrious leader,
Hierotheus, is compiling his Theological Elements, in a manner above natural
capacity, we, as if those were not sufficient, have composed others, and this present
theological treatise. And yet, if that man had deigned to treat systematically all
the theological treatises, and had gone
SECTION III.
But to pass over the mystical things there, both as forbidden to the multitude
and as known to thee, when it was necessary to communicate to the multitude, and
to bring as many as possible to the sacred knowledge amongst ourselves, he so excelled
the majority of sacred teachers, both by use of time and purity of mind, and accuracy
of demonstrations, and by his other sacred discourses, that we should scarcely have
dared to look so great a sun straight in the face. For we are thus far conscious
in ourselves, and know, that we may neither advance to understand sufficiently the
intelligible of Divine things, nor to express and declare the things spoken of the
divine knowledge. For, being far removed from the skill of those divine men, as
regards theological truth, we are so inferior that we should have, through excessive
reverence, entirely come to this—neither to hear nor to speak anything respecting
divine philosophy, unless we had grasped in our mind, that we must not neglect the
knowledge of things divine received by us. And to this we were persuaded, not only
by the innate aspirations of the minds which always lovingly cling to the permitted
contemplation of the supernatural, but also by the most excellent order itself of
the Divine institutions,
Concerning Good, Light, Beauty, Love, Ecstasy, Jealousy, and that the Evil is neither existent, nor from existent, nor in things being.
SECTION I.
BE it so then. Let us come to the appellation “Good,” already mentioned in our discourse, which the Theologians ascribe pre-eminently and exclusively to the super-Divine Deity, as I conjecture, by calling the supremely Divine Subsistence, Goodness; and because the Good, as essential Good, by Its being, extends Its Goodness to all things that be.
For, even as our sun—not as calculating or choosing, but by its very being, enlightens
all things able
SECTION II.
Thence come to them the supermundane
orders, the unions amongst themselves,
the mutual penetrations, the unconfused distinctions, the powers elevating the inferior
to the superior, the providences
SECTION III.
But, if the Good is above all things being, as indeed it is, and formulates the formless, even in Itself alone, both the non-essential is a pre-eminence of essence, and the non-living is a superior life, and the mindless a superior wisdom, and whatever is in the Good is of a superlative formation of the formless, and if one may venture to say so, even the nonexistent itself aspires to the Good above all things existing, and struggles somehow to be even itself in the Good,—the really Superessential—to the exclusion of all things.
SECTION IV.
But what slipped from our view in the midst of our discourse, the Good is Cause
of the celestial movements in their commencements and terminations, of their not
increasing, not diminishing, and completely changeless, course
SECTION V.
But we have spoken of these things in our Symbolical Theology. Let us
now then celebrate the spiritual Name of Light, under Which we contemplate the Good,
and declare that He, the Good, is called spiritual
SECTION VI.
The Good then above every light is called spiritual Light, as fontal ray, and
stream of light welling over, shining upon every mind, above, around
SECTION VII.
This Good is celebrated by the sacred theologians, both as beautiful and as Beauty,
and as Love, and as
SECTION VIII.
Now, the divine minds
SECTION IX.
Further, there is a movement of soul, circular indeed,—the entrance into itself
from things without, and the unified convolution of its intellectual powers, bequeathing
to it inerrancy, as it were, in a sort of circle, and turning and collecting itself,
from the many things without, first to itself, then, as having become single, uniting
with the uniquely unified powers, and thus conducting to the Beautiful and
SECTION X.
Of these three motions then in everything perceptible here below, and much more
of the abidings and repose and fixity of each, the Beautiful and Good, which is
above all repose and movement, is Cause and Bond and End; by reason of which, and
from which, and in which, and towards which, and for sake of which, is every repose
and movement. For, both from It and through It is both Essence and every life, and
both of mind and soul and every nature, the minutiae, the equalities, the magnitudes,
all the standards and the analogies of beings, and harmonies and compositions; the
entireties, the parts, every one thing, and multitude, the connections of parts,
the unions of every multitude, the perfections of the entireties, the quality, the
weight, the size, the infinitude, the compounds,
Moreover, all things whatever, which are and come to being, are and come to being by reason of the Beautiful and Good; and to It all things look, and by It are moved and held together, and for the sake of It, and by reason of It, and in It, is every source exemplary, final, creative, formative, elemental, and in one word, every beginning, every bond, every term, or to speak summarily, all things existing are from the Beautiful and Good; and all things non-existing are superessentially in the Beautiful and Good; and it is of all, beginning and term, above beginning and above term, because from It, and through It, and in It, and to It, are all things, as says the Sacred Word.
By all things, then, the Beautiful and Good is desired and beloved and cherished;
and, by reason of It, and for the sake of It, the less love the greater suppliantly;
and those of the same rank, their fellows brotherly; and the greater, the less considerately;
and these severally love the things of themselves continuously; and all things by
aspiring to the Beautiful and Good, do and wish all things whatever
SECTION XI.
And let no one fancy that we honour the Name of Love beyond the Oracles, for
it is, in my opinion, irrational and stupid not to cling to the force of the meaning,
but to the mere words; and this is not the characteristic of those who have wished
to comprehend things Divine, but of those who receive empty sounds and keep the
same just at the ears from passing through from outside, and are not willing to
know what such a word signifies, and in what way one ought to distinctly represent
it, through other words of the same force and more explanatory, but who specially
affect sounds and signs without meaning, and syllables, and words unknown, which
do not pass through to the mental part of their soul, but buzz without, around their
lips and ears, as though it were not permitted to signify the number four, by twice
two, or straight lines by direct lines, or motherland by fatherland, or any other,
which signify the self-same thing, by many parts of speech.
We ought to know, according to the correct account, that we use sounds, and syllables, and phrases, and descriptions, and words, on account of the sensible perceptions; since when our soul is moved by the intellectual energies to the things contemplated, the sensible perceptions by aid of sensible objects are superfluous; just as also the intellectual powers, when the soul, having become godlike, throws itself, through a union beyond knowledge, against the rays of the unapproachable light, by sightless efforts. But, when the mind strives to be moved upwards, through objects of sense, to contemplative conceptions, the clearer interpretations are altogether preferable to the sensible perceptions, and the more definite descriptions are things more distinct than things seen; since when objects near are not made clear to the sensible perceptions, neither will these perceptions be well able to present the things perceived to the mind. But that we may not seem, in speaking thus, to be pushing aside the Divine Oracles, let those who libel the Name of Love (Ἔρωτος) hear them. “Be in love with It,” they say, “and It will keep thee—Rejoice over It, and It will exalt thee—Honour It, in order that It may encompass thee,”—and whatever else is sung respecting Love, in the Word of God.
SECTION XII.
And yet it seemed to some of our sacred expounders that the Name of Love is more
Divine than that of loving-kindness (ἀγάπης).
But even the
SECTION XIII.
But Divine Love is extatic, not permitting (any) to be lovers of themselves,
but of those beloved. They shew this too, the superior by becoming mindful of the
inferior; and the equals by their mutual coherence; and the inferior, by a more
divine respect towards things superior. Wherefore also, Paul the Great, when possessed
by the Divine Love, and participating in its extatic power, says with inspired lips,
“I live no longer, but Christ lives in me.” As a true lover, and beside himself,
as he says, to Almighty God, and not living the life of himself, but the life of
the Beloved, as a life excessively esteemed. One might make bold to say even this,
on behalf of truth, that the very Author of all things, by the beautiful and good
love of everything, through an overflow of His loving goodness, becomes out of Himself,
by His providences for all existing things,
SECTION XIV.
But what do the theologians mean when at one time they call Him Love, and Loving-kindness,
and at another, Loved and Esteemed? For, of the one, He is Author and, as it were,
Producer and Father; but the other, He Himself is; and by one He is moved, but by
the other He moves; or (when they say), that He Himself is Procurer and Mover of
Himself and by Himself. In this sense, they call Him esteemed and loved, as Beautiful
and Good: but again Love and Loving-kindness, as being at once moving and conducting
Power to Himself;—the alone—self Beautiful and Good, by reason of Itself, and, being,
as it were, a manifestation of Itself through Itself, and a good Progression of
the
SECTION XV.
Extract from the “Hymns of Love” by the most holy Hierotheus:—
Love, whether we speak of Divine, or Angelic, or intelligent, or psychical, or physical, let us regard as a certain unifying and combining power, moving the superior to forethought for the inferior, and the equals to a mutual fellowship, and lastly, the inferior to respect towards the higher and superior.
SECTION XVI.
Of the same, from the same Erotic Hymns.
Since we have arranged the many loves from the one, by telling, in due order,
what are the
SECTION XVII.
Of the same, from the same Hymns of Love.
Come then, whilst collecting these again into one, let us say, that it is a certain simplex power, which of itself moves to a sort of unifying combination from the Good, to the lowest of things existing, and from that again in due order, circling round again, through all to the Good from Itself, and through Itself and by Itself, and rolling back to Itself always in the same way.
SECTION XVIII.
And yet, any one might say, “if the Beautiful and Good is beloved and desired,
and esteemed
SECTION XIX.
Such a statement as this might be alleged by way of objection. We, however, on
our part, will
SECTION XX.
Now to all this true reason will answer, that the Evil qua evil makes
no single essence or birth, but only, as far as it can, pollutes and destroys the
subsistence of things existing. But, if any one says, that it is productive of being,
and that by destruction of one it gives birth to another, we must truly answer,
that not qua destruction it gives birth, but qua destruction and evil,
it destroys and pollutes only, but it becomes birth and essence, by reason of the
Good; and the Evil will be destruction indeed, by reason of itself; but producer
of birth by reason of the Good; and qua evil, it is neither existing, nor
productive of things existing; but, by reason of the Good, it is both existing and
good-existing, and productive of things good. Yea, rather (for neither will the
same by itself be both good and evil, nor the self-same power be of itself destruction
and birth—neither as self-acting power, nor as self-acting destruction), the absolutely
Evil is neither existing nor good, nor generative, nor productive of things being
and good; but the Good in whatever things it may be perfectly engendered, makes
them perfect and pure, and thoroughly good,—but the things which partake of it in
a less degree are both imperfectly good, and impure, by reason of the lack of the
Good. And (thus) the Evil altogether, is not, nor is good, nor good producing; but
that which approaches more or less near the Good will be proportionately good; since
the All-perfect Goodness, in passing through all, not only passes to the
Now, this is the exceeding greatness of the power of the Good, that It empowers,
both things deprived, and the deprivation of Itself, with a view to the entire participation
of itself. And, if one must make bold to speak the truth, even the things fighting
against It, both are, and are able to fight, by Its power. Yea rather, in order
that I may speak summarily, all things which are, in so far as they are, both are
good, and from the Good; but, in so far as they are deprived of the Good, are neither
good, nor do they exist. For, even with regard to the other conditions, such as
heat or cold, there are things which have been heated, and when the heat has departed
from them, many of them are deprived both of life and intelligence (now Almighty
God is outside essence, and is, superessentially), and, in
SECTION XXI.
But neither is the Evil in things existing. For, if all things existing are from
the Good, and the Good is in all things existing, and embraces all, either the Evil
will not be in things existing, or it will be in the Good; and certainly it will
not be in the Good, for neither is cold in fire, nor to do evil in Him, Who turns
even the evil to good. But, if it shall be, how will the Evil be in the Good? If
forsooth, from Itself, it is absurd and impossible. For it is not possible, as the
infallibility of the Oracles affirms, that a “good tree should bring forth evil
fruits,” nor certainly, vice versa. But, if not from Itself, it is evident
that it will be from another source and cause. For, either the Evil will be from
the Good, or the Good from the Evil; or, if this be not possible, both the Good
and the Evil will be from another source and cause, for no dual is source, but a
Unit will be source of every dual. Further, it is absurd that two entirely contraries
should proceed and be from one and the same, and that the self-same source should
be, not simplex and unique, but divided and double, and contrary to itself, and
be changed; and certainly it is not possible that there should be two contrary sources
of things existing, and that these should be contending in each other, and in the
whole. For, if this were granted, even Almighty God will not be in repose, nor free
from disquietude, if there were indeed something bringing disturbance even to Him.
Then,
SECTION XXII.
But neither is the Evil in Angels; for if the good-like angel proclaims the goodness
of God, being by participation in a secondary degree that which the Announced is
in the first degree as Cause, the Angel is a likeness of Almighty God—a manifestation
of the unmanifested light—a mirror untarnished—most transparent—without flaw—pure—without
spot—
SECTION XXIII.
But, neither are the demons evil by nature; for, if they are evil by nature,
neither are they from the Good, nor amongst things existing; nor, in fact, did they
change from good, being by nature, and always, evil. Then, are they evil to themselves
or to others? If to themselves, they also destroy themselves; but if to others,
how destroying, or what destroying?—Essence, or power, or energy? If indeed Essence,
in the first place, it is not contrary to nature; for they do not destroy things
indestructible by nature, but things receptive of destruction. Then, neither is
this an evil for every one, and in every case; but, not even any existing thing
is destroyed, in so far as it is essence and nature, but by the defect of nature’s
order, the
SECTION XXIV.
But does some one say that souls are evil? If it be that they meet with evil things providentially, and with a view to their preservation, this is not an evil, but a good, and from the Good, Who makes even the evil good. But, if we say that souls become evil, in what respect do they become evil, except in the failure of their good habits and energies; and, by reason of their own lack of strength, missing their aim and tripping? For we also say, that the air around us becomes dark by failure and absence of light, and yet the light itself is always light, that which enlightens even the darkness. The Evil, then, is neither in demons nor in us, as an existent evil, but as a failure and dearth of the perfection of our own proper goods.
SECTION XXV.
But neither is the Evil in irrational creatures, for if you should take away
anger and lust, and the other things which we speak of, and which are not absolutely
evil in their own nature, the lion having lost his boldness and fierceness will
not be a lion; and the dog, when he has become gentle to every body, will not be
a dog, since to keep guard is a dog’s duty, and to admit those of the household,
but to drive away the stranger. So the fact that nature is not destroyed is not
an evil, but a destruction of nature, weakness, and failure of the natural habitudes
and energies and powers. And, if all
SECTION XXVI.
But neither is the Evil in nature throughout, for if all the methods of nature are from universal nature, there is nothing contrary to it. But in each individual (nature) one thing will be according to nature, and another not according to nature. For one thing is contrary to nature in one, and another in another, and that which is according to nature to one, is to the other, contrary to nature. But malady of nature, that which is the contrary to nature, is the deprivation of things of nature. So that there is not an evil nature; but this is evil to nature, the inability to accomplish the things of one’s proper nature.
SECTION XXVII.
But, neither is the Evil in bodies. For deformity and disease are a defect of
form, and a deprivation of order. And this is not altogether an evil, but a less
good; for if a dissolution of beauty and form and order become complete, the body
itself will be gone. But that the body is not cause of baseness to the soul is evident,
from the fact that baseness continues to coexist even without a body, as in demons.
For this is evil to minds and souls and bodies, (viz.) the weakness and declension
from the habitude of their own proper goods.
SECTION XXVIII.
But neither (a thing which they say over and over again) is the evil in matter,
so far as it is matter. For even it participates in ornament and beauty and form.
But if matter, being without these, by itself is without quality and without form,
how does matter produce anything—matter, which, by itself, is impassive? Besides
how is matter an evil? for, if it does not exist in any way whatever, it is neither
good nor evil but if it is any how existing, and all things existing are from the
Good, even it would be from the Good; and either the Good is productive of the Evil,
or the Evil, as being from the Good, is good; or the Evil is capable of producing
the Good; or even the Good, as from the Evil, is evil; or further, there are two
first principles, and these suspended from another one head. And, if they say that
matter is necessary, for a completion of the whole Cosmos, how is matter an evil?
For the Evil is one thing, and the necessary
But, if they should say, that it does not make baseness in souls, but that they
are dragged to it, how will this be true? for many of them look towards the
SECTION XXIX.
But neither is it this which we affirm—the “privation fights against the Good
by its own power
SECTION XXX.
But, to speak briefly, the Good is from the one and the whole Cause, but the
Evil is from many and partial defects. Almighty God knows the Evil qua good;
and, with Him, the causes of the evils are powers producing good
SECTION XXXI.
The Cause of things good is One. If the Evil is contrary to the Good, the many
causes of the Evil, certainly those productive of things evil, are not principles
and powers, but want of power, and want of strength, and a mixing of things dissimilar
without proportion. Neither are things evil unmoved, and always in the same condition,
but endless and undefined, and borne along in different things, and those endless.
The Good will be beginning and end of all, even things evil, for, for the sake of
the Good, are all things, both those that are good, and
SECTION XXXII.
It is to be laid down that being belongs to the Evil as an accident and by reason
of something else, and not from its own origin, and thus that that which comes into
being appears to be right, because it comes into being for the sake of the Good,
but that in reality it is not right for the reason that we think that which is not
good to be good. The desired is shewn to be one thing, and that which comes to pass
is another. The Evil, then, is beside the path, and beside the mark, and beside
nature, and beside cause, and beside beginning, and beside end, and beside limit,
and beside intention, and beside purpose. The Evil then is privation and failure,
and want of strength, and want of proportion, and want of attainment, and want of
purpose; and without beauty, and without life, and without mind, and without reason,
and without completeness, and without stability, and without cause, and without
limit, and without production; and inactive, and without result, and disordered,
and dissimilar, and limitless, and dark, and unessential, and being itself nothing
in any manner of way whatever. How, in short, can evil do anything by its mixture
with the Good? For that which is altogether without participation
SECTION XXXIII.
How, in short, are there evils when there is a Providence? The Evil, qua
evil, is not, neither as an actual thing nor as in things existing. And no single
thing is without a Providence. For neither is the Evil an actual thing existing
unmixed with the Good. And, if no single thing is without participation in the Good,
but the lack of the Good is an evil, and no existing thing is deprived absolutely
of the Good, the Divine Providence is in all existing things, and no single thing
is without Providence. But Providence, as befits Its goodness, uses even evils which
happen for the benefit, either individual or general, of themselves or others, and
suitably provides for each being. Wherefore we will not admit the vain statement
of the multitude, who say that Providence ought to lead us to virtue, even against
our will. For to destroy nature is not a function of Providence. Hence, as Providence
is conservative of the nature of each, it provides for
SECTION XXXIV.
The Evil, then, is not an actual thing, nor is the Evil in things existing. For the Evil, qua evil, is nowhere, and the fact that evil comes into being is not in consequence of power, but by reason of weakness. And, as for the demons, what they are is both from the Good, and good. But their evil is from the declension from their own proper goods, and a change—the weakness, as regards their identity and condition, of the angelic perfection befitting them. And they aspire to the Good, in so far as they aspire to be and to live and to think. And in so far as they do not aspire to the Good, they aspire to the non-existent; and this is not aspiration, but a missing of the true aspiration.
SECTION XXXV.
Now the Oracles call conscious transgressors those who are thoroughly weak as
regards the ever memorable knowledge or the practise of the Good, and who, knowing
the will, do not perform it,—those who are hearers indeed, but are weak concerning
the faith, or the energy of the Good. And for some, it is against their will to
understand to do good, by reason of the deviation or weakness of the will.
Concerning Being—in which also concerning Exemplars.
SECTION I.
LET us now then pass to the name “Being”—given in the Oracles as veritably that of Him, Who veritably is. But we will recall to your remembrance this much, that the purpose of our treatise is not to make known the superessential Essence—qua superessential—(for this is inexpressible, and unknowable, and altogether unrevealed, and surpassing the union itself), but to celebrate the progression of the supremely Divine Source of Essence, which gives essence to all things being. For the Divine Name of the Good, as making known the whole progressions of the Cause of all, is extended, both to things being, and things not being, and is above things being, and things not being. But the Name of Being is extended to all things being, and is above things being;—and the Name of Life is extended to all things living, and is above things living; and the Name of Wisdom is extended to all the intellectual and rational and sensible, and is above all these.
SECTION II.
The treatise, then, seeks to celebrate these, the Names of God, which set forth
His Providence. For it does not profess to express the very superessential Goodness,
and Essence, and Life, and
SECTION III.
Yet, some one might say, for what reason do we affirm that Life is superior to
Being, and Wisdom to Life? Things with life no doubt are above things that merely
exist—things sensible above those which merely live,—and things rational above these,—and
the Minds
SECTION IV.
Now, since we are speaking of these things, come then, and let us praise the
Good, as veritably Being, and giving essence to all things that be. He, Who is,
is superessential, sustaining Cause of the whole potential Being, and Creator of
being, existence, subsistence, essence, nature; Source and Measure of ages, and
Framer of times, and Age of things that be, Time of things coming into being, Being
of things howsoever being, Birth of things howsoever born. From Him, Who is, is
age, and essence, and being, and time, and birth, and thing born; the realities
SECTION V.
Summing up, then, let us say, that the being to all beings and to the ages, is
from the Preexisting. And every age and time is from Him. And of every age and time,
and of everything, howsoever existing, the Pre-existing is Source and Cause. And
all things participate in Him, and from no single existing thing does He stand aloof.
And He is before all things, and all things in Him consist. And absolutely, if anything
is, in any way whatsoever, it both is, and is contemplated, and is preserved in
the Pre-existing. And, before all the other participations in Him, the being is
pre-supposed. And self-existent Being has precedence of the being self-existent
Life; and the being self-existent Wisdom; and the being self-existent Divine Likeness;
and the other beings, in whatever gifts
SECTION VI.
The self-existent Super-goodness then, as projecting the first gift of self-existent
being, is
SECTION VII.
But all the proportions of nature individually are comprehended in the whole
nature of the whole, within one unconfused union; and in the soul, the powers of
each several part are provident of the whole body in a uniform fashion. There is
nothing out of place then, that, by ascending from obscure images to the Cause of
all, we should
SECTION VIII.
And from the same Cause of all, are the higher and lower intellectual
SECTION IX.
