On the Divine Names

Dionysius the Areopagite

On the Divine Names

Dionysius the Areopagite

Περὶ θείων ὀνομάτων

On the Divine Names (De divinis nominibus) is the chief theological treatise of the Christian Neoplatonist writing under the name Dionysius the Areopagite, probably in the late fifth or early sixth century. Addressed to Timothy, it unfolds the names predicated of God — Good, Light, Beauty, Love, Being, Life, Wisdom, Power, Justice, and the rest — through thirteen chapters, grounding each name in Scripture and in the tradition of Hierotheus. Its account of divine procession, participation, and the beautiful-and-good became foundational for Byzantine and medieval Latin theology, and it is among the authorities Aquinas cites most. Schola presents the Greek text with the Latin translation of Balthasar Corderius and the English translation of John Parker (1897).


CAPUT I. Quis libri finis, et quae e divinis nominibus prodita tandem esse, et ex rebus sensibilibus non posse cognosci

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Καὶ γοῦν οὐ ταύτας μόνας οἱ θεολόγοι τῆς θεωνυμίας πρεσβεύουσι, τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν παντελῶν ἢ τῶν μερικῶν προνοιῶν, ἢ τῶν προνοουμένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπό τινων ἔσθ’ ὅτε θείων φασμάτων ἐν ταῖς ἱεραῖς ἀνακτόροις, ἢ ἀλλοθί που τοὺς μύστας, ἢ τοὺς προφήτας καταλαμψάντων, κατ’ ἄλλας καὶ ἄλλας αἰτίας τε καὶ δυνάμεις ὀνομάζουσι τὴν ὑπερωνυμίαν καὶ ὑπερούσιον ἀγαθότητα, καὶ μορφὰς αὐτῇ, καὶ τύπους ἀνθρωπικούς, ἢ πυρινούς, ἢ ἠλεκτρίνους περιτιθέασι, καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῆς, καὶ ὦτα, καὶ πλοκάμους, καὶ πρόσωπα, καὶ χεῖρας, καὶ μετάφρενα, καὶ πτερὰ, καὶ βραχίονας, καὶ ὀπίσθια, καὶ πόδας ὑμνοῦσι· στεφάνους τε καὶ θώκους, καὶ ποτήρια, καὶ κρατῆρας αὐτῇ, καὶ ἄλλα ἅττα μυστικὰ περιπλάττουσι, περὶ ὧν ἐν τῇ Συμβολικῇ θεολογίᾳ κατὰ δύναμιν ἐροῦμεν· νῦν δὲ, ὅσα τῆς παρούσης ἐστὶ πραγματείας, ἐκ τῶν λογίων συναγαγόντες, καὶ ὥσπερ τινὶ κανόνι τοῖς εἰρημένοις χρώμενοι, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰ σκοποῦντες, ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνάπτυξιν τῶν νοητῶν θεωνυμιῶν προΐμεν· καὶ ὅπερ ἀεὶ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἡμῖν θεολογίαν ὁ ἱεραρχικὸς θε- συὸς ὑφηγεῖται, θεοπτικῇ διανοίᾳ τὰς θεοειδεῖς ἐποπτεύσωμεν (κυρίως εἰπεῖν) θεωρίας· καὶ ὦτα ἱερὰ ταῖς τῶν ἱερῶν θεωνυμιῶν ἀναπτύξεσι παραθώμεθα, τοῖς ἁγίοις τὰ ἅγια, κατὰ τὴν θείαν παράδοσιν, ἐνιδρύοντες, καὶ τῶν ἀμυήτων αὐτὰ γελώτων καὶ ἐμπαιγμῶν ἐξαιρούμενοι, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐκείνους, εἴπερ ὅλως εἰσὶ τοιοίδε τινὲς ἄνθρωποι, τῆς ἐπὶ τούτῳ θεομαχίας ἀπολυτρούμενοι. Σοὶ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα φυλάξαι χρεὼν, ὦ καλὲ Τιμόθεε, κατὰ τὴν ἱερωτάτην ὑφήγησιν, καὶ μήτε ῥητὰ, μήτε ἔκφορα τὰ θεῖα ποιεῖν εἰς τοὺς ἀμυήτους. Ἐμοὶ δὲ δοίη ὁ θεὸς θεοπρεπῶς ὑμνῆσαι τὰς τῆς ἀκλήτου καὶ ἀκατονομάστου θεότητος ἀγαθουργικὰς πολυωνυμίας, καὶ μὴ περιέλοι λόγον ἀληθείας ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματός μου.

CAPUT II. unio et distinctio.

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CAPUT III. Quae sit vis orationis, et de beato Hierotheo, de religione et conscriptione theologica.

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CAPUT IV. De bono, luce, pulchro, amore, exstasi, zelo; et quod malum neque ens sit, neque ex entibus, neque in entibus.

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CAPUT V. De ente, in quo etiam de exemplaribus.

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CAPUT VI. De vita.

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CAPUT VII. De sapientia, mente, ratione, veritate, fide.

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CAPUT VIII. De potentia, justitia, salute, redemptione; ubi etiam de inaequalitate.

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CAPUT IX. De magno, parvo, eodem, alio, simili, dissimili, statu, motu, aequalitate.

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CAPUT X. De omnitenente, antiquo dierum; in quo etiam de aevo seu aeternitate et tempore.

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CAPUT XI. De pace, quidque sibi velit ipsum per se esse, quae sit per se vita, quae vis ipsa per se, et quae illa coordinat atque conciliat, et quinam sint ejus effectus.

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CAPUT XII. De Sancto sanctorum, Rege regum, Domino dominantium, Deo deorum.

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CAPUT XIII. De perfecto et uno.

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