But, if the Philosopher Clemens thinks good, that the higher amongst beings should
be called
We must attribute, then, all existing things to It, as beseems One Union pre-eminent above all, since by starting from Being, the essentiating Progression and Goodness, both penetrating all, and filling all things with Its own being, and rejoicing over all things being, pre-holds all things in Itself, rejecting all duplicity by an one superfluity of simplicity. But It grasps all things in the same way, as beseems its super-simplified Infinity, and is participated in by all uniquely, even as a voice, whilst being one and the same, is participated in by many ears as one.
SECTION X.
The Pre-existing then is beginning and end of existing things; beginning indeed
as Cause, and end as for whom; and term of all, and infinitude of all infinitude;
and term, especially, of things that are, as it were, opposed. For in One, as we
have often said, He both pre-holds and sustains all existing things, being present
to all, and everywhere, both as regards the one, and the same, and as the every
same, and issuing forth to all, and abiding in Himself; and standing and moving,
and neither standing nor
Concerning Life.
SECTION I.
Now let us sing the Eternal Life, from which comes the self-existing Life, and
every life; and from which, to all things however partaking of life, is distributed
the power to live appropriately to each. Certainly the life; and
the immortality of the immortal Angels, and the very indestructibility of the angelic
perpetual motion, both is, and is sustained from It, and by reason of It. Wherefore,
they are also called living always and immortal; and again, not immortal, because
not from themselves have they their immortality and eternal life; but from the vivifying
Cause forming and sustaining all life; and as we said of Him, Who is, that He is
Age even of the self-existing Being, so also here again (we say) that the Divine
Life, which is above life, is
SECTION II.
And It gives chiefly to the self-existing Life to be a life, and to every life,
and to the individual life, that each should be conformable to that which nature
intended it to be. And to the supercelestial lives It gives the immaterial and godlike,
and unchangeable immortality; and the unswerving and undeviating perpetual movement;
whilst extending Itself through excess of goodness, even to the life of demons
SECTION III.
From It, both all living creatures and plants draw their life and nourishment;
and whether you speak of intellectual, or rational, or sensible, or nourishing,
or growing, or whatever, life, or source of life, or essence of life, from It, which
is above every life, it both lives and thrives; and in It, as Cause, uniformly pre-existed.
For the super-living, and life-springing Life is Cause both of all life, and is
generative, and completive, and dividing of life, and is to be celebrated from every
life, in consequence of its numerous generation of all lives, as Manifold, and contemplated,
and sung by every life; and as
Concerning Wisdom, Mind, Reason, Truth, faith.
SECTION I.
COME then, if you please, let us sing the good and eternal Life, both as wise,
and as wisdom’s self; yea, rather, as sustaining all wisdom, and being superior
to all wisdom and understanding. For, not only is Almighty God superfull of wisdom,
and of His understanding there is no number, but He is fixed above all reason and
mind and wisdom. And, when the truly divine man, the common sun of us, and of our
leader, had thought this out, in a sense above nature, he says, “the foolishness
of God is wiser than men,” (meaning) not only that all human intelligence is a sort
of error, when tried by the stability and durability of the Divine and most perfect
conceptions, but that it is even usual with the theologians to deny, with respect
to God, things of privation, in an opposite sense. Thus, the Oracles declare, the
All-luminous Light, invisible, and Him, Who is often sung, and of many names, to
be unutterable and without name, and Him, Who is present to all, and is found of
all, to be incomprehensible and past finding out. In this very way, even now, the
SECTION II.
From It the contemplated and contemplating powers of the angelic Minds have
their simple and blessed conceptions; collecting their divine knowledge, not in
portions, or from portions, or sensible perceptions, or detailed reasonings, or
arguing from something common to these things, but purified from everything
material and multitudinous, they contemplate the conceptions of Divine things
intuitively, immaterially and uniformly, and they have their intellectual power
and energy resplendent with the
unmixed and undefiled purity, and see at a glance the Divine conceptions indivisibly
and immaterially, and are by the Godlike One moulded, as attainable
by reason of the Divine Wisdom, to the Divine and Super-wise Mind and Reason. And
souls have their reasoning power, investigating the truth of things by detailed
steps and rotation, and through their divided and manifold variety falling short
of the single minds, but, by the collection of many towards the One, deemed worthy,
even of conceptions equal to the angels, so far as is proper and attainable to souls.
But, even as regards the sensible perceptions themselves, one would not miss the
mark, if one called them an echo of wisdom. Yet, even the mind of demons, qua
mind, is from It; but so far as a mind is irrational, not knowing, and not wishing
to attain what it aspires to, we must call it more properly a declension from wisdom.
But, since the Divine Wisdom is called source, and cause, and mainstay,
SECTION III.
In addition to these things, we must examine how we know God, Who is neither
an object of intellectual nor of sensible perception, nor is absolutely anything
of things existing. Never, then, is it true to say, that we know God; not
from His own nature (for that is unknown, and surpasses all reason and mind), but,
from the ordering of all existing things, as projected from Himself, and containing
a sort of images and similitudes of His Divine exemplars, we ascend, as far as we
have power, to that which is beyond all, by method and order in the abstraction
and pre-eminence of all, and in the Cause of all. Wherefore, Almighty God is known
even in all, and apart from all. And through knowledge, Almighty God is known,
and through agnosia. And there is, of Him, both conception, and expression, and
science, and contact, and sensible perception, and opinion, and imagination, and
name, and all the rest. And He is neither conceived, nor expressed, nor named. And
He is not any of existing things, nor is He known in any one of existing things.
And He is all in all, and nothing in none. And He is known to all, from all, and
to none from none. For, we both say these things correctly concerning God, and He
is celebrated from all existing things, according to the analogy of all things,
of which He is Cause. And there is, further, the most Divine Knowledge of Almighty
God, which is known, through not knowing (αγνοσια)
during the union above mind; when the mind, having stood apart from all existing
SECTION IV.
But Almighty God is celebrated in the holy Oracles as “Logos”; not only because
He is provider of reason and mind and wisdom, but because He anticipated the causes
of all, solitarily in Himself, and because He passes through all, as the Oracles
say, even to the end of all things; and even more than these, because the Divine
Word surpasses every simplicity, and is set free from all, as the Superessential.
This “Logos “is the simple and really existing truth, around which, as a pure and
unerring knowledge of the whole, the Divine Faith is—the enduring foundation
of the believers—which establishes them in the truth, and the truth in them, by
an unchangeable identity, they having the pure knowledge of the truth of the things
believed. For, if knowledge unites the knowing and the known, but ignorance is ever
a cause to the ignorant person of
Concerning power, justice, preservation, redemption, in which also concerning inequality.
SECTION I.
BUT since the theologians sing the Divine truth fulness and super-wise wisdom,
both as power and
SECTION II.
We say, then, that Almighty God is Power, as pre-having, and super-having, every
power in Himself, and as Author of every power, and producing everything as beseems
a Power inflexible and unencompassed, and as being Author of the very existence
of power, either the universal or particular, and as boundless in power, not only
by the production of all power, but by being above all, even the self. existent
Power, and by His superior power, and by His bringing into existence, ad infinitum,
endless powers other than the existing powers; and by the fact that the endless
powers, even when brought into existence without end, are not able to blunt the
super-endless production of His power-making power; and by the unutterable and unknown,
and inconceivable nature of His all-surpassing power, which,
SECTION III.
The distribution, then, of boundless power, from Almighty God, passes to all beings, and there is no single being which is utterly deprived of the possession of some power; but it has either intellectual, or rational, or sensible, or vital, or essential power; yea even, if one may say so, self-existent being has power to be from the superessential Power.
SECTION IV.
From It, are the godlike powers of the angelic ranks; from It, they have their
immutability, and all their intellectual and immortal perpetual movements; and their
equilibrium itself, and their undiminishable aspiration after good, they have received
from the Power boundless in goodness; since It commits to them the power to be,
and to be such, and to aspire always to be, and the power itself to aspire to have
the power always.
SECTION V.
But the gifts of the unfailing Power pass on, both to men and living creatures,
and plants, and the entire nature of the universe; and It empowers things united
for their mutual friendship and communion, and things divided for their being each
within their own sphere and limit, without confusion, and without mingling; and
preserves the order and good relations of the whole, for their own proper good,
and guards the undying lives of the individual angels inviolate; and the heavenly
and the life-giving and astral bodies
SECTION VI.
Yet Elymas, the Magician, says, “if Almighty God is All-powerful, how is He said
by your theologian, not to be able to do some thing “? But he calumniates the Divine
Paul, who said, “that Almighty God is not able to deny Himself.” Now in advancing
this, I very much fear lest I should incur ridicule for folly, as undertaking to
pull down frail houses, built upon the sand by little boys at play; and as being
eager to aim at the theological intelligence of this, as if it were some inaccessible
mark. For, the denial of Himself, is a falling from truth, but the truth is an existent,
and the falling from the truth is a falling from the existent. If, then, the truth
is an existent, and the denial of the truth a falling from the existent, Almighty
God cannot fall from the existent, and non-existence is not; as any one might say,
the powerless is not powerful; and ignorance, by privation, does not know. The wise
man, not having understood this, imitates those inexperienced wrestlers, who, very
often, by assuming that their adversaries are weak, according to their own opinion,
and manfully making a show of fight with them, when absent, and courageously beating
the air with empty blows, think that they have overcome their antagonists, and proclaim
themselves
SECTION VII.
But further, Almighty God is celebrated as justice, as distributing things suitable
to all, both due measure, and beauty, and good order, and arrangement, and marking
out all distributions and orders for each, according to that which truly is the
most just limit, and as being Cause for all of the free action of each. For the
Divine Justice arranges and disposes all things, and preserving all things unmingled
and unconfused, from all, gives to all existing beings things convenient for each,
according to the due falling to each existing thing. And, if we speak correctly,
all those who abuse the Divine Justice, unconsciously convict themselves of a manifest
injustice. For they say, that immortality ought to be in mortals, and perfection
in the imperfect, and imposed necessity in the free, and
SECTION VIII.
But some one may say, it is not the mark of justice to leave pious men without
assistance, when they are ground down by evil men. To which we must reply, that,
if those whom you call pious do indeed love things on earth, which are zealously
sought after by the earthly, they have altogether fallen from the Divine Love. And
I do not know how they could be called pious, when they unjustly treat things truly
loveable and divine, which do not at once surpass in influence in their estimation
things undesirable and unloveable. But, if they love the realities, they who desire
certain things ought to rejoice when they attain the things desired. Are they not
then nearer the angelic virtues, when, as far as possible, by aspiration after things
Divine, they withdraw from the affection for earthly things, by being exercised
very manfully to this, in their perils, on behalf of the beautiful? So that, it
is true
SECTION IX.
This Divine Justice, then, is celebrated also even as preservation of the whole,
as preserving and guarding the essence and order of each, distinct and pure from
the rest; and as being genuine cause of each minding its own business in the whole.
But, if any one should also celebrate this preservation, as rescuing savingly the
whole from the worse, we will entirely accept this as the cantique of the
manifold preservation, and we will deem him worthy to define this even as the principal
preservation of the whole, which preserves all things in themselves, without change,
undisturbed and unswaying to the worse; and guards all things without strife and
without war, each being regulated by their own methods; and excludes all inequality
and minding others’ business, from the whole; and maintains the relations of each
from falling to things contrary, and from migrating. And since, without missing
the mark of the sacred theology, one might celebrate this preservation as redeeming
all things existing, by the goodness which is preservative of all, from falling
away from their own proper goods, so far
Concerning great, small, same, different, similar, dissimilar, standing, movement, equality.
SECTION I.
BUT since even the great and the small are attributed to the Cause of all, arid the same, and the different, and the similar, and the dissimilar, and the standing, and the movement. Come! and let us gaze upon these images of the Divine Names, such as have been manifested to us. Almighty God, then, is celebrated in the Oracles as great, both in greatness and in a gentle breeze, which manifests the Divine littleness; and as the same, when the Oracles declare “thou art the same”; and as different, when He is depicted, by the same Oracles, as of many shapes and many forms; and as similar, as mainstay of things similar and similitude; and as dissimilar to all, as the like of whom there is not; and as standing, and unmoved, and seated for ever; and as moving, as going forth to all; and whatever other Divine Names, of the same force with these, are celebrated by the Oracles.
SECTION II.
Almighty God, then, is named great in reference to His own peculiar greatness,
which imparts itself to all things great; and overflows, and extends itself outside
of all greatness; embracing every place, surpassing every number, going through
every infinitude, both in reference to its super-fulness, and
SECTION III.
But little, i.e. fine, is affirmed respecting Him,—that which leaves behind
every mass and distance, and penetrates through all, without hindrance. Yet the
little is Elemental
SECTION IV.
But the same is superessentially everlasting, inconvertible, abiding
in itself, always being in the same
SECTION V.
But the different, since Almighty God is present to all providentially,
and becomes all in all, for the sake of the preservation of all, resting upon Himself,
and His own identity within Himself, standing, as beseems an energy, one and ceaseless,
and imparting Himself with an unbending power, for deification of those turned to
Him. And we must suppose that the difference of the manifold shapes of Almighty
God, during the multiform visions, signifies that certain things are different from
the phenomena
SECTION VI.
But similar, if any one might speak of Almighty God as the same, as being
wholly throughout, similar to Himself—abidingly and indivisibly; we must not despise
the Divine Name of the Similar; but the Theologians affirm that the God above all,
in His essential nature, is similar to none; but that He bequeaths a Divine similarity
to those who turn to Him, Who is above every limit and expression, by imitation
according to their capacity. And there is the power of the Divine similitude, which
turns all created things to the Cause. These things, then, must be said to be similar
to Almighty God, both after a Divine likeness and similitude. For, neither must
we say that Almighty God is similar to them, because neither is a man like his own
image. For, with regard to those of the same rank, it is possible that these should
be similar to each other, and that the similarity corresponds to each, and that
both are similar to each other, after a preceding appearance of like. But, with
respect to the Cause and the things caused, we do not accept the correspondence.
For, the being similar is bequeathed, not to these, or those, alone, but to all
those who participate in similarity. Almighty God becomes Cause of their being similar,
and is mainstay of the self-existing Similarity itself; and the similar in all is
similar to a soft of footprint of the Divine Similarity and completes their Oneness.
SECTION VII.
And what must we say concerning this? For the Word of God Itself extols the fact
that He is dissimilar, and of the same rank with none; as “different” even from
everything, and, what is more paradoxical, says there is nothing that is similar
to Him. Yet the expression is not contrary to the similarity towards Him, for the
same things are both similar to God, and dissimilar—the former as regards the received
imitation
SECTION VIII.
But what also do we say concerning the Divine standing, i.e. seat? What other
than that Almighty God remains Himself, in Himself, and is abidingly fixed in unmoved
identity, and is firmly established on high; and that He acts according to the same
conditions, and in reference to the same object, and in the same way; and that He
exists altogether, as beseems the immutability from Himself; and as beseems the
immovability Itself, entirely immovable, and that superessentially. For He is Cause
of the standing and sitting of all, Who is above all sitting and standing, and in
Him all things consist, being kept from falling out of the state of their own proper
goods.
SECTION IX.
But what again, when the Theologians say, that the unmoved goes forth to all, and is moved? Must we not understand this in a sense befitting God? For we must reverently suppose that He is moved, not as beseems carriage, or change, or alteration, or turning, or local movement, or the straight, or the circular, or that from both (curvative), or the intellectual, or the spiritual, or the physical, but that Almighty God brings into being and sustains everything, and provides in every way for everything; and is present, to all, by the irresistible embrace of all, and by His providential progressions and operations to all existing things. But we must concede to our discourse, to celebrate in a sense becoming God, even movements of God, the immovable. And the straight must be considered (to be) the unswerving and the undeviating progression of the operation, and the production from Himself of the whole; and the curvative—the steady progression and the productive condition; and the circular the same, and the holding together the middle and extremities, which encompass and are encompassed,—and the turning to Him of the things which proceeded from Him.
SECTION X.
But, if any one should take the Divine Name in the Oracles, of “the same,” or
that of “justice,” in the sense of “the equal,” we must say, that Almighty
God is equal, not only as indivisible and unswerving, but also as going forth
to all, and through all,
Concerning Sovereign Lord, “Ancient of days” in which also, concerning
Age and Time
SECTION I.
THE time, then, is come for our discourse, to sing the God of many Names, as
“Sovereign Lord,” and as “Ancient of days.” For He is called the former,
by reason that He is an all-controlling basis, binding and embracing the whole,
and establishing and supporting, and tightening, and completing the whole. Continuous
in itself, and from itself, producing the whole, as it were from a Sovereign root,
and turning to itself the whole, as to a sovereign parent stock, and holding them
together as an all-embracing basis of all, securing all the things embraced, within
one grasp superior to all, and not permitting them, when
SECTION II.
But Almighty God is celebrated as “Ancient of days” because He is of all
things both Age and Time,—and before Days, and before Age and Time. And yet we must
affirm that He is Time and Day, and appointed Time, and Age, in a sense befitting
God, as being throughout every movement unchangeable and unmoved, and in His ever
moving remaining in Himself, and as being Author of Age and Time and Days. Wherefore,
in the sacred Divine manifestations of the mystic visions, He is represented as
both old and young; the former indeed signifying the “Ancient” and being from the
beginning, and the latter His never growing old; or both teaching that He advances
through all things from beginning to end,—or as our Divine initiator says, “since
each manifests the priority of God, the Elder having the first place in Time, but
the Younger the priority in number; because the unit, and things near the unit,
are nearer the beginning than numbers further advanced.
SECTION III.
But we must, as I think, see from the Oracles the nature of Time and Eternity,
for they do not always (merely) call all the things absolutely unoriginated and
really everlasting, eternal, but also things imperishable and immortal and unchangeable,
and things which are in like fashion, as when they say, “be ye opened, eternal doors,”
and the like. And often they characterize the things the most ancient by the name
of Eternity; and again they call the whole duration of our time Eternity, in so
far as the ancient and unchangeable, and the measurement of existence throughout,
is a characteristic of Eternity. But they call time that concerned in generation
and decay and change, and sometimes the one, and sometimes the other. Wherefore
also, the Word of God says that even we, who are bounded here by time, shall partake
of Eternity, when we have reached the Eternity which is imperishable and ever the
same. But sometimes eternity is celebrated in the Oracles, even as temporal, and
time as eternal. But if we know them better and more accurately, things spiritual
Concerning Peace, and what is meant by the self-existent Being; what is the self-existent Life, and what the self-existent Power, and such like expressions.
SECTION I.
COME, then, let us extol the Peace Divine, and Source of conciliation,
by hymns of peace! For this it is which unifies all, and engenders, and effects
the agreement and fellowship of all. Wherefore, even all things aspire to it, which
turns their divided multiplicity into the thorough Oneness, and unifies the tribal
war of the whole into a homogeneous dwelling together, by the participation of the
divine Peace. With regard, then, to the more reverend of the conciliating powers,
these indeed are united to themselves and to each other, and to the one Source of
Peace of the whole; and the things (that are) under them, these they unite also
to themselves and
SECTION II.
First then, this must be said, that It is mainstay of the self-existent Peace,
both the general and the particular; and that It mingles all things with each other
within their unconfused union, as beseems
SECTION III.
But how, some one may say, do all things aspire to peace, for many things rejoice
in diversity and division, and would not, at any time, of their own accord, be willingly
in repose. Now, if in saying this, he affirms, that the identity of each existing
thing is diversity and division, and that there is no existent thing whatever, which
at any time is willing to destroy this (identity), neither would we in any way contradict
this, but would declare even this an aspiration after peace. For all things love
to dwell at peace, and to be united amongst themselves, and to be unmoved and unfallen
from themselves, and the things of themselves. And the perfect Peace seeks to guard
the idiosyncrasy of each unmoved and unconfused, by its peace-giving forethought,
preserving everything unmoved and unconfused, both as regards themselves and each
other, and establishes all things by a stable and
SECTION IV.
And if all things in motion desire, not repose, but ever to make known their own proper movement, even this is an aspiration after the Divine Peace of the whole, which preserves all things from falling away of their own accord, and guards the idiosyncrasy and moving life of all moving things unmoved and free from falling, so that the things moved, being at peace amongst themselves, and always in the same condition, perform their own proper functions.
SECTION V.
But if, in affirming the diversity as a falling from peace, he insists that peace
is not beloved by all, verily there is no existing being which has entirely fallen
from every kind of union; for, the altogether unstable and infinite, and unestablished,
and without limit, is neither an actual thing, nor in things actual. But if he says,
that those are inimical to peace, and good things of peace, who rejoice in strife
and anger and changes and disturbances, even these are controlled by obscure images
of a peaceful aspiration; being vexed by tumultuous passions, and ignorantly aspiring
to calm them, they imagine that they will pacify themselves by the gratification
of things which ever elude them, and they are disturbed by the non-attainment of
the pleasures which overpowered them. What would any one say of the peaceful stream
of
SECTION VI.
But, since you once asked me by letter, what in the world I consider the self-existent
Being, the self-existent Life, the self-existent Wisdom, and said that you debated
with yourself how, at one time, I call Almighty God, self-existent Life, and at
another, Mainstay of the self-existent Life, I thought it necessary, O holy man
of God, to also free you from this difficulty, so far as lay in my power. And first
then, in order that we may now resume that which I have said a thousand times already,
there is no contradiction in saying that Almighty God is self-existent Power, or
self-existent Life, and that He is Mainstay of the self-existent Life or Peace or
Power. For the latter, He is named from things existing, and specially from the
first existing, as Cause of all existing things; and the former, as being above
all, even the first existing of beings, being
Concerning Holy of Holies, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, God of Gods.
SECTION I.
BUT since whatever we have to say on these matters has reached, in my opinion,
a fitting conclusion, we must sing Him of endless names, both
SECTION II.
Holiness then is (so far as we can say) the purity free from every pollution,
and all perfect, and altogether unstained; Kingdom is the assignment of every limit
and order, and ordinance and rank; and Lordship is not only the superiority over
the worse, but also the perfect possession, in. every respect, of the Beautiful
and Good; and a true and unswerving stability. Wherefore Lordship is parallel to
τὸ Κῦρος καί κύριον, καὶ τὸ κυριστῶν
SECTION III.
These things, then, must be sung absolutely, respecting the Cause surpassing
all, and we must add that It surpasses Holiness, and Lordship, and Kingdom, and
most simplex
SECTION IV.
But since the Cause of all is super-full of all, as beseems the One superfluity
which surpasses all, He is sung as Holy of Holies and the rest, as beseems
an overflowing Cause, and a towering Pre-eminence. As one might say, so far as the
things which are,—holy or divine, or lordly, or kingly,—surpass the things which
are not, and the self-existent participations, their participants; to such an extent
is seated above all things that be, He Who is above all things that be, and the
unparticipating Cause of all the participants and the participations. But Holy and
Kings and Lords and Gods, the Oracles call the higher orders in each, through whom
the inferior in participating the gifts from God, multiply the simplicity of their
distribution around their own diversities, the variety of which, the superior
Concerning “Perfect” and “One”.
SECTION I.
So much then on these matters; but let us now at last, with your good pleasure,
approach the most difficult subject in the whole discourse. For the Word of God
predicates everything, singly and collectively, respecting the Cause of all, and
extols Him both as Perfect and as One
SECTION II.
But One, because He is uniquely all, as beseems an excess of unique Oneness,
and is Cause of all without departing from the One. For there is no single existing
being, which does not participate in the one, but as every number participates in
an unit, and one dual and one decade is spoken of, and one half, and one third and
tenth, so everything, and part of everything participates in the one, and by the
fact that the One is, all existing things are. And the Cause of all is not One,
as one of many, but before every one and multitude, and determinative of every one
and multitude. For there is no multitude which does not partake in some way or other
of the one. Yea, that which is many by parts, is one in the whole; and the many
by the accidents, is one by the subject; and the many by the number or the powers,
is one by the species, and the many by the species, is one by the genus; and the
many by the progressions, is one by the source. And there is no single thing which
does not participate in some way in the one, which uniformly pre-held in the uniqueness
throughout all, all and whole, all, even the things opposed. And indeed, without
the one there will not be a multitude, but without the multitude there will be the
one, even as the unit previous to every multiplied number; and, if any one should
suppose, that all things are united to all, the All will be one in the whole.
SECTION III.
Especially must this be known, that according to the pre-conceived species of
each one, things united are said to be made one, and the one is elemental of all;
and if you should take away the one, there will be neither totality nor part, nor
any other single existing thing. For the one, uniformly, pre-held and comprehended
all things in itself. For this reason, then, the Word of God celebrates the whole
Godhead, as Cause of all, by the epithet of the One, both one God the Father, and
one Lord Jesus Christ, and one and the same Spirit, by reason of the surpassing
indivisibility of the whole Divine Oneness, in which all things are uniquely collected,
and are super-unified, and are with It Superessentially. Wherefore also, all things
are justly referred and attributed to It, by Which and from Which, and through Which,
and in Which, and to Which, all things are, and are co-ordinated, and abide, and
are held together, and are filled, and are turned towards It. And you would not
find any existing thing, which is not what it is, and perfected and preserved, by
the One, after which the whole Deity is superessentially named. And it is necessary
also, that we being turned from the many to the One, by the power of the Divine
Oneness, should celebrate as One the whole and one Deity—the one Cause of all—which
is before every one and multitude, and part and whole, and limit and illimitability,
and term and infinity, which bounds all things that be, even the Being Itself, and
is
SECTION IV.
We then, having collected these intelligible Divine Names, have unfolded them
to the best of our ability, falling short not only of the precision which belongs
to them, (for this truly, even Angels might say) nor only of their praises as sung
by Angels (and the chief of our Theologians come behind the lowest of them), nor
indeed of the Theologians themselves, nor of their followers or companions, but
even of those who are of the same rank as ourselves, last and subordinate to them;
so that, if the things spoken should be correct, and, if we, as far as in us lies,
have really reached the perception of the unfolding of the Divine Names, let the
fact be ascribed to the Author of all good things, Who, Himself, bestows first the
power to speak, then to speak well. And if any one of the Names of the same force
has been passed over, that also you must understand according to the same methods.
But, if these things are either incorrect or imperfect, and we have wandered from
the truth, either wholly or partially, may it be of thy brotherly kindness to correct
him, who unwillingly is ignorant, and to impart a word to him, who wishes to learn,
27 October, 1896.
" MY love is crucified."
Upon this passage I differ from all the commentators that I know. I believe the passage to have been written and inserted in the text by Dionysius when writing this letter, which must have been before A.D. 98. I do not think it a quotation from the letter of Ignatius written just previous to his martyrdom. I think Dionysius quoted some previous writing of Ignatius, in which he spoke of our Saviour as "My Love, Which is mine." That is the sense in this passage, to shew the exalted use of Love. In the letter of Ignatius to the Romans, he seems to use "love" in the sense of human passion or fire, and says that that is crucified in him. In any case, there is no chronological difficulty. Ignatius was martyred A.D. 107, Dionysius, A.D. 119.
MYSTIC THEOLOGY is like that ladder set up on the earth whose top reached to Heaven on which the angels of God were ascending and descending, and above which stood Almighty God. The Angel ascending is the “negative” which distinguishes Almighty God from all created things. God is not matter—soul, mind, spirit, any being, nor even being itself, but above and beyond all these. The Angel descending is the “Affirmative.” God is good, wise, powerful, the Being, until we come to Symbolic Theology, which denotes Him under material forms and conditions: Theology prefers the negative because Almighty God is more appropriately presented by distinction than by comparison.
What is the Divine Gloom?
SECTION I.
TRIAD supernal, both super-God and super-good, Guardian of the Theosophy of Christian
men, direct us aright to the super-unknown and super-brilliant and highest summit
of the mystic Oracles, where the simple and absolute and changeless mysteries of
theology lie hidden within the super-luminous gloom of the silence, revealing hidden
things, which in its deepest darkness shines above the most super-brilliant, and
in the altogether impalpable and invisible, fills to overflowing the eyeless minds
with glories of surpassing beauty. This then be my prayer; but thou, O dear Timothy,
by thy persistent commerce with the mystic visions, leave behind both sensible perceptions
and intellectual efforts, and all objects of sense and intelligence, and all things
not being and being, and be raised aloft unknowingly to the union, as far as attainable,
with Him Who is above every essence and knowledge. For by the resistless and absolute
ecstasy in all purity, from thyself and all, thou wilt be carried on high, to the
superessential ray of the Divine darkness, when thou hast cast away all, and become
free from all.
SECTION II.
But see that none of the uninitiated listen to these things—those I mean who are entangled in things being, and fancy there is nothing superessentially above things being, but imagine that they know, by their own knowledge, Him, Who has placed darkness as His hiding-place. But, if the Divine initiations are above such, what would any one say respecting those still more uninitiated, such as both portray the Cause exalted above all, from the lowest of things created, and say that It in no wise excels the no-gods fashioned by themselves and of manifold shapes, it being our duty both to attribute and affirm all the attributes of things existing to It, as Cause of all, and more properly to deny them all to It, as being above all, and not to consider the negations to be in opposition to the affirmations, but far rather that It, which is above every abstraction and definition, is above the privations.
SECTION III.
Thus, then, the divine Bartholomew says that Theology is much and least, and
the Gospel broad and great, and on the other hand concise. He seems to me to have
comprehended this supernaturally, that the good Cause of all is both of much utterance,
and at the same time of briefest utterance and without utterance; as having neither
utterance nor conception, because It is superessentially exalted above all, and
manifested without veil and in truth, to those alone who pass through both all things
consecrated
How we ought both to be united and render praise to the Cause of all and above all.
SECTION I.
WE pray to enter within the super-bright gloom, and through not seeing and not
knowing, to see and to know that the not to see nor to know is itself the above
sight and knowledge. For this is veritably to see and to know and to celebrate super-essentially
the Superessential, through the abstraction of all existing things, just as those
who make a lifelike statue, by extracting all the encumbrances which have been placed
upon the clear view of the concealed, and by bringing to light, by the mere cutting
away
What are the affirmative expressions respecting God, and what the negative.
SECTION I.
IN the Theological Outlines, then, we celebrated the principal affirmative
expressions respecting God—how the Divine and good Nature is spoken of as One—how
as Threefold—what is that within it which is spoken of as Paternity and Sonship—what
the Divine name of “the Spirit “is meant to signify,—how from the immaterial and
indivisible Good the Lights dwelling in the heart of Goodness sprang forth, and
remained, in their branching forth, without departing from the coeternal abiding
in Himself and in Themselves and in each other,—how the super-essential Jesus takes
substance in veritable human nature—and whatever other things, made known by the
Oracles, are celebrated throughout the Theological Outlines; and in the treatise
concerning Divine Names, how He is named Good—how Being—how Life and Wisdom
and Power—and whatever else belongs to the nomenclature of God. Further, in the
Symbolical Theology, what are the Names transferred from objects of sense
to things Divine?—what are the Divine forms?—what the Divine appearances, and parts
and organs?—what the Divine places and ornaments?—what the angers?—what the griefs?—and
the Divine wrath?—what the carousals, and the ensuing sicknesses?—what the oaths,—and
what the
That the pre-eminent Cause of every object of sensible perception is none of the objects of sensible perception.
SECTION I.
WE say then that the Cause of all, which is above all, is neither without being, nor without life—nor without reason, nor without mind, nor is a body—nor has shape—nor form—nor quality, or quantity, or bulk—nor is in a place—nor is seen—nor has sensible contact—nor perceives, nor is perceived, by the senses—nor has disorder and confusion, as being vexed by earthly passions,—nor is powerless, as being subject to casualties of sense,—nor is in need of light;—neither is It, nor has It, change, or decay, or division, or deprivation, or flux,—or any other of the objects of sense.
That the pre-eminent Cause of every object of intelligible perception is none of the objects of intelligible perception.
ON the other hand, ascending, we say, that It is neither soul, nor mind, nor
has imagination, or opinion, or reason, or conception; neither is
THESE Letters attest the existence of the writings, and the wisdom spoken among
the perfect, in the Apostolic Age.—To Gaius, who is commemorated by St. John
and St. Paul, we owe the explanation of Agnosia, and valued teaching
on the Personality of our Lord; to Dorotheus we are indebted for a fuller explanation
of the Divine Gloom; to Sosipater, twice mentioned in the Acts and Romans, we owe
the wisest letter ever penned for the instruction of the Christian Apologist and
Missionary. The Letter to Polycarp touches on those mysterious signs in the heavens,
by which Almighty God shewed His universal power. Dionysius shews his reverence
for God’s holy word, by never seeking to explain away, or to substitute what seems
a less miracle for a greater. The trifold Mithra commemorated amongst the Babylonians
shews that Hezekiah’s sign was not merely visible and observed in Judea. The King,
as High Priest of his people, was already robed for evening prayer, when he observed
the sun gone back; and one day became almost three, i.e. thirty-two hours instead
of thirty-six. Dionysius describes the darkness at the time of the Crucifixion,
as it
To Demophilus, we owe a knowledge of Church-law and order, which teaches the
Christian duty of being “sent,” and which should teach clergy to obey their Bishop,
and not merely the Act of uniformity. To Titus, we owe the preservation of the
sum of the Symbolic Theology. From the letter to St. John in Patmos, we learn
the love between St. John arid Dionysius, and that St. John was then Called the
“Sun of the Gospel.” From the letter to Apollophanes, we know that the prayers of
Dionysius for the conversion of his friend did not fall to the ground. Apollophanes
was tutor to Polemon, who again was tutor to Aristides, who presented his “Apology” to the Emperor Hadrian. The conversion of Statonice, the wife of Apollophanes,
was the cause of St. Paul’s being cast into chains at Philippi, where the messengers
from Corinth found him, through whom he sent the Epistle recently brought to light
CANNES,
Circumcision, 1897.
LETTER I. To Gaius Therapeutes.
DARKNESS becomes invisible by light, and specially by much light. Varied knowledge
(αἰ γνώσεις), and especially much varied knowledge,
makes the Agnosia
LETTER II. To the same Gaius Therapeutes.
How is He, Who is beyond all
LETTER III. To the same Gaius.
“Sudden” is that which, contrary to expectation, and out of the, as yet, unmanifest,
is brought into the manifest. But with regard to Christ’s love of man, I think that
the Word of God suggests even this, that the Superessential proceeded forth out
of the hidden, into the manifestation amongst us, by having taken substance as man.
But, He is hidden, even after the manifestation, or to speak more divinely, even
in the manifestation, for in truth this of Jesus has been kept hidden, and the mystery
with respect to Him has been reached by no word nor mind, but even when spoken,
remains unsaid, and when conceived unknown.
LETTER IV.
How, you ask, is Jesus, Who is beyond all, ranked essentially with all men? For,
not as Author of men is He here called man, but as being in absolute whole essence
truly man. But we do not define the Lord Jesus, humanly, for He is not man only,
(neither superessential nor man only), but truly man, He Who is pre-eminently a
lover of man, the Super-essential, taking substance, above men and after men, from
the substance of men. And it is nothing less, the ever Superessential, super-full
of super-essentiality, disregards the excess
LETTER V. To Dorotheus, Leitourgos.
The Divine gloom is the unapproachable light in which God is said to dwell
LETTER VI. To Sopatros
Do not imagine this a victory, holy Sopatros, to have denounced
LETTER VII.
SECTION I. To Polycarp—Hierarch.
I, at any rate, am not conscious, when speaking in reply to Greeks or others,
of fancying to assist good men, in case they should be able to know and speak the
very truth, as it really is in itself. For, when this is correctly demonstrated
in its essential nature, according to a law of truth, and has been established without
flaw, every thing which is otherwise, and simulates the truth, will be convicted
of being other
SECTION II.
But you say, the Sophist Apollophanes rails at me, and calls me parricide, as
using, not piously, the writings of Greeks against the Greeks. Yet, in reply to
him, it were more true for us to say, that Greeks use, not piously, things Divine
against things Divine, attempting through the wisdom of Almighty God to eject the
Divine Worship. And I am not speaking of the opinion of the multitude, who cling
tenaciously to the writings of the poets, with earthly and impassioned proclivities,
and Worship the creature
SECTION III.
These things say, if occasion serves, and if possible, O Apollophanes, refute
them, and to me, who was then both present with thee, and saw and judged and wondered
with thee at them all. And in truth Apollophanes begins prophesying at that time,
I know not whence, and to me he said, as if conjecturing the things taking place,
“these things, O excellent Dionysius, are requitals of Divine deeds.” Let so much
be said by us by letter; but you are capable, both to supply the deficiency, and
to bring eventually to God that distinguished man, who is wise in many things, and
who perhaps will not disdain to meekly learn the truth, which is above wisdom, of
our religion.
LETTER VIII. To Demophilus, Therapeutes. About minding ones own business, and kindness.
SECTION I.
The histories of the Hebrews say, O noble Demophilus, that, even that holy, distinguished
Moses was deemed worthy of the Divine manifestation on account of his great meekness
But thou, as thy letters testify, I do not know how, being in thy senses, hast spurned one fallen down before the priest, who, as thou sayest, was unholy and a sinner. Then this one entreated and confessed that he has come for healing of evil deeds, but thou didst not shiver, but even insolently didst cover with abuse the good priest, for shewing compassion to a penitent, and justifying the unholy. And at last, thou saidst to the priest, “Go out with thy like”; and didst burst, contrary to permission, into the sanctuary, and defiledst the Holy of holies, and writest to us, that “I have providentially preserved the things sacred, which were about to be profaned, and am still keeping them undefiled.”
Now, then, hear our view. It is not lawful that a priest should be corrected
by the Leitourgoi, who are above thee, or by the Therapeutae, who are of the same
rank with thee; even though he should seem to
Yea, further, what were those domineering demons
SECTION II.
“ What then,” thou sayest, “is it not necessary to correct the priests who are
acting irreverently, or convicted of something else out of place, but to those only,
who glory in law, shall it be permitted to dishonour Almighty God
For each rank of those about God, is more godlike than that which stands further
away. And those which are somewhat nearer to the true light, are at once more luminous,
and more illuminating; and do not understand the nearness topically, but according
to God-receptive aptitude. If, then, the order of the priests is the illuminating,
entirely has he fallen from the priestly rank and power, who does not illuminate,
or perhaps rather (he becomes) the unilluminated.
SECTION III.
But, it is not to Demophilus that it is permitted to put these things straight.
For, if the Word of God commands to pursue just things justly
SECTION IV.
Thyself, then, assign their due limit to passion and anger and reason. And to
thyself, let the divine
SECTION V.
Avaunt! We have not a High Priest, “Who cannot be touched with our infirmities,
but is both without sin and merciful.” “He shall not strive nor cry, and is Himself
meek, and Himself propitiatory for our sins; so that we will not approve your unenviable
attacks, not if you should allege a thousand times your Phineas and your Elias.
For, when the Lord Jesus heard these things, He was displeased with the disciples,
who at that time lacked the meek and good spirit. For, even our most divine preceptor
teaches in meekness those who opposed themselves to the teaching of Almighty God.
For, we must teach, not avenge ourselves upon, the ignorant, as we do not punish
the blind, but rather lead them by the hand. But thou, after striking him on the
cheek, rustiest upon that man, who is beginning to rise to the truth, and when he
is approaching with much modesty, thou insolently kickest him away (certainly, this
is enough to make one shudder), whom the Lord Christ, as being good, seeks, when
wandering upon the mountains, and calls to Him, when fleeing from Him, and when,
with difficulty, found, places upon His shoulders. Do not, I pray, do not let us
thus injuriously counsel for ourselves, nor drive the sword against ourselves. For
they, who undertake to injure any one, or on
SECTION VI.
When I was once in Crete, the holy Carpus
TITUS.
ZENAS, one of the seventy-two disciples, who was versed in the science of law,
wrote a life of Titus, and says that he was descended from the family of Minos,
King of Crete. Titus gave himself to the study of Homer and Philosophy till his
twentieth year, when he heard a voice from heaven, which told him to quit this place
and save his soul. He
LETTER IX. To Titus, Hierarch, asking by letter what is the house of wisdom, what the bowl, and what are its meats and drinks?
SECTION I.
I do not know, O excellent Titus, whether the holy Timothy departed, deaf to
some of the theological symbols which were explained by me. But, in the Symbolic
Theology, we have thoroughly investigated for him all the expressions of the
Oracles concerning God, which appear to the multitude to be monstrous.
SECTION II.
But also the very order of the visible universe sets forth the invisible things
of Almighty God, as says both Paul and the infallible Word. Wherefore, also, the
Theologians view some things politically and legally, but other things,
purely and without flaw; and some things humanly, and mediately, but other things
supermundanely and perfectly; at one time indeed, from the laws which are manifest,
and at another, from the institutions which are unmanifest, as befits the holy writings
and minds and souls under consideration. For the whole statement lying before them,
and all its details, does not contain a bare history, but a vivifying perfection.
We must then, in opposition to the vulgar conception concerning them, reverently
enter within the sacred symbols, and not dishonour them, being as they are, products
and moulds of the Divine characteristics, and manifest images of the unutterable
and supernatural visions. For, not only are the superessential lights, and things
intelligible, and, in one word, things Divine, represented in various forms through
the typical symbols, as the superessential God, spoken of as fire, and the intelligible
Oracles of Almighty God, as flames of fire; but further, even the godlike orders
of the angels, both contemplated and
And never must we confuse the sacred symbols haphazard, but we must unfold them suitably to the causes, or the origins, or the powers, or the orders, or the dignities of which they are explanatory tokens. And, in order that I may not extend my letter beyond the bounds of propriety, let us come at once to the very question propounded by you; and we affirm that every nourishment is perfective of those nourished, filling up their imperfection and their lack, and tending the weak, and guarding their lives, making to sprout, and renewing and bequeathing to them a vivifying wellbeing; and in one word, urging the slackening and imperfect, and contributing towards their comfort and perfection.
SECTION III.
Beautifully then, the super-wise and Good Wisdom is celebrated by the Oracles,
as placing a mystical bowl, and pouring forth its sacred drink, but first
SECTION IV.
But what is the solid food and what the liquid? For the Good Wisdom is celebrated
as at once bestowing and providing these. I suppose then, that the solid food is
suggestive of the intellectual and abiding perfection and sameness, within which,
things Divine are participated as a stable, and strong, and unifying, and indivisible
knowledge, by those contemplating organs of sense, by which the most Divine Paul,
after partaking of wisdom, imparts his really solid nourishment; but that the liquid
is suggestive of the stream, at once flowing through and to all; eager to advance,
and further conducting those who are properly nourished as to goodness, through
things variegated and many and divided, to the simple and invariable knowledge of
God. Wherefore the divine and spiritually perceived Oracles are likened to dew,
and water, and to milk, and wine, and honey; on account of their life-producing
power, as in water; and growth-giving, as in milk; and reviving, as in wine; and
both purifying and preserving, as in honey. For these things, the Divine Wisdom
gives to those approaching it, and furnishes
SECTION V.
According to this sacred explanation of good cheer, even Almighty God, Himself
the Author of all good things, is said to be inebriated, by reason of the super-full,
and beyond conception, and ineffable, immeasurableness, of the good cheer, or to
speak more properly, good condition of Almighty God. For, as regards us, in the
worst sense, drunkenness is both an immoderate repletion, and being out of mind
and wits; so, in the best sense, respecting God, we ought not to imagine drunkenness
as anything else beyond the super-full immeasurableness of all good things pre-existing
in Him as Cause. But, even in respect to being out of wits, which follows upon drunkenness,
we must consider the pre-eminence of Almighty God, which is above conception, in
which He overtops our conception, as being above conception and above being conceived,
and above being itself; and in short, Almighty God is inebriated with, and outside
of, all good things whatever, as being at once a super-full hyperbole of every immeasurableness
of them all; and again, as dwelling outside and beyond the whole. Starting then
from these, we will take in the same fashion even the feasting of the pious, in
the Kingdom of Almighty God. For He says, the King Himself
SECTION VI.
But, I well know you will further ask that the propitious sleep of Almighty God,
and His awakening, should be explained. And, when we have said, that the superiority
of Almighty God, and His incommunicability with the objects of His Providence is
a Divine sleep, and that the attention to His Providential cares of those who need
His discipline, or His preservation, is an awakening, you will pass to other symbols
of the Word of God. Wherefore, thinking it superfluous that by running
LETTER X. To John, Theologos, Apostle and Evangelist, imprisoned in the Isle of Patmos.
I salute thee, the holy soul! O beloved one! and this for me is more appropriate
than for most. Hail! O truly beloved! And to the truly Loveable and Desired, very
beloved! Why should it be a marvel, if Christ speaks truly, and the unjust banish
His disciples from their cities
LETTER XI. Dionysius to Apollophanes, Philosopher.
At length I send a word to thee, O Love of my heart, and recall to thy memory
the many anxieties and solicitudes, which I have formerly undergone on thy account.”
For thou rememberest with what a mild and benevolent disposition I have been accustomed
to rebuke thy obstinacy in error, although with scant reason, in order that I might
uproot those vain opinions with which thou wast deceived. But now, adoring the supreme
toleration of the Divine long-suffering towards thee, I offer thee my congratulations,
O part of my soul, now that you are turning your eyes to your soul’s health. For,
even the very things which formerly you delighted to spurn, you now delight to affirm;
and the things that you used to reject with scorn, you now delight to enforce. For,
often have I set before you, and that with great precision, what even Moses committed
to writing, that man was first made by God, from mud, and the sins of the world
were punished
End of Dionysius the Areopagite. May his prayer be with us!
THIS Liturgy gives the doctrine of Dionysius in a liturgical form. The Greek
original might be restored from the writings of Dionysius. No one could reasonably
doubt that the Author of the Writings and the Liturgy was the same. This Liturgy
should be compared with the Coptic Liturgy of Dionysius, Bishop of Athens, disciple
of Paul, and with the Liturgy of St. Basil, adapted from this, as used by the Uniat
Copts, translated by the Marquess of Bute. In my opinion, this Liturgy was written
for the Therapeutae near Alexandria, described by Philo in his “contemplative life,”
who were Christians; who occupied themselves with the contemplation of the Divine
Names, and the heavenly Hierarchy. It was written not earlier than the death of
James, Apostle and Martyr, A.D. 42, and probably not later than A.D. 67; when Dionysius,
at the request of St. Paul, left Athens to meet the Apostle at Rome, for the purpose
of being sent by him to Gaul. A note of primitive antiquity is found in the description
of the Church, as “from one end of the earth to the other.” There is no “one, only,
holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Orthodox Church,” as in the later Liturgy of St. Basil.
Some expressions are obscure, from the Latin
1st. The Prayer before the Pax
Pr.
Pr. “Himself also, through the same holy Apostles, gave a precept to the whole
company and congregation of the faithful, saying, ‘This do to the memory of Me,
and as oft as ye shall eat this bread and drink the commixture which is in this
cup, and shall celebrate this feast, ye shall perform a commemoration of My death
until I come.’” P. “Of Thy death, O Lord, we perform a memorial.” Pr. “Obeying,
then, Thy sovereign precept, and celebrating a commemoration of Thy death and resurrection,
through this sacrifice in perpetual mystery, we await also Thy second coming, the
renovation of our race, and the vivification of our mortality. For, not simply,
but with glory worthy of God, in Spirit ineffable, Thou wilt terribly come, and
seated upon the lofty throne of Thy majesty, Thou wilt exact the acknowledgment
of Thy royal power, from all things created and made: and justly, Thou wilt take
vengeance for Thy image upon those who
P. “Have mercy.” Pr. “We also.” D. “How tremendous is this hour.” (The Priest
bending, says the prayer of the invocation of the Holy Spirit.) Pr. “I invoke
Thee, O God the Father, have mercy upon us, and wash away, through Thy grace, the
uncleanness of my evil deeds; destroy, through Thy mercy, what I have done, worthy
of wrath; for I do not extend my hands to Thee with presumption, for I am not able
even to look to heaven on account of the multitude of my iniquities and the filth
of my wickedness. But, strengthening my mind, in Thy loving-kindness, grace and
long-suffering, I crave Thy holy Spirit, that Thou wouldst send
CANNES,
Christmas, 1896.
THE most plausible objection to the genuineness of these writings is thus expressed by Dupin: “Eusebius and Jerome wrote an accurate catalogue of each author known to them—with a few obscure exceptions,—and yet never mention the writings of the Areopagite.” Great is the rejoicing in the House of the Anti-Areopagites over this PROOF;—but what are the facts? Eusebius acknowledges that innumerable works have not come to him—Jerome disclaims either to know or to give an accurate catalogue either of authors or works. The Library of Caesarea contained three hundred thousand volumes, according to the modest computation of Doublet, according to Schneider, many more—Jerome says there are some writings, so illustrious in themselves, that they will not suffer from not being mentioned by him; Jerome fallows Dionysius on the Heavenly Hierarchy; Jerome’s Catalogue of Illustrious Men contains one hundred and thirty-five names.
Josephus is mentioned for his testimony to Christ —Seneca, for his correspondence with St, Paul—Philo, for his description of the Therapeutse of Alexandria. Yet Dupin would have the unwary infer that Jerome gives a full catalogue of each Author known to him, with a few obscure exceptions.
The “Ecclesiastical History” of Eusebius treats of
FALLACY OF NAMES.
Pearson, Daillé, Blundellum, Erasmus, Valla, Westcott, Lupton, pronounce against the genuineness. Who are you? But Pearson demolishes Daillé; Vossius pulverises Blundellum; Erasmus repudiates Valla. Dr. Westcott, following Dupin, assumes the non-genuineness, but his literary instinct places his Article on Dionysius before that on Origen. Dean Colet bumps the scale against Mr. Lupton.
Pearson, in the xth Chapter of Ignatii Vindiciae, gives the shortest
and best summary in favour of the genuineness. Speaking of the scholars of his own
day, he says, “No one is so ignorant as not to know that these writings were recognised
as genuine by the
Erasmus, in his “Institutio” of a Christian Prince, writes thus:—“Divus
ille Dionysius qui fecit tres Hierarchias.” In his prime work, “ratio verae religionis,”
Erasmus not only enumerates the “Divine Names,” the “Mystic and Symbolic Theology,”
but calls them, not Stoic, not Platonic, not Aristotelian, but “celestial” philosophy.
He so moulds Dionysius into his book, that it becomes Dionysius writing elegant
Latin. The only reason which outweighed with him all external testimony, was, that
Erasmus could not imagine that any man, living in apostolic times, and so far removed
from the age of Erasmus, could possibly have penned such a mirror of apostolic doctrine.
How could the Areopagite, though disciple of Paul, and familiar friend of John Theologus,
possibly be so learned as the author of these writings? Such is the testimony of
the two Theologians who have been permitted to be doubtful of the genuineness.
GREGORY OF TOURS
Gregory is the great authority of those who think that the St.
Denis of France is not identical with Dionysius the Areopagite. The authority is
worthy of their critical acumen. Gregory collects the more obscure martyrdoms, in
Gaul, under Nero, and subsequent Emperors. He gives several martyrdoms under Nero,
and thus proves the Apostolic Evangelisation of Gaul. Gregory quotes, and misquotes,
and misunderstands the ancient document
THE PÈRES BOLANDISTES.
The Pères Bolandistes are a wonder in Christendom. They are critical,
and yet follow the gross blunder of Gregory of Tours. They belong to the papal obedience,
and yet prefer Gregory of Tours when wrong, to Gregory XIII., when right. They pronounce
the solemn declaration of Pope John XIXth, “that Martial of Limoges was an apostolic
man
GENERAL OBJECTION.
“The style, the theological learning, the language and allusions,
prove the writings written after the apostolic age.”
Is the Epistolary style the proof? St. Paul, St. John, St. Peter,
St. Luke, and nearly the whole of the New Testament is written under the form of
Epistles. The Epistle of St. James,—the first written in the Canon of the New
Testament,—will bear comparison with the book of Job for ornate diction. Consult
the marginal references to the Epistle of St. Peter, to see the scriptural knowledge
of the Apostles. Men use the testimony of the High Priests, that the Apostles were
unlearned and ignorant men, but omit their testimony that they took knowledge of
them, that they had been with Jesus; and the further testimony, that Jesus opened
their understanding, that they should understand the testimony of the Scriptures,
respecting Himself; and further, that the Holy Spirit should recall to them whatever
He had said to them. Those who would rather assume twenty miracles, than acknowledge
one natural fact, surmise, that a Syrian, in the ivth century, may have written
Greek permeated with technical expressions of Plato and Aristotle. There is not
a single allusion to persons or events after the first century, unless it be
supposed that the Epistle of Ignatius, A.D. 108, is quoted. The works abound in
names recorded in the New Testament. The Apostolic Epistles allude to the leaven
of heresy already working. The Antwerp edition gives about five hundred references
to Holy Scripture in the Writings of Dionysius. He quotes every book in the Bible,
except the two last particular Epistles of St. John, or John Presbyter. Dionysius
writes
Faith is more trustworthy than criticism.
Thanks be to God!
Other Works by same Author.
HOLY SCRIPTURES IN CHURCH OF ROME.
APOSTOLIC TRADITIONS ACCORDING TO THE COUNCIL OF TRENT.
THE CELESTIAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL HIERARCHY.
Printed by James Parker and Co., Crown Yard, Oxford.
Author of
“Christianity Chronologically Confirmed.” &c.
James Parker and Co,
6 SOUTHAMPTON-STREET, STRAND, LONDON;
AND 27 BROAD-STREET, OXFORD.
1899.
Page | |
Dionysius the Areopagite and the Alexandrine School | v |
On the Heavenly Hierarchy | 1 |
On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy | 67 |
Appendix:— | |
Lists of Bishops |
163 |
Apostolic Traditions generally in abeyance |
167 |
Index | 168 |
TO
THE MEMORY OF
EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY,
THEOLOGIAN
OF THE
CHURCH OF BRITAIN.
1st. “The doctrine of the Lord, through the Twelve Apostles, to the Gentiles.” Spence, Nisbet.
2nd. “The Apostolic Constitutions.” Lagarde. Williams and Norgate, 1862.
3rd. “Coptic Constitutions.” Lagarde. Tattam, 1845,
4th. Justin Martyr—for Liturgy.
5th. Hippolitus, “Refutation of all heresies.” Duncker. Göttingen, 1859.
6th. Hierocles on “Golden Verses” of Pythagoras. Roger Daniel. London, 1654.
7th. “Ecclesiastical History (in Greek) from establishment of the Church to our own time.” By Professor Kyriakos. Athens, 1898.
8th. “St. Denys, l’Areopagite, premier Evèque de Paris.” Darras, 1863. Vives, Paris.
9th. Gale’s “Court of the Gentiles.” Hall, Oxon, 1672.
10th. Dexter’s Chronicle. Migne, T. 31.
11th. Monuments inédits. Faillon.
ALEXANDRIA became the home of Christian Philosophy, but Athens was its birthplace. Pantaenus and Ammonius-Saccus were chief founders of the Alexandrine School. They were both Christian. They both drew their teaching from the Word of God, “ the Fountain of Wisdom,” and from the writings of Hierotheus, and Dionysius the Areopagite—Bishops of Athens. For several centuries there had been a Greek preparation for the Alexandrine School. As the Old Testament was a Schoolmaster, leading to Christ, so the Septuagint, Pythagoras, Plato, Aristobulus, Philo, and Apollos were heralds who prepared the minds of men for that fulness of light and truth in Jesus Christ, which, in Alexandria, clothed itself in the bright robes of Divine Philosophy.
Pantaenus was born in Athens, a.d. 120, and died in Alexandria,
a.d. 213. He was Greek by nationality, and Presbyter of the Church in, Alexandria
by vocation. First, Stoic, then Pythagorean, he became Christian some time before
a.d. 186, at which date he was appointed chief instructor in the Didaskeleion,
Eusebius says, that “Pantaenus expounded the treasures of the Divine dogmas preserved direct, as from father to son, from St. Paul and other Apostles. Phptius records that Pantaenus was pupil of those who had seen the Apostles, but that he certainly had not listened to any of them themselves. Now, if Pantaenus was pupil of those who had seen the Apostles, and yet had, not listened to their oral teaching, it is natural to infer that he was pupil through their writings. I am a pupil of Dr. Pusey, but I never listened to his oral teaching; I am pupil through his writings. Now, there exist, to this day, the writings of two Presbyters who had seen the Apostles—both, converts to the faith through St. Paul,—-whose writings contain the treasures of the Divine dogmas, received from St. Paul and the other Apostles. Those two Presbyters are Hierotheus and Dionysius the Areopagite, both ordained Bishop of Athens by St. Paul. Dionysius the Areopagite expressly calls, St. Paul his “chief initiator,” and as such, gives his teaching on the holy Angels, in the sixth chapter of the Heavenly Hierarchy; and frequently describes St. Paul as his “chief instructor.”
If, then, we can prove that the writings of
Historical criticism does not permit us to reject probabilities, merely because they confirm the Christian Faith.
Dexter, in his Chronicle, collected from the Archives of Toledo and other churches in Spain, gives this testimony:—
“U.C. 851 (a.d. 98). Dionysius Areopagita dicat Eugenio Marcello, dicto, propter ingenii excellentiam, Timotheo, libros de Divinis Nominibus.”
Dionysius of Alexandria, writing to Tope Sixtus II., c. 250, respecting the writings of Dionysius the Areopagite, affirms “that no one can intelligently dispute their paternity—that no one penetrated more profoundly than Dionysius into the mysterious depths of Holy Scripture—that Dionysius was disciple of St. Paul, and piously governed the Church of Athens.” If, then, the Bishops of Alexandria and Rome exchanged letters only a few years after the death of Pantaenus, and only seven years after the death of Ammonius, and in those letters affirmed the writings to be undoubtedly written by Dionysius the Areopagite, it would be the height of absurdity to affirm that such writings were unknown to Pantaenus and Ammonius.
But we do not need to base our proof on mere
Pantaenus teaches the same: “Neither does He know things sensible sensibly (αἰσθητῶς), nor things intelligible intellectually. For it is not possible that He, Who is above all things, should comprehend things being, after things being (κατὰ τα ὄντα), but we affirm that He knows things being” as His own volitions . . . yea, as His own volitions, Almighty God knows things being, since by willing (θέλων), He made all things being.”
In Mystic Theology, c. V., Dionysius says, “Almighty God does
not know existing things, qua existing.” The teaching of Ammonius-Saccus
is the same; Ammonius uses the word βούλημα,
Dionysius and Pantaenus, θελήματα, of God, as
Source of Creation.
But, though the known fragments of Pantaenus are few, we possess abundant writings of two pupils, Clement of Alexandria and Origen, from which we may gather the teaching of their master. Clement speaks of Pantaenus as his “great instructor and collaborator.” Such is the similarity between the writings of Clement and Dionysius, that some have hazarded the conjecture that Clement the Philosopher, mentioned by Dionysius, was Clement of Alexandria! I give only one familiar illustration. Clement writes: “As then, those riding at anchor at sea, drag the anchor, but do not drag it to themselves, but themselves to the anchor, thus those who are drawn to God in the gnostic life, find themselves unconsciously led to God.” Dionysius, D. N., c. III. s. 1, says, “or, as if after we have embarked on ship, and are holding on to the cable, attached to some rock, we do not draw the rock to us, but ourselves, and the ship, to the rock. Wherefore, before everything, and especially theology, we must begin with prayer; not as though we ourselves were drawing the power, which is everywhere, and nowhere present, but as, by our godly reminiscences and invocations, conducting ourselves to, and making ourselves one with It.”
Origen confessed that Pantaenus was his superior in the philosophy
of the schools, and that he moulded his teaching upon the model of Pantaenus. Do
the writings of Origen bear the stamp of Dionysius and Hierotheus? Origen, on the
resurrection of the body, says, “For how does it not seem absurd
To shew that Origen knew the works of Hierotheus, we give an extract
from his letter to Gregory: “Would that you might both participate in and continually
augment this part, so that you may not only say, ‘we are partakers of Christ,’ but
also partakers of God.” Papias
Ammonius Saccus was born of Christian parents in Alexandria, and died in that city, a.d. 242.
Anastasius Sinaita calls him “the Wise,” and Hierocles, “the taught of God.” Besides being famous for his expositions of Holy Scripture, he wrote the “Diatesseron,” or “Harmony of the Gospels,” contained in the Bib. Patrum. In a.d. 236, he wrote the agreement between Moses and Jesus. He was the great conciliator, who sought the good in every system, and to make all one in Christ. Pressensé beautifully describes him as a man who wished to believe and to know—to adore and to comprehend—to conciliate the Greek Philosophy with the Mysteries of the East. He wrote a commentary on the golden verses of Pythagoras, which Hierocles published, as well as reproduced his other works. The titles of his books, mentioned by Photius, such as “Providence” and “Free Will,” recall those of the lost books of Dionysius, of which we have only a summary in his known works. (Cod. 251-214.)
Ammonius was surnamed Saccus from having been a corn carrier. Virgil, Shakespere, Milton, were great geniuses in themselves, but when we know the sources from which they drew, we can better understand their achievements.
Dionysius was indebted to Hierotheus—Ammonius
Plotinus was born in Lycopolis, a.d. 205, and died in Campagna, a.d. 270. At the age of 29, he began to search for truth, in the schools of Alexandria. He wandered from teacher to teacher, but could find no rest until he was persuaded to go and hear Ammonius-Saccus. After listening to him, he exclaimed, “This is what I sought.”
Plotinus remained under him eleven years, until the death of Ammonius,
a.d. 242. In a.d. 244, Plotinus began to teach in Rome. Plotinus was not a refined
scholar. Porphyry, therefore, committed his teaching to writing. Porphyry was regarded
as the greatest enemy to the Christian Faith in the early centuries. Persecutors
burned the bodies of Christians, but Porphyry sought to undermine their faith in
the Holy Scriptures, by quibbles of unbelief, which have been revived to-day as
“New Criticism.” Porphyry wrote against the Holy Scriptures with a bitterness engendered
by a conviction of their truth. Now, it is a startling fact, that though the teaching
of Plotinus comes to us through Porphyry, there is not a word in the Enneades, in
which the teaching of Plotinus is given, against the Christian Faith. It is true
that Eutochius published another version of the teaching of Plotinus, on the ground
that his teaching was coloured by Porphyry, but we
Let us then first see what Plotinus teaches respecting the Holy Trinity. He says, “We need not go beyond the three Hypostaseis” (Persons). It is true that Plotinus presents that Trinity as “One,” “Mind,” and “Soul,” whereas Dionysius gives the formula “Father, Son, and Spirit.” Occasionally Plotinus uses “Logos” instead of “Mind.” But even this substitution of “One” for “Father” may be traced to Dionysius, who speaks of the Triad, ἐναρχικὴ and even ἐναρχικῶν ὑποστὰσεων, “One springing.” The “One” represents the Father. Plotinus says, “We may represent the first principle, ‘One,’ as source, which has no other origin than Itself, and which pours Itself in a multitude of streams without being diminished by what it gives.” Dionysius speaks of the “Father” as sole source of Godhead, and says that “the Godhead is undiminished by the gifts imparted.” In Chap. XII. of Divine Names, Dionysius treats of “One” and “Perfect” as applied to Almighty God.
Let Us now hear Plotinus on the “Beautiful” Enneades (I. 6-7).
Plotinus says, “The soul advances in its ascent towards God, until being raised
above everything alien, it sees face to face, in His simplicity, and in all His
purity, Him upon Whom all hangs, to Whom all aspire; from Whom all hold existence,
life and thought. What transport of love must not he feel who sees Him! with what
ardour ought he not to desire to be united to Him! He,
Porphyry records that Plotinus attained to that vision of the Beautiful three times during his life. How that vision of the Beautiful is to be attained, Dionysius describes in the “Mystic Theology:”—“But thou, O dear Timothy, by thy persistent commerce with the mystic visions, leave behind both sensible perceptions and intellectual efforts, and all objects of sense and intelligence, and all things not being and being, and be raised aloft agnostically to the union, as attainable, with Him Who is above every essence and knowledge. For by unchecked and absolute extasy, in all purity, from thyself, and all, thou wilt be carried on high to the superessential Ray of the Divine Darkness, when thou hast cast away all and become free from all.” Ammonius had such extasy during his lectures, in which he seemed to have Divine visions.
Plotinus differs from Dionysius in regarding creation as an act
of necessity, whereas Dionysius regards it as an act of love. Plotinus treats evil
as “an elongation from God.” Dionysius speaks of Almighty God as immanent in matter
the most elongated from spirit. Plotinus traces evil to matter; Dionysius to the
fallacious choice of a free agent.
But the crowning proof that Dionysius was the source from which the Alexandrine School drew much of its wisdom, is Proclus (450-485). Suidas affirmed long ago that Proclus cribbed whole passages from Dionysius. Professor Stiglmayr fills seven pages with parallel passages.
Vachérot describes certain chapters of the “Divine Names” as extracts from Proclus, word for word, and says the whole doctrine of Dionysius seems to be a commentary upon the Theology of Alexandria. Barthélémy St. Hilaire says that Dionysius and Scotus Erigena, almost entirely implanted, in the middle age, the doctrine of Neo-Platonism. Matter is more profound; Professor Langen finds in Dionysius the “characteristics of Neo-Platonic speculation.” The similarity of doctrine is denied by none. Which writings appeared first? that is the question.
Dexter commemorates the “Divine Names” a.d. 98
Polycarp quotes Dionysius verbatim as “a certain one.” Jerome
quotes him as “quidam Graecorum.” Dionysius of Alexandria (a.d. 250), writing to
Sixtus II., declares that no one can intelligently doubt that the writings are those
of Dionysius, the convert of St. Paul, Bishop of Athens.
Yet eccentric critics, on account of the precise theology, cannot
believe that the works were written; by a learned Greek,—Chief of the Areopagus—who
forsook all to follow Christ,—the convert and disciple of St.. Paul,—the familiar
friend of St. John and other Apostles, to whom our Saviour revealed the mysteries
of the Father; but those critics can believe that an unknown man, whose century
no one can fix, and possibly a Syrian, may have gleaned from writers of the first
four centuries these theological pearls expressed in Greek in a style unique and
always like itself. They can, believe that the Author of these Divine writings,
would incorporate, fictitious allusions to persons and events of the apostolic,
age, to add lustre to incomparable works, and to impute them to another. They can
believe that writings, so composed, were foisted upon a credulous Christendom, so
that Dionysius of Alexandria, Maximus, St. John Damascene, and the
The tone of the Alexandrine School may be further illustrated from Amelius and Dionysius the Sublime. Amelius attended Plotinus twenty-four years as companion and pupil. Eusebius gives an extract from his writings, in which Amelius says, “This plainly was the Word, by Whom, being Eternal, things becoming became, as Heraclitus would say.” It was probably he who said, “the Prologue of St. John’s Gospel ought to be written in gold, and placed in the most conspicuous place in every church.” De Civ. Dei, LX. c. 29. Dionysius, the famous secretary of Zenobia, attended the lectures of Ammonius-Saccus. He was the “arbiter” of all literary questions. He expresses his admiration, De sub. L. 9, of the diction of Moses in the description of the six days’ creation, and numbers St. Paul amongst the most brilliant Greek orators, as a man who propounded a “dogma beyond demonstration.”
We claim that the testimony of these illustrious men, and the
extracts from Pantaenus, Ammonius, and their disciples, justify the conclusion that
the Alexandrine School was Biblical, Christian, and Philosophical, that its Philosophy
was a Divine
JOHN PARKER.
Cannes,
Epiphany, 1899.
For sketch of Life, Internal Evidence of date, and External Testimony to genuineness during first nine centuries, see “Celestial and Ecclesiastical Hierarchy.” (Skeffington, 2s. 6d.)
To my Fellow Presbyter Timothy.
That every divine illumination, whilst going forth lovingly to the objects of its forethought under various forms, remains simplex. Nor is this all. It also unifies the things illuminated.
Section I.
“Every good gift
Further also, every procession of illuminating light, proceeding
from the Father, whilst visiting us as a gift of goodness, restores us again gradually
as an unifying power, and turns us to the oneness of our conducting Father, and
to a deifying simplicity. For
Section II.
Invoking then Jesus, the Paternal Light, the Real, the True, “which
lighteth
Section III.
Wherefore, the Divine Institution of sacred Rites, having deemed
it worthy of the supermundane
For the sake, then, of this our proportioned deification, the
philanthropic Source of sacred mysteries, by manifesting the Heavenly Hierarchies
to us, and constituting our Hierarchy as fellow-ministers with them, through our
imitation of their Godlike
That Divine and Heavenly things are appropriately revealed, even through dissimilar symbols.
Section I.
It is necessary then, as I think, first to set forth what we think
is the purpose of every Hierarchy, and what benefit each one confers upon its followers;
and next to celebrate the Heavenly Hierarchies according to their revelation in
the Oracles; then following these Oracles, to say in what sacred forms the holy
writings of the Oracles depict the celestial orders, and to what sort of simplicity
we must be carried through the representations; in order that we also may not, like
the vulgar, irreverently think that the heavenly and Godlike minds are certain many-footed
And indeed, the Word of God
Section II.
But if any one think well to accept the sacred compositions as
of things simple and unknown in their own nature, and beyond our contemplation,
but thinks the imagery of the holy minds in the Oracles is incongruous, and that
all this is, so to speak, a rude scenic representation of the angelic names; and
further says that the theologians ought, when they have come to the bodily representation
of creatures altogether without body, to represent and display them by appropriate
and, as far as possible, cognate figures, taken, at any rate, from our most honoured
and immaterial and exalted beings, and ought not to clothe the heavenly and Godlike
simple essences with the many forms of the lowest creatures to be found on the earth
(for the one would perhaps be more adapted to our instruction, and would not
Section III.
But if any one should blame the descriptions as being incongruous,
by saying that it is shameful to attribute shapes so repugnant to the Godlike and
most holy Orders, it is enough to reply that the method of Divine revelation is
twofold; one, indeed, as is natural, proceeding through likenesses that are similar,
and of a sacred character, but the other, through dissimilar forms, fashioning them
into entire unlikeness and incongruity. No doubt, the mystical traditions of the
revealing Oracles sometimes extol the august Blessedness of the super-essential
Godhead, as Word
But at other times its praises are supermundanely sung, by the
Oracles themselves, through dissimilar revelations, when they affirm that it is
invisible
Section IV.
It is, then, possible to frame in one’s mind good contemplations
from everything, and to depict, from things material, the aforesaid dissimilar similitudes,
both for the intelligible and the intelligent; since the intelligent hold in a different
fashion things which are attributed to things sensible differently. For instance,
appetite, in the irrational creatures, takes its rise in the passions, and their
movement, which takes the form of appetite, is full of all kinds of unreasonableness.
But with regard to the intelligent, we must think of the appetite in another fashion,
as denoting, according to my judgment, their manly style, and their determined persistence
Section V.
We shall find the Mystic Theologians enfolding these things not
only around the illustrations of the Heavenly Orders, but also, sometimes, around
the supremely Divine Revelations Themselves. At one time, indeed, they extol It
under exalted imagery as Sun
What is Hierarchy? and what the use of Hierarchy?
Section I.
Hierarchy is, in my judgment, a sacred order and science and operation,
assimilated, as far as attainable, to the likeness of God, and conducted to the
illuminations granted to it from God, according to capacity, with a view to the
Divine imitation. Now the God-becoming Beauty, as simple, as good, as source of
initiation, is altogether free from any dissimilarity, and imparts its own proper
light to each according to their fitness, and perfects in most Divine initiation,
as becomes the undeviating moulding of those who are being initiated harmoniously
to itself.
Section II.
The purpose, then, of Hierarchy is the assimilation and union, as far as attainable, with God, having Him Leader of all religious science and operation, by looking unflinchingly to His most Divine comeliness, and copying, as far as possible, and by perfecting its own followers as Divine images, mirrors most luminous and without flaw, receptive of the primal light and the supremely Divine ray, and devoutly filled with the entrusted radiance, and again, spreading this radiance ungrudgingly to those after it, in accordance with the supremely Divine regulations. For it is not lawful for the Mystic Rites of sacred things, or for things religiously done, to practise anything whatever beyond the sacred regulations of their own proper function. Nor even must they attempt otherwise, if they desire to attain its deifying splendour, and look to it religiously, and are moulded after the example of each of the holy minds. He, then, who mentions Hierarchy, denotes a certain altogether Holy Order, an image of the supremely Divine freshness, ministering the mysteries of its own illumination in hierarchical ranks, and sciences, and assimilated to its own proper Head as far as lawful.
For each of those who have been called into the Hierarchy, find
their perfection in being carried to the Divine imitation
Section III.
It is necessary then, as I think, that those who are being purified
should be entirely perfected, without stain, and be freed from all dissimilar confusion;
that those who are being illuminated should be filled with the Divine Light, conducted
to the habit and faculty of contemplation in all purity of mind; that those who
are being initiated should be separated from the imperfect, and become recipients
of that perfecting science of the sacred things contemplated. Further, that those
who purify should impart, from their own abundance of purity, their own proper holiness;
that those who illuminate, as being more
What is meant by the appellation “Angels?”
Section I.
Now that the Hierarchy itself has been, in my judgment, sufficiently
defined, we must next extol the Angelic Hierarchy, and we must contemplate, with
supermundane eyes, its sacred formations, depicted in the Oracles, in order that
we may be borne aloft to their Divinely resplendent simplicity, through the mystic
representations, and may extol the source of all Hierarchical science with God-becoming
reverence and with thanksgivings. First of all, however,
Section II.
The holy orders, then, of the Heavenly Beings share in the supremely
Divine participation, in a higher degree than things which merely exist, or which
lead an irrational life, or which are rational like ourselves. For by moulding themselves
intelligibly to the Divine imitation, and looking supermundanely to the supremely
Divine likeness, and striving to mould their intellectual appearance, they naturally
have more ungrudging communications with It, being near and ever moving upwards,
as far as
Section III.
But if any one should say that Divine manifestations were made
directly and immediately to some holy men
Section IV.
But I observe that Angels first were initiated in the Divine mystery
of the love of Jesus towards man, then, through them, the gift of its knowledge
passed to us. Thus, for example, the most divine Gabriel instructed Zachariah, the
Hierarch, that the son who was to be born to him, beyond hope, by Divine grace,
should be a prophet of the God-incarnate work of the Lord Jesus, to be manifested
to the world for its salvation, as becomes the Divine goodness; and he revealed
to Mary, how, in her, should be born the supremely Divine mystery of the unutterable
God-formation. Yet another Angel instructed Joseph, how, in very truth, should be
fulfilled the things Divinely promised to his ancestor David. Another declared glad
tidings to the shepherds, as being purified by their separation from the multitude,
and their quiet life, and, with him, a multitude of the Heavenly Host announced
to those on earth that often-sung doxology. Let us then ascend to the highest manifestations
of light contained in the Oracles, for I perceive that even Jesus Himself, the superessential
Cause of the super-heavenly Beings, when He had come to our condition, without change,
did not overstep the good order which becomes
For what reason all the Heavenly Beings are called, in common, Angels.
This, then, in our judgment, is the reason for the appellation
Angelic in the Oracles. We must now, I suppose, enquire for what reason the theologians
call all the Heavenly Beings together “Angels;” but when they come to a more accurate
Which is the first Order of the Heavenly Beings? which the middle? and which the last?
How many, and of what sort, are the Orders of the supercelestial
Beings, and how the Hierarchies are classified amongst themselves, I affirm, the
deifying Author of their consecration alone distinctly knows; and further, that
they know their own proper powers and illuminations, and their sacred and supermundane
regularity. For it is impossible that we should know the mysteries of the supercelestial
Minds and their most holy perfections, except, some one might say, so far as the
Godhead has revealed to us, through them, as knowing perfectly their own condition.
We, then, will utter nothing as from ourselves, but whatever angelic visions have
been gazed upon by the holy Prophets of God, we, as initiated in these, will set
forth as best we can. The Word of God has designated the whole Heavenly Beings as
nine, by appellations, which shew their functions. These our Divine Initiator divides
into three threefold Orders. He also says that that which is always around God is
first and is declared by tradition to be united closely and immediately, to Him,
before all the rest. For he says that the teaching of the Holy Oracles declares,
that the most Holy Thrones, and the many-eyed and many-winged hosts, named
in the Hebrew tongue Cherubim and Seraphim, are established immediately
Concerning the Seraphim and Cherubim and Thrones, and concerning their first Hierarchy.
Section I.
We, whilst admitting this as the arrangement of the holy Hierarchies,
affirm, that every appellation of the celestial Minds denotes the Godlike characteristic
of each; and those who know Hebrew affirm, that the holy designation of the Seraphim
denotes either that they are kindling or burning; and that of Cherubim, a fulness
of knowledge or stream of wisdom. Naturally, then, the first (order) of the Heavenly
Hierarchies is ministered by the most exalted Beings, holding, as it does, a rank
which is higher than all, from the fact, that it is established immediately around
God, and that the first-wrought Divine manifestations and perfections pass earlier
to
Section II.
This, then, is the revelation of their names, so far as we can give it; and we ought to say what we think their Hierarchy is. For I suppose we have sufficiently shewn above, that the purpose of every Hierarchy is an unswerving devotion to the divine imitation of the Divine Likeness, and that every Hierarchical function is set apart for the sacred reception and distribution of an undefiled purification, and Divine Light, and perfecting science.
And now I pray that I may speak worthily of the most exalted Minds—how the Hierarchy amongst them is exhibited through the Oracles.
One must consider, then, that the Hierarchy is akin, and in every
respect like, to the first Beings, who are established after the Godhead, who gave
them Being, and who are marshalled, as it were, in Its very vestibule, who surpass
every unseen and seen created power. We must then regard them as pure, not as though
they had been freed from unholy stains and blemishes, nor yet as though they were
unreceptive of earthly fancies, but as far exalted above every stain of remissness
and every inferior holiness, as befits the highest degree of purity—established
above the most Godlike powers, and clinging unflinchingly to their own self-moved
and same-moved rank in their invariable love of God, conscious in no respect whatever
of any declivity to a worse
Section III.
This, then, the theologians distinctly shew (viz.) that the subordinate
Orders of the Heavenly Beings are taught by the superior, in due order, the deifying
sciences; and that those who are higher than all are illuminated from Godhead itself,
as far as permissible, in revelations of the Divine mysteries. For they introduce
some of them as being religiously instructed, by those of a higher rank, that He,
Who was raised to Heaven as Man, is Lord of the Heavenly Powers and King of Glory;
and others, as questioning Jesus Himself, as desiring to be instructed in the science
of His Divine work on our behalf, and Jesus Himself teaching them immediately, and
shewing to them, at first hand, His beneficent work out of love to man. For “I,”
He says, “am speaking of righteousness and judgment of Salvation.” Now I am astonished
that even the first of the Beings in Heaven, and so far above all, should reverently
strive after the supremely Divine illuminations, as intermediate Beings. For they
do not ask directly, “Wherefore are Thy garments red? “ but they first raise
the question among themselves, shewing that they desire to learn, and crave the
deifying knowledge, and not anticipating the illumination given after a Divine procedure.
The first Hierarchy, then, of the Heavenly Minds is purified, and enlightened, and perfected, by being ministered from the very Author of initiation, through its elevation to It immediately, being filled, according to its degree, with the altogether most holy purification of the unproachable Light of the pre-perfect source of initiation, unstained indeed by any remissness, and full of primal Light, and perfected by its participation in first-given knowledge and science. But to sum up, I may say this, not inappropriately, that the reception of the supremely Divine Science is, both purification, and enlightenment, and perfecting,—purifying, as it were, from ignorance, by the knowledge of the more perfect revelations imparted to it according to fitness, and enlightening by the self-same Divine knowledge, through which it also purifies, that which did not before contemplate the things which are now made manifest through the higher illumination; and perfecting further, by the self-same Light, through the abiding science of the mysteries made clearly manifest.
Section IV.
This, then, according to my science, is the first rank of the
Heavenly Beings which encircle and stand immediately around God; and without symbol,
and without interruption, dances round His eternal knowledge in the most exalted
ever-moving stability as in Angels; viewing purely many and blessed contemplations,
and illuminated with simple
Concerning Lordships and Powers and Authorities, and concerning their middle Hierarchy.
Section I.
Let us now pass to the middle Order of the Heavenly Minds, gazing,
as far as we may, with supermundane eyes upon those Lordships, and the truly terrible
visions of the Divine Authorities and Powers. For each appellation of the Beings
above us manifests their God-imitating characteristics of the Divine Likeness. I
think, then, that the explanatory name of the Holy Lordships denotes a certain unslavish
elevation, free from all grovelling subserviency, as becomes the free, not submitting
itself in any way whatever to one of the tyrannical dissimilarities, as a cruel
Lordship; superior to every kind of cringing slavery, indomitable to every subserviency,
and elevated above every dissimilarity, ever aspiring to
Section II.
No doubt, as regards that message, which is said to pass through
one angel to another, we may take it as a symbol of a perfecting completed from
afar, and obscured by reason of its passage to the second rank. For, as men skilled
in our sacred initiations say, the fulness of Divine things manifested directly
to ourselves is more perfecting than the Divine contemplations imparted through
others. Thus, I think, the immediate participation of the Angelic ranks elevated
in first degree to God, is more clear than those perfected through the instrumentality
of others. Wherefore by our sacerdotal tradition, the first Minds are named perfecting,
and illuminating, and purifying Powers of the subordinate, who are conducted, through
them, to the superessential Origin of all things, and participate, as far as is
permissible to them, in the consecrating purifications, and illuminations, and perfections.
For, this is divinely fixed absolutely by the Divine source of order that, through
the first, the second partake of the supremely Divine illuminations. This you will
find declared by the theologians in many ways. For, when the Divine and Paternal
Love towards man whilst chastening, in a startling manner, His people Israel, for
their religious preservation, after delivering them
What would any one say concerning the Angel, who said to Daniel, “The word has gone forth?” or concerning him the first, who took the fire from the midst of the Cherubim, or what is more remarkable than this for shewing the good order amongst the Angels, that the Cherubim casts the fire into the hands of him who wears the sacred vestment; or concerning Him Who called the most divine Gabriel, and said to him, “Make this man understand the vision,” or whatever else is recorded by the holy theologians concerning the Godlike order of the Heavenly Hierarchies; by being assimilated to which, as far as possible, the discipline of our Hierarchy will have the Angelic comeliness, as it were, in reflection, moulded through it, and conducted to the superessential Source of order in every Hierarchy.
Concerning the Principalities, Archangels, and Angels, and concerning their last Hierarchy.
Section I.
There remains for our reverent contemplation a Division which
completes the Angelic Hierarchies,
Section II.
The (Order) of the Holy Archangels is of the same rank with the
heavenly Principalities. For there is one Hierarchy and Division, as I said, of
them and the Angels. But since there is not a Hierarchy which does not possess first
and middle and last powers, the holy order of Archangels occupies the middle position
in the Hierarchy between the extremes, for it belongs alike to the most holy Principalities
and to the holy Angels; to the Principalities because it is turned in a princely
fashion to the superessential Princedom, and is moulded to It as far as attainable,
and unites the Angels after the fashion of its own well-regulated and marshalled
and invisible leadings; and it belongs to the Angels, because it is of the messenger
Order, receiving hierarchically the Divine illuminations from
Section III.
But if any one should say, “How then were the people of the Hebrews
alone conducted to the supremely Divine illuminations?” we must answer, that we
ought not to throw the blame of the other nations wandering after those which are
no gods upon the direct guidance of the Angels, but that they themselves, by their
own declension, fell away from the direct leading towards the Divine Being, through
self-conceit and self-will, and through their irrational veneration for things which
appeared to them worthy of God. Even the Hebrew people are said to have suffered
the same thing; for He says, “Thou I hast cast away knowledge of God, and hast gone
after thine own heart.” For neither have we a life governed by necessity, nor on
account of the free will of those who are objects of providential care, are the
Divine rays of the providential illumination blunted; but the inaptitude of the
mental visions makes the overflowing light-gift of the paternal goodness, either
altogether unparticipated or inpenetrable to their resistance, or makes the participations
of the one fontal ray, diverse, small, or great, obscure, or brilliant, although
that ray is one and simple, and always the same and ever overflowing; for even if,
over the other nations (from
Section IV.
Let me also recall this to your Hierarchical judgment—that
both to Pharaoh, from the Angel who presided over the Egyptians, and to the
Babylonian Prince, from his own Angel, the watchful and ruling care of
the Providence and Lordship over all, was interpreted in visions; and for those
nations, the worshippers of the true God were appointed leaders, for the interpretation
of things shaped by Angelic visions revealed from God through Angels to holy men
akin to the Angels, Daniel and Joseph. For there is one Prince and Providence over
all. And never must we think that the Godhead is leader of Jews by lot, and that
Angels,
A Repetition and Summary of the Angelic discipline.
Section I.
We have concluded, then, that the most reverend Order of the Minds around God, ministered by the perfecting illumination through its immediate elevation to it, is purified, and illuminated, and perfected by a gift of light from the Godhead, more hidden and more manifest—more hidden, indeed, as being more intelligible, and more simplifying, and more unifying; more manifest, as being a first gift and a first manifestation, and more complete, and more affused to it as transparent. And from this (Order) again, in due degree, the second, and from the second, the third, and from the third, our Hierarchy, is reverently conducted to the super-original Origin and End of all good order, according to the self-same law of well-ordered regularity, in Divine harmony and proportion.
Section II.
Now all Angels are interpreters of those above them, the most
reverend, indeed, of God, Who moves them, and the rest, in due degree, of those
who have been moved by God. For, to such an extent has the superessential harmony
of all things provided for the religious order and the regulated conduct of each
of the rational and intellectual beings, that each rank of the Hierarchies, has
been placed in sacred order, and we observe
Section III.
I might add this not inappropriately, that each heavenly and human mind has within itself its own special first, and middle, and last ranks, and powers, manifested severally in due degree, for the aforesaid particular mystical meanings of the Hierarchical illuminations, according to which, each one participates-, so far as is lawful and attainable to him, in the most spotless purification, the most copious light, the pre-eminent perfection. For there is nothing that is self-perfect, or absolutely without need of perfecting, except the really Self-perfect and preeminently Perfect.
For what reason all the Heavenly Beings, in common, are called Heavenly Powers.
Section I.
Now that we have defined these things, it is worthy of consideration
for what reason we are accustomed to call all the Angelic Beings together,
Section II.
But we affirm that, whilst often using the appellation, Heavenly
Powers, for all in common, we do not introduce a sort of. confusion of the characteristics
of each Order. But, inasmuch as all the Divine Minds, by the supermundane description
given of them, are distributed into three,—into essence, and power, and energy,—when
we speak of them all, or some of them, indiscriminately, as Heavenly Beings or Heavenly
Powers, we must consider that we manifest those about whom we speak in a general
way, from their essence or power severally. For we must not apply the superior characteristic
of those holy Powers, whom we have already sufficiently distinguished, to the Beings
which are entirely inferior to them, so as to overthrow the unconfused order of
the Angelic ranks. For
Why the Hierarchs amongst men are called Angels.
Section I.
But this is sometimes also asked by diligent contemplators of the intelligible Oracles; Inasmuch as the lowest Orders do not possess the completeness of the superior, for what reason is our Hierarch named by the Oracles, “Angel of the Sovereign Lord?”
Section II.
Now the statement, as I think, is not contrary to what has been
before defined; for we say that the last lack the complete and pre-eminent Power
of the more reverend Divisions; for they participate in the partial and analogous,
according to the one harmonious and binding fellowship of all things. For example,
the rank of the holy Cherubim participates in higher wisdom and knowledge, but the
Divisions of the Beings beneath them, participate, they also, in wisdom and knowledge,
but nevertheless partially, as compared with them, and
Section III.
But you will find that the Word of God calls gods, both the Heavenly
Beings above us, and the most beloved of God, and holy men amongst us, although
the Divine Hiddenness is transcendently elevated and established above all, and
no created Being can. properly and wholly be said to be like unto It, except those
intellectual and rational Beings who are entirely and wholly turned to Its Oneness
as far as possible, and who elevate themselves incessantly to Its Divine illuminations,
as far as attainable, by their imitation of God, if I may so speak, according to
their power, and are deemed worthy of the same divine name.
For what reason the Prophet Isaiah is said to have been purified by the Seraphim.
Section I.
Come, then, let us examine this as best we can, why the Seraphim is said to be sent to one of the Theologians; for some one may object, that not one of the inferior Angels, but he, the enrolled amongst the most reverend Beings, cleanses the Prophet.
Section II.
Some, then, affirm that, according to the definition already given of the mutual relation of all the Minds, the Logion does not name one of the highest around God, as having come for the cleansing of the Theologian, but that some one of the Angels, placed over us as a sacred Minister of the Prophet’s cleansing, is called by the same name. as the Seraphim, on the ground that the removal of the faults spoken of, and the restoration of him who was cleansed for the Divine mission, was through fire; and they say that the Logion speaks simply of one of the Seraphim, not one of those who are established around God, but one of the Powers set over us for the purpose of cleansing.
Section III.
Now another man brought forward to me a by no means foolish defence
of the present position.
The first Order, then, of the holy Angels possesses, more than all, the characteristic of fire, and the streaming distribution of supremely Divine wisdom, and the faculty of knowing the highest science of the Divine illuminations, and the characteristic of Thrones, exhibiting their expansion for the reception of God; and the ranks of the subordinate Beings possess indeed the empyrean, the wise, the knowing, the God-receptive, faculty, but subordinately, and by looking to the first, and through them, as being deemed worthy of the Divine imitation in first operation, are conducted to the attainable likeness of God. The aforesaid holy characteristics, then, which the Beings after them possess, through the first, they attribute to those Beings themselves, after God, as Hierarchs.
Section IV.
He who said this, used to affirm, that this vision was shewn to
the Theologian, through one of the
What the traditional number of the Angels signifies.
This also is worthy, in my opinion, of intellectual attention,
that the tradition of the Oracles concerning the Angels affirms that they are thousand
thousands, and myriad myriads, accumulating and multiplying, to themselves, the
supreme limits of our numbers, and, through these, shewing clearly, that the ranks
of the Heavenly Beings cannot be numbered by us. For many are the blessed hosts
of the supermundane minds, surpassing the weak and contracted measurement of our
material number, and being definitely known by their own supermundane and heavenly
intelligence and science alone, which is given to them in profusion by the supremely
Divine and Omniscient Framer of Wisdom, and essentiating
What are the morphic likenesses of the Angelic Powers? what the fiery? what the anthromorphic? what are the eyes? what the nostrils? what the ears? what the mouths? what the touch? what the eyelids? what the eyebrows? what the prime? what the teeth? what the shoulders? what the elbows and the hands? what the heart? what the breasts? what the back? what the feet? what the wings? what the nakedness? what the robe? what the shining raiment? what the sacerdotal? what the girdles? what the rods? what the spears? what the battle-axes? what the measuring lines? what the winds? what the clouds? what the brass? what the electron? what the choirs? what the clapping of hands? what the colours of different stones? what the appearance of the lion? what the appearance of the ox? what the appearance of the eagle? what the horses? what the varieties of coloured horses? what the rivers? what the chariots? what the wheels? what the so-called joy of the Angels?
Section I.
Come, then, let us at last, if you please, rest our mental vision
from the strain of lofty contemplation, befitting Angels, and descend to the divided
and manifold breadth of the many-shaped variety of the Angelic forms, and then return
analytically from the
Section II.
But we must keep our discourse within bounds, and must search,
in our first explanation of the types, for what reason the Word of God prefers the
sacred description of fire, in preference to almost every other. You will find it,
then, representing not only wheels of fire, but also living creatures of fire, and
men, flashing, as it were, like lightning, and placing around the Heavenly Beings
themselves heaps of coals of fire, and rivers of flame flowing with irresistible
force; and also it says that the thrones are of fire; and that the most exalted
Seraphim glow with fire, it shews from their appellation, and it attributes the
characteristic and energy of fire to them, and throughout, above and below, it prefers
pre-eminently the representation by the image of fire. I think, then, the similitude
of fire
Section III.
But they also depict them under the likeness of men
Now the discriminating powers of the nostrils denote the being able to receive, as far as attainable, the sweet-smelling largess beyond conception, and to distinguish accurately things which are not such, and to entirely reject.
The powers of the ears denote the participation and conscious reception of the supremely Divine inspiration.
The powers of taste denote the fulness of the intelligible nourishments, and the reception of the Divine and nourishing streams.
The powers of touch denote the skilful discrimination of that
which is suitable or injurious.
The eyelids and eyebrows denote the guarding of the conceptions which see God.
The figures of manhood and youth denote the perpetual bloom and vigour of life.
The teeth denote the dividing of the nourishing perfection given to us; for each intellectual Being divides and multiplies, by a provident faculty, the unified conception given to it by the more Divine for the proportionate elevation of the inferior.
The shoulders and elbows, and further, the hands, denote the power of making, and operating, and accomplishing.
The heart again is a symbol of the Godlike life, dispersing its own life-giving power to the objects of its forethought, as beseems the good.
The chest again denotes the invincible and protective faculty of the life-giving distribution, as being placed above the heart.
The back, the holding together the whole productive powers of life.
The feet denote the moving and quickness, and skilfulness of the
perpetual movement advancing towards Divine things. Wherefore also the Word of God
arranged the feet of the holy Minds under their wings; for the wing displays the
elevating quickness and the heavenly progress towards higher things, and the superiority
to every grovelling thing by reason of the ascending, and the lightness of the wings
denotes their being in no respect earthly,
Section IV.
But since again the simple and variegated wisdom both clothes
the naked, and distributes certain implements to them to carry, come, let us unfold,
according to our power, the sacred garments and implements of the celestial Minds.
The shining and glowing raiment, I think, signifies the Divine likeness after the
image of fire, and their enlightening, in consequence of their repose in Heaven,
where is the Light, and their complete illuminating intelligibly, and their being
illuminated intellectually
Section V.
The rods signify the kingly and directing faculty, making all
things straight. The spears and the battle-axes denote the dividing of things unlike,
Section VI.
But the fact that they are named winds denotes their rapid action,
passing almost instantaneously to all things, and their transporting movement in
passing from above to below, and again from below to above, their elevating the
second to the height above, and moving the first to a common and provident advance
of the inferior Orders. But perhaps some one would say that the appellation of wind,
to the aerial spirit, also denotes the Divine likeness of the Heavenly Minds; for
this also bears a likeness and type of the supremely Divine energy (as
Section VII.
Also, the Word of God attributes to the Heavenly Beings a likeness
to Brass, Electron, and many-coloured stones. Electron, as being partly like gold,
partly like silver, denotes the incorruptible, as in gold, and unexpended, and undiminished,
and spotless brilliancy, and the brightness, as in silver, and a luminous and heavenly
radiance. But to the
We must consider that the many-coloured appearances of stones denote either as white, the luminous; or as red, the fiery; or as yellow, the golden; or as green, the youthful and the full grown; and within each likeness you will find an explanation which teaches the inner meaning of the typical images.
But since, I think, according to our power, this has been sufficiently
said, let us pass to the sacred explanation of the Divine representations of the
Heavenly Minds through wild beasts
Section VIII.
The Image of the Ox
The representation of the Eagle
That of Horses represents obedience and docility, and of those who are white, brilliancy, and as especially congenial to the Divine Light; but of those who are dark blue, the Hidden; and of those red, the fiery and vigorous; and of the piebald, the uniting of the extremes by the power passing through them, and joining the first to the second, and the second to the first, reciprocally and considerately.
Now if we did not consult the proportion of our discourse, we might, not inappropriately, adapt the particular characteristics of the aforesaid living creatures, and all their bodily representations to the Heavenly Powers, upon the principle of dissimilar similitudes; for instance, their appearance of anger, to intellectual manliness, of which anger is the remotest echo, and their desire, to the Divine love; and to speak summarily, referring all the sensible perceptions, and many parts of irrational beings, to the immaterial conceptions and unified Powers of the Heavenly Beings. Now not only is this sufficient for the wise, but even an explanation of one of the dissimilar representations would be sufficient for the accurate description of similar things, after the same fashion.
Section IX.
But we must examine the fact that rivers are spoken of, and Wheels
and Chariots attached to the Heavenly Beings. The rivers of fire signify the supremely
Divine streams furnishing to them an ungrudging and incessant flow, and nourishing
the productive powers of life; the chariots, the conjoined communion of those of
the same rank; the wheels being winged, and advancing without turning and without
deviation, the power of their advancing energy within a straight and direct path,
towards the same unflinching and straight swoop of their every intellectual
track, supermundanely straight and direct way. Also it is possible to explain, after
another mystical meaning, the sacred description of the intellectual wheels; for
the name Gel, Gel, is given to them, as the theologian says. This shews, according
to the Hebrew tongue, revolutions and revelations. For the Empyrean and Godlike
wheels have revolutions, indeed, by their perpetual movement around the Good Itself;
but revelations, by the manifestation of things hidden, and by the elevation of
things at our feet, and by the descending procession of the sublime illuminations
to things below. There remains for accurate explanation, the statement respecting
the rejoicing of the Heavenly Orders; for they are utterly incapable of our impassioned
pleasure. Now they are said to
St. Michael and All Angels, 1898.
To my Fellow Presbyter Timothy. Dionysius the Presbyter.
What is the traditional view of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy and what is its purpose?
Section I.
We must, then, most pious of pious sons, demonstrate from the supermundane and
most sacred Oracles and traditions, that ours is a Hierarchy of the inspired and
Divine and Deifying science, and of operation, and of consecration, for those who
have been initiated with the initiation of the sacred revelation derived from the
hierarchical mysteries. See, however, that you do not put to scorn things most holy
(Holy of Holies); but rather treat them reverently, and you will honour the things
of the hidden God by intellectual and obscure researches, carefully guarding them
from the participation and defilement of the uninitiated, and reverently sharing
holy things with the holy alone, by a holy enlightenment. For thus, as the Word
of God has taught us who feast at His Banquet, even Jesus Himself—the most supremely
Divine
Section II.
Then what is the Hierarchy of the Angels
But the Beings and ranks above us, of whom we have already made a reverent mention,
are both incorporeal, and their Hierarchy is both intelligible and supermundane;
but let us view our Hierarchy, comformably to ourselves, abounding in the variety
of the sensible symbols, by which, in proportion to our capacity, we are conducted,
hierarchically
Section III.
Every Hierarchy, then, is, according to our august tradition, the whole account
of the sacred things falling under it, a most complete summary of the sacred rites
of this or that Hierarchy, as the case may be. Our Hierarchy, then, is called, and
is, the comprehensive system of the whole sacred rites included within it, according
to which the divine Hierarch, being initiated, will have the communication of all
the most sacred things within himself, as chief of Hierarchy. For as he who speaks
of Hierarchy speaks of the order of the whole sacred rites collectively, so he,
who mentions Hierarch, denotes the inspired and godly man—the skilled in all
sacred knowledge—in whom the whole
Head of this Hierarchy is the Fountain of Life, the Essence of Goodness, the
one Triad, Cause of things that be, from Which both being and well-being come to
things that be, by reason of goodness
Section IV.
Let us affirm, then, that the supremely Divine Blessedness, the essential Deity, the Source of
Section V.
Necessarily, then, the first leaders of our Hierarchy, after having been filled
themselves with the sacred gift, from the superessential Godhead, and sent, by the
supremely Divine Goodness, to extend the same gift successively, and, as godly,
earnestly desiring themselves the elevation and deification of those after them,
presented to us—by their written and unwritten revelations—in accordance with
their sacred injunctions, things supercelestial, by sensible images, the enfolded,
by variety and multitude, and things Divine, by things human, and things immaterial,
by things material, and the superessential, by things belonging to us. Nor did they
do this merely on account of the unhallowed, to whom it is not permitted even to
touch the symbols, but because our Hierarchy is, as I said, a kind of symbol adapted
to our condition, which needs things sensible, for our more Divine elevation from
these to things intelligible. Nevertheless the reasons of the symbols have been
revealed to the Divine initiators, which it is not permitted to explain to those
who are yet being initiated, knowing that the Lawgivers of things divinely transmitted
deliberately arranged the Hierarchy in well-established and unconfused ranks, and
in proportionate and sacred distributions of that which was convenient to each,
according to fitness. Wherefore trusting in thy sacred promises (for it is a pious
duty to recall them to thy recollection) — that, since every Hierarchical sacred
word is of binding
I. Concerning things done in Illumination.
We have, then, reverently affirmed that this is the purpose of our Hierarchy,
viz., our assimilation and union with God, as far as attainable. And, as the Divine
Oracles teach, we shall attain this only by the love and the religious performance
of the most worshipful Commandments. For He says: “He
II. Mysterion of Illumination.
Section I.
The Hierarch, then, wishing that all men whatsoever should be saved by their
assimilation towards God, and come to recognition of truth, proclaims to all the
veritable Good News, that God being compassionate towards those upon earth, out
of His own proper and innate goodness, deigned Himself to come to us with outstretched
arms, by reason of loving-kindness towards men; and, by the union with Him, to assimilate,
like as by fire, things that have been made one, in proportion to their aptitude
for deification. “For as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become children
of God—to those who believe on His Name, who were begotten, not of bloods, nor
of will of flesh, but of God
Section II.
He, who has felt a religious longing to participate in these truly supermundane
gifts, comes to some one of the initiated, and persuades him to act as his conductor
to the Hierarch. He then professes wholly to follow the teaching that shall be given
to him, and prays him to undertake the superintendence of his introduction, and
of all his after life. Now he, though religiously longing for his salvation, when
he measures human infirmity against the loftiness of the undertaking, is suddenly
seized
Section III.
He, then, when with joy he has received, as the sheep upon his shoulders, the two men, and has first worshipped, glorifies with a mental thanksgiving and bodily prostration the One beneficent Source, from Which, those who are being called, are called, and those who are being saved, are saved.
Section IV.
Then collecting a full religious assembly into the sacred place, for co-operation, and common rejoicing over the man’s salvation, and for thanksgiving for the Divine Goodness, he first chants a certain hymn, found in the Oracles, accompanied by the whole body of the Church; and after this, when he has kissed the holy table, he advances to the man before him, and demands of him, what has brought him here?
Section V.
When the man, out of love to God, has confessed, according to the instruction
of his sponsor, his ungodliness, his ignorance of the really beautiful, his insufficiency
for the life in God, and prays, through his holy mediation, to attain to God and
Divine things, he (the Hierarch) testifies to him, that his approach ought to be
entire, as to God Who is All Perfect, and without
Section VI.
When these have enrolled the names, he makes a holy prayer, and when the whole Church have completed this with him, he looses his sandals, and removes his clothing, through the Leitourgoi. Then, when he has placed him facing the west and beating his hands, averted towards the same quarter, he commands him thrice to breathe scorn upon Satan, and further, to profess the words of the renunciation. When he has witnessed his threefold renunciation, he turns him back to the east, after he has professed this thrice; and when he has looked up to heaven, and extended his hands thitherward, he commands him to be enrolled under Christ, and all the Divinely transmitted Oracles of God. When the man has done this, he attests again for him his threefold profession, and again, when he has thrice professed, after prayer, he gives thanks, and lays his hand upon him.
Section VII.
When the Deacons have entirely unclothed him, the Priests bring the holy oil
of the anointing. Then he begins the anointing, through the threefold sealing, and
for the rest assigns the man to the Priests, for the anointing of his whole body,
while himself
Section VIII.
When he has finished these things, he elevates himself from his progression to
things secondary, to the contemplation of things
III. Contemplation.
Section I.
This initiation, then, of the holy birth in God, as in symbols, has nothing unbecoming
or irreverent, nor anything of the sensible images, but (contains) enigmas of a
contemplation worthy of God, likened to physical and human images. For how should
it appear misleading? Even when the very divine meaning of the things done is passed
over in silence,
Section II.
Let this, then, be, for the uninitiated, a conducting guidance of the soul, which separates, as is meet things sacred and uniform from multiplicity, and apportions the harmonious elevation to the Orders severally in turn. But we, who have ascended by sacred gradations to the sources of the things performed, and have been religiously taught these (sources), shall recognize of what moulds they are the reliefs, and of what invisible things they are the likenesses. For, as is distinctly shewn in the Treatise concerning “Intelligible and Sensible,” sacred things in sensible forms are copies of things intelligible, to which they lead and shew the way; and things intelligible are source and science of things hierarchical cognizable by the senses.
Section III.
Let us affirm, then, that the goodness of the Divine Blessedness is always in
the same condition and manner, unfolding the beneficent rays of its own light upon
all the intellectual visions without grudging. Should, then, the self-choosing self-sufficiency
of the contemplators either turn away from the light contemplated, by closing, through
love of evil, the faculties for enlightenment naturally implanted within it, it
would be separated from the light present to
But, as I said, the Divine Light is always unfolded beneficently to the intellectual visions, and it is possible for them to seize it when present, and always being most ready for the distribution of things appropriate, in a manner becoming God. To this imitation the divine Hierarch is fashioned, unfolding to all, without grudging, the luminous rays of his inspired teaching, and, after the Divine example, being most ready to enlighten the proselyte, neither using a grudging nor an unholy wrath for former back-slidings or excess, but, after the example of God, always enlightening by his conducting light those who approach him, as becomes a Hierarch, in fitness, and order, and in proportion to the aptitude of each for holy things.
Section IV.
But, inasmuch as the Divine Being is source of sacred order, within which the
holy Minds regulate themselves, he, who recurs to the proper view of
Section V.
Yet it is not possible to hold, conjointly, qualities thoroughly opposed, nor
that a man who has had a certain fellowship with the One should have divided lives,
if he clings to the firm participation in the One; but he must be resistless and
resolute, as regards all separations from the uniform. This it is which the teaching
of the symbols reverently and enigmatically intimates, by stripping the proselyte,
as it were, of his former life, and discarding to the very utmost the habits within
that life, makes him stand naked and barefoot, looking away towards the west, whilst
he spurns, by the aversion of his hands, the participations in the gloomy baseness,
and breathes out, as it were, the habit of dissimilarity which he had acquired,
and professes the entire renunciation of everything contrary to the Divine likeness.
When the man has thus become invincible and separate from evil, it turns him towards
the east, declaring clearly that his position and recovery will be purely in the
Divine Light, in the complete separation from baseness; and receiving his sacred
promises of entire consort with the One, since he has become uniform through love
of the truth. Yet it is pretty evident, as I think, to those versed in Hierarchical
matters, that things intellectual acquire the unchangeableness of the Godlike habit,
by continuous and persistent struggles towards one, and by the entire destruction
and annihilation of
Section VI.
Now you may see the distinct illustrations of these things in the religious rites
performed by the Hierarch. For the Godlike Hierarch starts with the holy anointing,
and the Priests under him complete the Divine service of the Chrism, summoning in
type the man initiated to the holy contests, within which he is placed under Christ
as Umpire: since, as God, He is Institutor of the awards of contest, and as wise,
He placed its laws, and as generous, the prizes suitable to the victors. And this
is yet more Divine, since as good, He devotedly entered the lists with them, contending,
on behalf of their freedom and victory, for their power over death and
destruction, he who is being initiated will enter the contests, as those
of God, rejoicing, and abides by the regulations of the Wise, and contends according
to them, without transgression holding
Section VII.
And consider attentively, I pray, with what appropriateness the holy symbols
are presented. For since death is with us not an annihilation of being, as others
surmise, but the separating of things united, leading to that which is invisible
to us, the soul indeed becoming invisible through deprivation of the body, and the
body, through being buried in earth in consequence of one of its bodily changes,
becoming invisible to human ken, appropriately, the whole covering by water would
be taken as an image of death, and the invisible tomb. The symbolical teaching,
then, reveals in mystery that the man baptized according to religious rites, imitates,
so far as Divine imitation is attainable to men, by the three immersions in the
water, the supremely Divine death of the Life-giving Jesus, Who spent three days
and three nights in the tomb, in Whom, according to the mystical and secret teaching
of the sacred text, the Prince of the world found nothing.
Section VIII.
Next, they throw garments, white as light, over the man initiated. For by his manly and Godlike insensibility to contrary passions, and by his persistent inclination towards the One, the unadorned is adorned, and the shapeless takes shape, being made brilliant by his luminous life.
But the perfecting unction of the Muron makes the man initiated of good odour, for the holy perfecting of the Divine birth unites those who have been perfected to the supremely Divine Spirit. Now the overshadowing which makes intelligibly of a good savour, and perfect, as being most unutterable, I leave to the mental consciousness of those who are deemed worthy of the sacred and deifying participation of the Holy Spirit within their mind.
At the conclusion of all, the Hierarch calls the man initiated to the most Holy Eucharist, and imparts to him the communion of the perfecting mysteries.
I. Concerning things accomplished in the Synaxis.
Courage, then, since we have made mention of this (Eucharist) which we may not
pass over to celebrate any other Hierarchical function in preference to it. For
according to our illustrious
II. Mysterion
The Hierarch, having completed a reverent prayer, near the Divine Altar, starts
with the incensing, and proceeds to every part of the enclosure of the sacred place;
he then returns to the Divine Altar, and begins the sacred chanting of the Psalms,
the whole ecclesiastical assembly chanting, with him, the sacred language of the
Psalter. Next follows the reading of the Holy Scriptures by the Leitourgoi. After
these readings the catechumens quit the sacred enclosure, as well as the “possessed,”
and the
III. Contemplation.
Section I.
Here then, too, O excellent son, after the images, I come in due order and reverence
to the Godlike reality of the archetypes, saying here to those yet being initiated,
for the harmonious guidance of their souls, that the varied and sacred composition
of the symbols is not without spiritual contemplation for them, as merely presented
superficially. For the most sacred chants and readings of the Oracles teach them
a discipline of a virtuous life, and previous to this, the, complete purification
from destructive evil; and the most Divine, and common, and peaceful distribution
of one and the same, both Bread and Cup, enjoins upon them a godly fellowship in
character, as having a fellowship in food, and recalls to their memory the most
Divine Supper, and arch-symbol of the rites performed, agreeably with which the
Founder of the symbols Himself excludes, most justly, him who had supped with Him
on the holy things, not piously
Section II.
Let us, then, as I said, leave behind these things, beautifully depicted upon the entrance of the. innermost shrine, as being sufficient for those, who are yet incomplete for contemplation, and let us proceed from the effects to the causes; and then, Jesus lighting the way, we shall view our holy Synaxis, and the comely contemplation of things intelligible, which makes radiantly manifest the blessed beauty of the archetypes. But, oh, most Divine and holy initiation, uncovering the folds of the dark mysteries enveloping thee in symbols, be manifest to us in thy bright glory, and fill our intellectual visions with single and unconcealed light.
Section III.
We must, then, in my opinion, pass within the All Holy Mysteries, after we have
laid bare the intelligible of the first of the votive gifts, to gaze upon its Godlike
beauty, and view the Hierarch, divinely going with sweet fragrance from the Divine
Altar to the furthermost bounds of the holy place, and again returning to it to
complete the function. For the Blessedness, supremely Divine above all, even if,
through Divine goodness, It goes forth to the communion of the holy who participate
in It, yet
Section IV.
The chanting of the Psalms, being co-essential with almost all the Hierarchical
mysteries, was not likely to be separated from the most Hierarchical of all. For
every holy and inspired Scripture sets forth
Section V.
When, then, the comprehensive melody of the holy Hymns has harmonized the habits
of our souls to the things which are presently to be ministered, and, by the unison
of the Divine Odes, as one and concordant chorus of holy men, has established an
accord with things Divine, and themselves
Section VI.
Those who absolutely have no ear for these sacred initiations do not even recognize
the images,—
Now the regulation of the holy Hierarchy permits the catechumens, and the possessed,
and the penitents, to hear the sacred chanting of the Psalms, and the inspired reading
of the all-Holy Scriptures; but it does not invite them to the next religious services
and contemplations, but only the eyes of the initiated. For the Godlike Hierarchy
is full of reverent justice, and distributes savingly to each, according to their
due, bequeathing savingly the harmonious communication of each of the things Divine,
in measure, and proportion, and due time. The lowest rank, then, is assigned to
the catechumens, for they are without participation and instruction in every Hierarchical
initiation, not even having the being in God by Divine Birth, but are yet being
brought to
Section VII.
Now the multitude of the possessed indeed is unholy, but it is next above the
catechumens, which is lowest. Nor is that which has received a certain participation
in the most holy offices, but is yet entangled by contrary qualities, whether enchantments
or terrors, on a par, as I think, with the altogether uninitiated and entirely uncommunicated
in the Divine initiations; but, even for them, the view and participation in the
holy mysteries is contracted, and very properly. For, if it be true that the altogether
godly man, the worthy partaker of the Divine mysteries, the one carried to the very
summit of the Divine likeness, to the best of his powers, in complete and most perfect
deifications, does not even perform the things of the flesh, beyond the most necessary
requirements of nature, and then as
Section VIII.
When the supremely Divine love towards Man has thus been religiously celebrated,
the Divine Bread is presented, veiled, and likewise the Cup of Blessing, and the
most Divine greeting is
Section IX.
But observe that they are enrolled in the holy memorials, not as though the Divine
memory were represented under the figure of a memorial, after the manner of men;
but as one might say, with
Section X.
There was indeed the sacred laver, as we have said, in the Hierarchy of the Law
Section XI.
We will now explain, in detail, to the best of our ability, certain works of
God, of which we spoke. For I am not competent to sing all, much less
to know accurately, and to reveal their mysteries to
The things within us, then, It benevolently changed to the entire contrary. For
the lightless within Our mind It filled with blessed and most Divine Light, and
adorned the formless with Godlike beauties; the tabernacle
Section XII.
But how could the Divine imitation otherwise become ours, unless the remembrance
of the most holy works of God were perpetually being renewed by the mystical teachings
and ministrations of the Hierarchy? This, then, we do, as the Oracles say,
Section XIII.
The Hierarch makes known these things to those who are living religiously, by
bringing the veiled gifts to view, by dividing their oneness into many, and by making
the recipients partakers of them, by the utmost union of the things distributed
with those who receive them. For he delineates in these things under sensible forms
our intelligible life in figures, by bringing to view the Christ Jesus from the
Hidden within the Divine Being, out of love to man, made like unto us by the all-perfect
and unconfused
Section XIV.
Having received and distributed the supremely Divine Communion, he terminates
with a holy thanksgiving, in which the whole body of the Church take part. For the
Communion precedes the imparting, and the reception of the mysteries, the mystic
distribution. For this is the universal regulation and order of the Divine Mysteries,
that the reverend Leader should first partake, and be filled with the gifts, to
be imparted, through him, from God to others, and so impart to others also. Wherefore,
those who rashly content themselves with the inspired instructions, in preference
to a life and condition agreeable to the same, are profane, and entirely alien from
the sacred regulation established. For, as in the case of the bright shining of
the sun, the more delicate and luminous substances, being first filled with the
brilliancy flowing into them, brightly impart their overflowing light to things
after them; so it is not tolerable that one, who has not
Section XV.
Meanwhile, the whole order of the Priests having been collected together in hierarchical
order, and communicated in the most Divine mysteries, finishes with a holy thanksgiving,
after having recognized and sung the favours of the works of God, according to their
degree. So that those, who have not partaken and are ignorant of things Divine,
would not attain to thanksgiving, although the most Divine gifts are, in their essential
nature, worthy of thanksgiving. But, as I said, not having wished even to look at
the Divine gifts, from their inclination to things inferior, they have remained
throughout ungracious towards the boundless graces of the works of God. “Taste and
see,” say the Oracles, for, by the sacred initiation of things Divine, the initiated
recognize their munificent graces, and, by gazing with utmost reverence upon their
most Divine height and breadth in the participation, they will sing the supercelestial
beneficent works of the Godhead with gracious thanksgiving.
I. Concerning things performed in the Muron, and concerning things perfected in it.
So great and so beautiful are the intelligible visions of the most holy Synaxis, which minister hierarchically, as we have often said, our participation in, and collection towards, the One. But there is another perfecting Service of the same rank, which our Leaders name “Initiation of Muron,” by contemplating whose parts in due order, in accordance with the sacred images, we shall thus be borne, by hierarchical contemplations, to its Oneness through its parts.
II. Mysterion of Initiation of Muron
In the same way as in the Synaxis, the orders of the imperfect are dismissed,
that is, after the hierarchical procession has made the whole circuit of the temple,
attended with fragrant incense; and the chanting of the Psalms, and.the reading
of the most Divine Oracles. Then the Hierarch takes the Muron and places it, veiled
under twelve sacred wings, upon the Divine Altar, whilst all cry aloud, with most
devout voice, the sacred melody of the inspiration of the God-rapt Prophets, and
when he has finished the prayer offered over it, he uses it,
III. Contemplation.
Section I.
The elementary teaching, then, of this the perfecting service, through the things
done over the Divine Muron, shews this, in my judgment, that, that which is holy
and of sweet savour in the minds of devout men is covered, as with a veil, since
it Divinely enjoins upon holy men to have their beautiful and well-savoured assimilations
in virtue to the hidden God not seen for vain glory. For the hidden comeliness of
God is unsullied, and is sweet beyond conception, and manifested for spiritual contemplation
to the intellectual alone, through a desire to have the unsullied images of virtue
in souls of the same pattern. For by looking away from the undistorted and well
imitated image of the Godlike virtue to that contemplated and fragrant beauty, he
thus moulds and fashions it to the most beautiful imitation. And, as in the case
of sensible images, if the artist look without distraction upon the archetypal form,
not distracted by sight of anything else, or in any way divided in attention, he
will duplicate, if I may so speak, the very person that is being sketched, whoever
he may be, and will shew the reality in the likeness, and the archetype in the image,
and each in each, save the difference of substance; thus, to copyists who love the
beautiful
Section II.
Come, then, since we have viewed the exterior comeliness of the entirely beautiful
ministration, let
For the splendour of things all holy, by shedding its light clearly and without symbol to men inspired, as being congenial to the thing contemplated, and perfuming their contemplating perceptions without; concealment, advances not yet in the same way to the inferior, but by them as deep contemplators of the thing contemplated is concealed under the enigmas of the wings, without ostentation, so that it may not be defiled by the dissimilar; through which sacred enigmas the well-ordered Ranks of the subordinate are conducted to the degree of holiness compatible with their powers.
Section III.
The holy consecration, then, which we are now extolling, is, as I said, of the
perfecting rank and capacity of the Hierarchical functions. Wherefore our Divine
Leaders arranged the same, as being of the same rank and effect as the holy perfecting
of the Synaxis, with the same figures, for the most
Section IV.
What, then, shall I say further? Is it not those Ranks already mentioned, which
are not entirely pure, that the present consecrating service excludes without distinction,
in the same way as the Synaxis, so that it is viewed by the holy alone, in figures,
and is contemplated and ministered, by the perfectly holy alone, immediately, through
hierarchical directions? Now it is superfluous, as I think, to run over, by the
same statements, these things already so often mentioned, and not to pass to the
next, viewing the Hierarch, devoutly holding the Divine Muron veiled under twelve
wings, and ministering the altogether holy consecration upon it. Let us then affirm
that the composition of the Muron is a composition of sweet-smelling materials,
which has in itself abundantly fragrant qualities, of which (composition) those
who partake become perfumed in proportion to the degree to which they partake of
its sweet savour. Now we are persuaded that the most supremely Divine Jesus is superessentially
of good savour, filling the contemplative part of ourselves by bequests of Divine
sweetness for contemplation. For if the reception of the sensible odours make to
feel joyous, and nourishes, with much sweetness, the sensitive organs of our nostrils,
—if at least they be sound and well apportioned to the sweet savour—in the
same way any one might
Section V.
Now it is evident, as I think, that the distribution of the fontal perfume to
the Beings above ourselves, who are more Divine, is, as it were, nearer, and manifests
and distributes itself more to the transparent and wholesome mental condition of
their receptive faculty, overflowing ungrudgingly and entering in many fashions;
but as regards the subordinate contemplators, which are not so receptive, piously
concealing the highest vision and
Section VI.
Now we have, as I think, sufficiently contemplated, in the description of the
super-heavenly Hierarchy, the incorporeal properties of the Seraphim, Divinely described
in the Scriptures under sensible figures explanatory of the contemplated Beings,
and we have made them evident to thy contemplating eyes. Nevertheless, since now
also they who stand reverently around the Hierarch,
Section VII.
Their numberless faces then, and many feet, manifest, as I think, their property
of viewing the most Divine illuminations from many sides, and their conception of
the good things of God as ever active and abundantly receptive; and the sixfold
arrangement of the wings, of which the Scripture speaks, does not, I think, denote,
as seems to some, a sacred number, but that of the highest Essence and Order around
God; the first and middle and last of its contemplative and Godlike powers are altogether
elevating, free, and supermundane. Hence the most holy wisdom of the Oracles, when
reverently describing the formation of the wings, places the wings around their
heads
Section VIII.
Now if they cover their faces and their feet, and fly by their middle wings only,
bear this reverently in mind, that the Order, so far exalted above the highest beings,
is circumspect respecting the more lofty and deep of its conceptions, and raises
itself,
Section IX.
And, as regards the statement of Holy Scripture, that “one cried out to the other,” that shews, I think, that they impart to each other ungrudgingly their own visions of God. And this we should deem worthy of religious recollection, that the Hebrew word in the Holy Scriptures names the most holy Beings of the Seraphim by an explanatory epithet, from their glowing and seething in a Divine and ever-moving life.
Section X.
Since, then, as those who understand Hebrew say, the most Divine Seraphim were
named by the Word of God, “Kindling” and “Heating,” by a name expressive of their
essential condition, they possess, according to the symbolical imagery of the Divine
Muron, most elevating powers, which call it to manifestation and distribution of
most exhilarating perfumes. For the Being, sweet beyond conception, loves to be
moved by the glowing and most pure minds into manifestation, and imparts Its most
Divine inspirations, in cheerful distributions, to those who thus supermundanely
call It forth. Thus the most Divine Order of supercelestial Beings did
Section XI.
But further, the perfecting unction of the Muron gives to him who has been initiated in the most sacred initiation of the Birth in God, the abiding of the supremely Divine Spirit; the sacred imagery of the symbols, portraying, as I think, the most Divine Spirit abundantly supplied by Him, Who, for our sakes, has been sanctified as man by the supremely Divine Spirit, in an unaltered condition of His essential Godhead.
Section XII.
And bear this also hierarchically in mind, that the Law of the most pure initiation
completes the sacred consecration of the Divine Altar, by the all pure effusions
of the most holy Muron. And the supercelestial and superessential contemplation
is source and essence, and perfecting power, of all our deifying holiness. For if
our most Divine Altar is Jesus—the supremely Divine sanctifying of the Godly
Minds —in Whom, according to the Logion, “being sanctified and mystically offered
as a whole burnt-offering, we have the access,” let us gaze with supermundane eyes
upon the most Divine Altar itself (in which things being perfected, are perfected
and sanctified), being perfected from the most Divine Muron itself; for
I. Concerning sacerdotal Consecrations.
Section I.
Such, then, is the most Divine perfecting work of the Muron But it may be opportune, after these Divine ministrations, to set forth the sacerdotal Orders and elections themselves, and their powers, and operations, and consecrations, and the triad of the superior ranks under them; in order that the arrangement of our Hierarchy may be demonstrated, as entirely rejecting and excluding the disordered, the unregulated, and the confused; and, at the same time, choosing and manifesting the regulated and ordered, and well-established, in the gradations of the sacred Ranks within it. Now we have well shewn, as I think, in the Hierarchies already extolled by us, the threefold division of every Hierarchy, when we affirmed that our sacred tradition holds, that every Hierarchical transaction is divided into the most Divine Mystic Rites, and the inspired experts and teachers of them, and those who are being religiously initiated by them.
Section II.
Thus the most holy Hierarchy of the supercelestial Beings has, for its initiation,
its own possible and most immaterial conception of God and things Divine, and the
complete likeness to God, and a persistent
And each of the three divisions of our Hierarchy, comformably to that of the Law, and the Hierarchy, more divine than ours, is arranged as first and middle and last in power; consulting both reverent proportion, and well-ordered and concordant fellowship of all things in harmonious rank.
Section III.
The most holy ministration, then, of the Mystic Rites has, as first Godlike power,
the holy cleansing of the uninitiated; and as middle, the enlightening instruction
of the purified; and as last, and summary of the former, the perfecting of those
instructed in
Section IV.
This, then, is the all-sacred Law of the Godhead, that, through the first, the
second are conducted to Its most Divine splendour. Do we not see the material substances
of the elements, first approaching, by preference, things which are more congenial
It is, then, the function of these, the first contemplators of God, to exhibit ungrudgingly to those second, in proportion to their capacity, the Divine visions reverently gazed upon by themselves, and to reveal the things relating to the Hierarchy (since they have been abundantly instructed with a perfecting science in all matters relating to their own Hierarchy, and have received the effectual power of instruction), and to impart sacred gifts according to fitness, since they scientifically and wholly participate in sacerdotal perfection.
Section V.
The Divine Rank of the Hierarchs, then, is the first of the God-contemplative
Ranks; and it is, at the same time, highest and lowest; inasmuch as every Order
of our Hierarchy is summed up and fulfilled in it. For, as we see every Hierarchy
terminated in the Lord Jesus, so we see each terminated in its own inspired Hierarch.
Now the power of the Hierarchical Rank permeates the whole
Section VI.
It is, then, the Hierarchical Rank which, full of the perfecting power, pre-eminently
completes the perfecting functions of the Hierarchy, and reveals lucidly the sciences
of the holy mysteries, and teaches their proportionate and sacred conditions and
powers. But the illuminating Rank of the Priests conducts those, who are being initiated
under the Rank of, the inspired Hierarchs, to the
Section VII.
We have shewn, then, that the Rank of the Hierarchs is consecrating and perfecting,
that of the Priests, illuminating and conducting to the light; and that of the Leitourgoi
purifying and discriminating; that is to say, the Hierarchical Rank is appointed
not only to perfect, but also at the same time, to enlighten and to purify, and has
within itself the purifying sciences of the power of the Priests together with the
illuminating. For the inferior Ranks cannot cross to the superior functions, and,
besides this, it is not permitted to them to take in hand such quackery as that.
Now the more Divine Orders know also, together with their own, the sacred sciences
subordinate to their own perfection. Nevertheless, since the sacerdotal orderings
of the well-arranged and unconfused order of the Divine operations are images of
Divine operations, they were arranged in Hierarchical distinctions, shewing in themselves
the illuminations marshalled into the first, and middle, and last, sacred operations
and Ranks; manifesting, as I said, in themselves the well-ordered and
II. Mysterion of Sacerdotal Consecrations.
The Hierarch, then, being led to the Hierarchical consecration, after he has
bent both his knees before the Altar, has upon his head
III. Contemplation.
Section I.
These things, then, are common both to the Hierarchs, and Priests, and Leitourgoi, in their sacerdotal consecrations,—the conducting to the Divine Altar and kneeling,—the imposition of the Hierarchical hand,—the cruciform seal,—the announcement of name,—the completing salutation.
And special and select for the Hierarchs is the imposition of the Oracles upon the head, since the subordinate Ranks have not this; and for the Priests the bending of both knees, since the consecration of the Leitourgoi has not this; for the Leitourgoi, as has been said, bend the one of two knees only.
Section II.
The conducting then to the Divine Altar, and kneeling, suggests to all those
who are being sacerdotally ordained, that their own life is entirely placed under
God, as source of consecration, and that their
Section III.
And the imposition of the Hierarchical hand signifies at once the consecrating protection, by which, as holy children, they are paternally tended, which bequeaths to them a sacerdotal condition and power, and drives away their adverse powers, and teaches, at the same time also, to perform the sacerdotal operations, as those who, having been consecrated, are acting under God, and have Him as Leader of their own operations in every respect.
Section IV.
And the cruciform seal manifests the inaction of all the impulses of the flesh, and the God-imitated life looking away unflinchingly to the manly most Divine life of Jesus, Who came even to Cross and death with a supremely Divine sinlessness, and stamped those who so live with the cruciform image of His own sinlessness as of the same likeness.
Section V.
And the Hierarch calls aloud the name of the consecrations and of those consecrated,
the mystery denoting that the God-beloved consecrator is
Section VI.
Now the salutation, for the completion of the sacerdotal consecration, has a
religious significance. For all the members of the sacerdotal Ranks present, as
well as the Hierarch himself who has consecrated them, salute the ordained. For
when, by sacerdotal habits and powers, and by Divine call and dedication, a religious
mind has attained to sacerdotal completion, he is dearly loved by the most holy
Orders of the same rank, being conducted to a most Godlike comeliness, loving the
minds similar to himself, and religiously loved by them in return. Hence it is that
the mutual sacerdotal salutation is religiously performed, proclaiming the religious
Section VII
These things, as I said, are common to the whole sacerdotal consecration. The
Hierarch, however, as a distinctive mark, has the Oracles most reverently placed
upon his head. For since the perfecting power and science of the whole Priesthood
is bequeathed to the inspired Hierarchs, by the supremely Divine and perfecting
goodness, naturally are placed upon the heads of the Hierarchs the Divinely transmitted
Oracles, which set forth comprehensively and scientifically every teaching of God,
work of God, manifestation of God, sacred word, sacred work, in one word, all the
Divine and sacred works and words bequeathed to our Hierarchy by the beneficent
Godhead; since the Godlike Hierarch, having participated entirely in the whole Hierarchical
power, will not only be illuminated, in the true and God-transmitted science of
all the sacred words and works committed to the Hierarchy, but will also transmit
them to others in Hierarchical proportions, and will perfect Hierarchically in most
Divine kinds of knowledge and the highest mystical, instructions, all the most perfecting
functions of the whole Hierarchy. And the distinctive feature of the ordination
of Priests, as contrasted with the ordering
Section VIII.
The bending then denotes the subordinate introduction of the conductor, who places
under God that which is reverently introduced. And since, as we have often said,
the three Orders of the consecrators, through the three most holy Mystic Rites and
powers, preside over the three ranks of those initiated, and minister their saving
introduction under the Divine yokes, naturally the order of Leitourgoi as only purifying,
ministers the one introduction of those who are being purified, by placing it under
the Divine Altar, since in it the minds being purified, are supermundanely hallowed.
And the Priests bend both their knees, since those who are religiously brought nigh
by them have not only been purified, but have been ministerially perfected into
a contemplative habit and power of a life thoroughly cleansed by their most luminous,
ministrations through instruction. And the Hierarchy bending both his knees, has
upon his head the God-transmitted Oracles, leading, through his office of Hierarch,
those who have been purified by the Leitourgic power, and enlightened by the ministerial,
to the science of the holy things contemplated by them in proportion to their capacities,
and through this science perfecting those who are brought nigh, into the most complete
holiness of which they are capable.
I. Concerning the Ranks of the Initiated.
Section I.
These, then, are the sacerdotal Ranks and elections, their powers, and operations,
and consecrations. We must next explain the triad of the Ranks being initiated under
them. We affirm then that the multitudes, of whom we have already made mention,
who are dismissed from the ministrations and consecrations, are Ranks under purification;
since one is being yet moulded and fashioned by the Leitourgoi through the obstetric
Oracles to a living birth; and another is yet to be called back to the holy life,
from which it had departed, by the hortatory teaching of the good Oracles; and another,
as being yet terrorized, through want of manliness, by opposing fears, and being
fortified by the strengthening Oracles; and another, as being yet led back from
the worse to holy efforts; and another as having been led back, indeed, but not
yet having a chaste fixedness in more Godlike and tranquil habits. For these are
the Orders under purification, by the nursing and purifying power of the Leitourgoi.
These, the Leitourgoi perfect, by their sacred powers, for the purpose of their
being brought, after their complete cleansing, to the enlightening contemplation
and participation in the most luminous ministrations.
Section II.
And a middle rank is the contemplative, which participates in certain Divine Offices in all purity, according to its capacity, which is assigned to the Priests for its enlightenment.
For it is evident, in my opinion, that, that having been cleansed from all unholy impurity, and having acquired the pure and unmoved steadfastness of its own mind, is led back, ministerially, to the contemplative habit and power, and communicates the most Divine symbols, according to its capability, filled with every holy joy in their contemplations and communions, mounting gradually to the Divine love of their science, through their elevating powers. This, I affirm, is the rank of the holy people, as having passed through complete purification, and deemed worthy, as far as is lawful, both of the reverent vision, and participation of the most luminous Mystic Rites.
Section III.
Now the rank, higher than all the initiated, is the sacred Order of the Monks,
which, by reason of an entirely purified purification, through complete power and
perfect chastity of its own operations, has attained to intellectual contemplation
and communion in every ministration which it is lawful for it to contemplate, and
is conducted by the most perfecting powers of the Hierarchs, and taught by their
inspired illuminations and hierarchical traditions the ministrations of the Mystic
Rites, contemplated,
II. Mysterion on Monastic Consecration.
The Priest then stands before the Divine Altar, religiously pronouncing the invocation
for Monks. The ordinand stands behind the Priest, neither bending both knees, nor
one of them, nor having upon his head the Divinely-transmitted Oracles, but only
standing near the Priest, who pronounces over him the mystical invocation. When
the Priest has finished this, he approaches the ordinand, and asks him first, if
he bids farewell to all the distracted—not lives only, but also imaginations.
Then he sets before him the most perfect life, testifying that it is his bounden
duty to surpass the ordinary life. When
III. Contemplation.
Section I.
The fact that he bends neither knee, nor has upon his head the Divinely-transmitted Oracles, but stands by the Priest, who pronounces the invocation, signifies, that the monastic Rank is not for leading others, but stands by itself, in a monastic and holy state, following the sacerdotal Ranks, and readily conducted by them, as a follower, to the Divine science of sacred things, according to its capacity.
Section II.
And the renunciation of the divided, not only lives, but even imaginations, shews the most perfect love of wisdom in the Monks, which exercises itself in science of the unifying commandments. For it is, as I said, not of the middle Rank of the initiated, but of the higher than all.
Section III.
Therefore many of the things, which are done without reproach by the middle Rank,
are forbidden
Section IV.
The casting aside of the former clothing, and the taking a different, is intended to shew the transition from a middle religious life to the more perfect; just as, during the holy Birth from God, the exchange of the clothing denoted the elevation of a thoroughly purified life, to a contemplative and enlightened condition. And even if now also the Priest, and all the religious present, salute the man ordained, understand from this the holy fellowship of the Godlike, who lovingly congratulate each other in a Divine rejoicing.
Section V.
Last of all, the Priest calls the ordained to the supremely Divine Communion,
shewing religiously
Section VI.
But thou wilt say that the Ranks undergoing purification utterly fall short of
the Heavenly Hierarchies (for it is neither permitted nor true to say that any heavenly
Ordering is defiled), yea, I would altogether affirm myself, that they are entirely
without blemish, and possess a perfect purity above this world, unless I had completely
fallen away from a religious mind. For if any of them should have become captive
to evil, and have fallen from the heavenly and undefiled harmony of the divine Minds,
he would be brought to the gloomy fall of the rebellious multitudes. But one may
reverently say with regard to the Heavenly Hierarchy, that the illuminating from
God in things hitherto unknown is a purification to the subordinate Beings, leading
them to a more perfect science of the supremely Divine kinds of knowledge, and purifying
them as far as possible from the ignorance of those things of which they had not
hitherto the science, conducted, as they are, by the first and more Divine Beings
to the higher and more luminous splendours of the visions of God: and so there are
Ranks being illuminated and perfected, and purifying and illuminating and perfecting,
after the example of the Heavenly Hierarchy; since the highest and more Divine Beings
purify the subordinate, holy, and reverent Orders, from all ignorance (in ranks
and proportions of the Heavenly Hierarchies), and filling them with the most Divine
illuminatings, and perfecting in the most pure science of the supremely Divine conceptions.
For we have already said, and
I. Concerning things performed over those fallen asleep.
Section I.
These things having been defined, I think it necessary also to describe the things
religiously performed by us over those who have fallen asleep. For neither is this
also the same between the holy and the unholy; but, as the form of life of each
is different, so also, when approaching death, those who have led a religious life,
by looking steadfastly to the unfailing promises of the Godhead (inasmuch as they
have observed their proof, in the resurrection proclaimed by it), come to the goal
of death, with firm and unfailing hope, in godly rejoicing, knowing that at the
end of holy contests their condition will be altogether in a perfect and endless
life and safety, through their future entire resurrection
Section II.
Now, amongst the profane, some
Section III.
Now, whilst none of these attain the repose of the holy men, he himself, when coming to the end of his own struggles, is filled with a holy consolation, and with much satisfaction enters the path of the holy regeneration. The familiar friends, however, of him who has fallen asleep, as befits their divine familiarity and fellowship, pronounce him blessed, whoever he is, as having reached the desired end crowned with victory, and they send up odes of thanksgiving to the Author of victory, praying also that they may reach the same inheritance. Then they take him and bring him to the Hierarch, as to a bequest of holy crowns; and he right gladly receives him, and performs the things fixed by reverend men, to be performed over those who have piously fallen asleep.
II. Mysterion over those who have religiously fallen asleep.
The Divine Hierarch collects the reverend Choir, and if the person who has fallen
asleep were of the sacerdotal rank, he lays him down before the Divine Altar, and
begins with the prayer and thanksgiving
III. Contemplation.
Section I.
Now, if the profane should see or hear that these things are done by us, they
will, I suppose, split with laughter, and commiserate us on our, folly. But
Section II.
Now, the Chants and Readings of the supremely Divine promises are explanatory
of the most blessed inheritances, to which those, who have attained a Divine perfection,
shall be eternally appointed, and
Section III.
Observe, however, that not all the ranks under purification are customarily dismissed, but only the catechumens are expelled from the holy places, for this class is entirely uninitiated in every holy Rite, and is not permitted to view any of the religious celebrations, great or small, inasmuch as it has not participated in the faculty of contemplating the holy mysteries, through the Birth from God, which is Source and gift of light. The rest, however, of the ranks under purification, have already been under instruction in sacred tradition; but, as they have foolishly returned to an evil course it is incumbent to complete their proper elevation in advance, and they are reasonably dismissed from the supremely Divine contemplations and communions, as in holy symbols; for they will be injured, by partaking of them unholily, and will come to a greater contempt of the Divine Mysteries and themselves.
Section IV.
Naturally, however, they are present at the things now done, being clearly taught
by seeing both the fearlessness of death amongst us, and the last honour of the
saints extolled from the unfailing Oracles, and that the sufferings threatened to
the unholy
Section V.
Then the Divine Hierarch, advancing, offers a holy prayer over the man fallen
asleep. After the prayer, both the Hierarch himself salutes him, and next all who
are present. Now the prayer beseeches the supremely Divine Goodness to remit to
the man fallen asleep all the failings committed by reason of human infirmity, and
to transfer him in light and land of living, into the bosom of Abraham, and Isaac,
and Jacob: in a place where grief and sorrow and sighing are no more. It is evident,
then, as I think, that these, the rewards of the pious, are most blessed. For what
can be equal to an immortality entirely without grief and luminous with light. Especially
if all the promises which pass man’s understanding, and which are signified to us
by signs adapted to our capacity, fall short, in their description, of their actual
truth. For we must
Section VI.
But thou mayst, perhaps, say that these things are correctly affirmed by us,
indeed, but want to know for what reason the Hierarch beseeches the supremely Divine
Goodness, for the remission of the faults committed by the man fallen asleep, and
his most glorious inheritance, amongst godly men of the same rank. For, if every
one shall receive, by the Divine justice, equivalents for what he has done in the
present life, whether it be good or different, and the man fallen asleep has finished
his own activities in this present life, from what prayer offered by the Hierarch
will he be transferred to another inheritance, than that due to and equivalent for
his life here? Now, well do I know, following the Oracles, that each one will have
the inheritance equivalent; for the Lord says, he has closed respecting him, and
each one shall receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done,
whether it
Nevertheless, according to the Oracles, I affirm that the intercessions of the
pious are, in every respect, profitable in this present life, after the following
fashion. If any one, longing for holy gifts, and having a religious disposition
for their reception, as recognizing his own insufficiency, approaches some pious
man, and should prevail upon him to become his fellow-helper, and fellow-suppliant,
he will be benefitted in every respect, thereby, with a benefit superior to all;
for he will attain the most Divine gifts he prays for, since the supremely Divine
Goodness assists him, as well as his pious
If any one, then, should despise this sacred regulation, and betaking himself
to a wretched self-conceit, should deem himself sufficient for the supremely Divine
Converse, and look down upon pious men, and if he should further request requests,
unworthy of God, and not holy, and if he should have his aspiration for things divine
not sustained, and correlative to himself, he will fail in his ignorant request,
through his own fault. Now, with reference to the prayer mentioned, which the Hierarch
prays over the man fallen asleep, we think it necessary to mention the tradition
which has come to us from our inspired leaders. The Divine Hierarch, as the Oracles
say, is interpreter of the supremely Divine awards; for he is messenger of the Lord
God Omnipotent. He has learned then, from the God-transmitted Oracles, that to those
who have passed their life piously, the most bright and divine life is given in
return, according to their due, by the most just balances, the Divine Love towards
man overlooking, through its goodness, the stains which have come to them through
human
Section VII.
Now, the Hierarch knew these things to have been promised by
the infallible Oracles; and he asks, that these things may come to pass, and
that the righteous returns
be given to those who have lived piously, whilst being moulded beneficently to the
Divine imitation, he beseeches gifts for others, as favours to himself; and, whilst
knowing that the promises will be unfailing, he makes known clearly to those present,
that the things asked by him, according to a holy law, will be entirely realized
for those who have been perfected in a Divine life. For the Hierarch, the expounder
of the supremely Divine Justice, would never seek things, which were not most pleasing
to the Almighty God, and divinely promised to be given by Him
Section VIII.
Let us now proceed to that, which follows the prayer mentioned. When the Hierarch has finished it, he first salutes the fallen asleep, and next, all who are present; for dear and honoured by all Godlike men is he who has been perfected in a Divine life. After the salutation, the Hierarch pours the oil upon the man fallen asleep. And remember, that during the sacred Birth from God, before the most Divine Baptism, a first participation of a holy symbol is given to the man initiated—the oil of Chrism—after the entire removal of the former clothing; and now, at the conclusion of all, the Oil is poured upon the man fallen asleep. Then indeed the anointing with the Oil summoned the initiated to the holy contests; and now the Oil poured upon him shews the fallen asleep to have struggled, and to have been made perfect, throughout those same contests.
Section IX.
When the Hierarch has finished these things, he places the body in an honourable
chamber, with
Section X.
Now, as regards the consecrating” invocations, it is not permitted to explain
them in writing, nor may we bring their mysterious meaning, or the powers from God
working in them, from secrecy to publicity; but, as our sacred tradition holds,
by learning these, through quiet instructions, and being perfected to a more Godlike
condition and elevation, through Divine love and religious exercises, thou wilt
be borne by the consecrating enlightenment to their highest science.
Section XI.
Now the fact that even children, not yet able to understand the things Divine,
become recipients of the holy Birth in God, and of the most holy symbols of the
supremely Divine Communion, seems, as you say, to the profane, a fit subject for
reasonable laughter, if the Hierarchs teach things Divine to those not able to hear,
and vainly transmit the sacred traditions to those who do not understand. And this
is still more laughable—that others, on their behalf, repeat the abjurations
and the sacred compacts. But thy Hierarchical judgment must not be too hard upon
those who are led astray, but, persuasively, and for the purpose of leading them
to the light, reply affectionately to the objections alleged by them, bringing forward
this fact, in accordance with sacred rule, that not all things Divine are comprehended
in our knowledge, but many of the things, unknown by us, have causes beseeming God,
unknown to us indeed, but well known to the Ranks above us. Many things also escape
even the most exalted Beings, and are known distinctly by the All-Wise and Wise-making
Godhead alone. Further, also, concerning this, we affirm the same things which our
Godlike initiators conveyed to us, after initiations from the early
The Hierarch imparts to the child the sacred, symbols, in order that he may be
nourished by
Thanks be to God.
JOHN PARKER.
All Saints’ Day,
1898.
Athens. a.d.
Hierotheus | 52 |
Dionysius the Areopagite | 58 |
Narcissus | 67 |
Publius | 118-124 |
Quadratus, who presented Apology to Hadrian | 126 |
Toledo.
1. Eugenius | 69-121 |
2. Melantius | |
3. Pelagius | |
4. Patrummus | |
5. Eusebius | |
6. Quintus | |
7. Vincentius Eugenius Marcellus was consecrated at Arles by Dionysius the Areopagite | 68-69 |
The list at Toledo is as complete as the list at Milan. |
Paris. a.d.
Dionysius the Areopagite | 70-119 |
Mallo | |
Martianus | |
Victor | |
Maurianus | |
Martinus |
Arles.
St. Trophimus | c. 46 |
Dionysius the Areopagite | 68–70 |
St. Regulus | |
St. Felix | 140 |
Gratius | 160 |
Ambrosius | |
Anastinus | |
Ingenuus | |
Augustinus | |
Hieronymus | |
Savitius | |
Martianus |
|
St. Marin | 314 |
Milan.
1. Anotolone, G. | 51–64 |
2. Cajo, R. |
64–85 |
3. Castrinziano, M. | 97–137 |
4. Calivero, G. | 138–190 |
5. St. Mona, M. | 192–250 |
6. St. Materno, M. | 252–304 |
7. St. Mirocle, M. | 304–325 |
136 Bishops to 1898, St. Ambrose, 11th Bishop, | 374–397 |
Metropolitans of London, from King Lucius to Pagan expulsion, 586, from list of Jocelyn, 12th century, to be found in Stow, Ussher, Godwin, and Fasti of Le Neve.
1. Theonus, in time of King Lucius (186–193 A.D.). He built the church of St. Peter, Cornhill.
2. Elvanus, messenger from Lucius to Eleutherus, Bishop of Rome, by whom he was consecrated.
3. Cadwr, or Cadoc. Name occurs at Caerleon.
4. Obinus. See Ussher, Antiq., p. 67. No date.
5. Conan. No date.
6. Palladius. “Bishop of Britain."
7. Stephanus. No date.
8. Iltutus, Abbot of the School of Llandaff.
9. Theodwin, or Dedwin. No date.
10. Theodred. No date.
11. Hilarius.
12. Restitutus, who attended Council of Arles, A.D. 314.
13. Guitelinus. Mentioned by Geoffrey of Monmouth, Hist.VI. cc. 2–6.
14. Vodinus. Put to death, 453.
15. Theonus 2nd. Translated from Gloucester, 542; fled to Wales, 586. To these may be added
16. Fastidius, Bishop of Britain, A.D. 431.
Metropolitans of York, from Godwin, Bishop of Llandaff, 1601.
1. Sampson, appointed by King Lucius.
2. Taurinus, Bishop of Evreux, “Ebroicensis.”
3. Eborius, at Arles, A.D. 314.
4. Sampson, or Saxo, expelled by Saxons, and transferred his pall to Dol in Brittany; consecrated, 490. Geoffrey, Hist. VIII. 12, IX. 8.
5. Pirah, appointed by King Arthur, A.D. 522, in place of Sampson, A.D. 522. Ibid. IX. 8.
6. Thadiacus fled to Wales, A.D. 586. Geoff. Hist. XI. 10.
There was also Faganus, a messenger to Eleutherus from King Lucius. Perhaps it was he who founded the See of Congresbury, not far from what is now Wells, which lasted till 721.
Isle of Man.
Amphibalus was Bishop of Man before a.d. 447, in which year St. Patrick consecrated Germanus to Man.
Whithern.
St. Ninian, Bishop of Whithern (subsequently in the Province of York), was consecrated by Pope Siricius, a.d. 394; retired to Ireland, 420; died, 432.
Province of Caerleon.
1. Dyfan (Missionaries of Eleutherus).
2. Ffagan
3. Elldyrn.
4. Edyfield. Adelfius at Aries in 314. He is claimed also by Colchester and Lincoln.
5. Cadwr.
6. Cynan.
7. Ilan.
8. Llewyr.
9. Cyhelyn.
10. Guitelin.
11. Tremorinus, died about 490, and was succeeded by Dubritius of Llandaff, after which the Primacy seems to have wavered between Llandaff and Menevia. Geoff. Hist. VIII. 10.
Dubritius consecrated in 449 (Benedict of Gloster); in 490 (Geoffrey), Bishop
of Llandaff, and became Metropolitan on the death of Tremorinus, as stated' above,
but his seat remained at Llandaff.
St. David, 1st Bishop of Menevia, was consecrated at Jerusalem, with two companions
After him came Teilo, consecrated at the same time as St. David, at Jerusalem, A.D. 519, to Llandaff. He succeeded to the Metropolitan's office on St. David's death, retaining Llandaff, and consecrating Ismael to St. David's as a Suffragan Bishop.
Simon the Cananite, afterwards Bishop of Jerusalem, having preached the Gospel in Britain (“Apostolic Constitutions,” Lagarde, p. 284); as also Aristobulus, ordained by St. Paul “Bishop for Britain” (Migne, ser. Graeca, tome III.); there must have been many Bishops in Britain before King Lucius was able to supersede the Druid by the Christian organisation. “Within ten years after the arrival of Joseph of Arimathea, the first-fruit of Britain was sent to Rome, for instruction and consecration. He founded a Church in Beatenberg, Switzerland.
For Bishops in France, see Gallia Christiana.
For Bishops in Britain, see Archbishop Parker, Alford, “St. Paul in Britain,” Wakeman.
For lists given, my thanks are due to the Archbishops of Athens and York, Canon Bernard, and the Rev. Bainbridge Smith, author of “English Orders, whence obtained.”
JOHN PARKER.
1. Washing of feet.
2. Anointing of sick with prayer for healing.
3. Anointing with Oil and Muron in Baptism.
4. Anointing with Muron for Consecration.
5. Trine immersion in Baptism.
6. Incense offered to God's Holy Name.
D. = Vol. I.; H. = Vol. II.
Agnosia, D. i, 21–9, 130–3, 141, 144
Angels, St. Paul's teaching, H. 23
Anomia (Lawlessness), D. 156-8
Apostles and Successors, D. 160
Archetypes, D. 36-7; H. 11, 81, 91, 92, 112
Baptism, H. 75, 86, 89, 158
Burial, H. 145–159
Consecration, H. 90, 106
Contemplation, H. 51, 70, 80, 91, 111, 124, 132, 141, 149
Dedication of Monk, 139–41
Deification, D. 26–96, 104, 117; H. 3, 77, 80, 88, 97
Diptychs; H. 90–102
Evil, D. 52, 72.
God-Parents; H. 160
Hierarch, D. 160; H. 44, 69, 72, 79, 89, 110, 131, 136, 148, 157
Holy Communion, H. 87–109, 90, 97, 106, 108
Incense, H. 89, 92, 110, 113
Jesus, D. 16, 21, 22, 23, 117, 124, 142, 143, 149,156, 162, 165; H. 20, 27, 67, 70, 92, 94, 95, 104, 106, 107, 115, 120, 122, 127, 133, 134
Monad, D. 5, 110, 123, 124; H. 31
Muron, H. 110–122
Mystic, D. 21, 31, 167
Nature, of God, D. 91, 124, 134; of life, D. 84, 79; causes of life, D. 7; corruption of life, D. 64, 65
Oracles, Mystic, H. 7; Intelligible, H. 44; given by God, H. 131; Canon of truth, D. 15; Source of Theology, D. 12; Essence of Hierarchy, H. 72, 96, 138
Ordination, Bishop, Priest, and Deacon, H. 131–7
Paradeigma, D. 81; H. 4r,
Prayer, D. 27, 28; H. 153–158; for ungodly, 154
Providence, D. 9, 11, 27, 32, 34, 44, 48, 70, 73, 104, 115, 117, 120, 158; H. 17, 39
Symbolic Theology, D. 167 Symbols, D. 172; H. 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 26, 105
Tradition, D. 6, 16, 21, 170 Triad, D. 17, 27, 37, 79, 125
Unction, H. 78, 80, 158
Genesis
Exodus
3:2 3:14 3:14 4:14 7:14 19:21 23:4 30:10
Leviticus
Numbers
4:15 12:3-8 12:10 15:3 16:1-11 24:17
Deuteronomy
Joshua
1 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
2 Chronicles
Nehemiah
Job
Psalms
15:3 19:1-14 22:6 51:9 91:11 112:10 119:18 136:5 139:6 145:13
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
6:2 28:21 30:18 38:8 39:1 46:3
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
1:6 1:6-8 1:7 1:10 1:10 1:10 1:10 1:10 1:10 1:10
Daniel
Hosea
Zechariah
Malachi
Matthew
1:1-16 2:13 5:45 5:48 6:19 7:23 12:26 20:15 22:28 23:5 23:34 28:3
Mark
Luke
10:16 11:9 15:7 15:20 16:10 23:34 23:44
John
1:1 1:1 1:1 1:4 1:5 1:9 1:13 1:18 3:5 5:21 6:63 7:14 7:38 12:46 13:4-14 13:11 13:11 14:23 15:26
Acts
1:8 1:10 1:24 6:15 7:53 10:3 15:7 15:16 15:21 19:2 20:4
Romans
1:27 2:23 5:2 11:21 11:29 11:33 11:33 11:36 12:3-6 12:21 13:1-2 16:21
1 Corinthians
1:30 1:30 2:7 3:9 8:5-6 8:7 10:16 13:5
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
Revelation
Wisdom of Solomon
2 Maccabees
v vi vii x xi xii xiii xiv xv xvi xvii 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 139 p140 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 vi vii viii ix x xi xii xiii xiv xv xvi xvii xviii xix xx 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168