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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CAPUT II. unio et distinctio.

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Τὴν θεαρχικὴν ὅλην ὕπαρξιν ὅ τι ποτέ ἐστιν ἡ αὐτοαγαθότης ἀφορίζουσα καὶ ἐκφαίνουσα πρὸς τῶν λογίων ὑμνηται. Καὶ τί γὰρ ἄλλο μαθεῖν ἔστιν ἐκ τῆς ἱερᾶς θεολογίας, ὁπόταν φησὶ τὴν θεαρχίαν αὐτὴν ὑφηγουμένην εἰπεῖν· Τί με ἐρωτᾷς περὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ; οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς, εἰ μὴ μόνος ὁ Θεός.

Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν, καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις ἐξετασθὲν, ἡμῖν ἀποδέδεικται, τὸ πάσας ἀεὶ τὰς θεοπρεπεῖς θεωνυμίας οὐ μερικῶς, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς ὅλης καὶ παντελοῦς, καὶ ὁλοκλήρου καὶ πλήρους θεότητος ὑπὸ τῶν λογίων ὑμνεῖσθαι, καὶ πάσας αὐτὰς, ἀμερῶς, ἀπολύτως, ἀπαρατηρήτως, ὁλικῶς, ἅπάσῃ τῇ ὁλότῃτι τῆς ὁλοτελοῦς, καὶ πάσης θεότητος ἀνατίθεσθαι. Καὶ γοῦν, ὡς ἐν ταῖς θεολογικαῖς ὑποτυπώσεσιν ὑπεμνήσαμεν, εἰ μὴ περὶ τῆς ὅλης θεότητος φαίη τῆς τοῦτο εἰρῆσθαι, βλασφημεῖ, καὶ ἀποσχίζειν ἀθέσμως τολμᾷ τὴν ὑπερηνωμένην ἑνάδα. Ῥητέον οὖν, ὡς ἐπὶ πάσης θεότητος αὐτὸ ἐκληπτέον· καὶ γὰρ αὐτός τε ὁ ἀγαθοφυὴς ἔφη Λόγος, Ἐγὼ ἀγαθός εἰμι· καί τις τῶν θεολήπτων προφητῶν ὑμνεῖ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἀγαθόν. Καὶ αὖθις τό· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν, εἰ μὴ καθ' ὅλης φήσουσι τῆς θεότητος ὑμνεῖσθαι, καθ' ἓν δὲ μέρος αὐτὴ περιγράφαι βιάσαιντο, πῶς ἀκούσονται τοῦ· Τάδε λέγει ὁ ὢν, ὃς ἦν, ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ὁ παντοκράτωρ· καί· Σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐτός εἶ· καὶ τό· Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ ὃν, ὁ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται; Καὶ εἰ μὴ ὅλην εἶναι φασι τὴν θεαρχικὴν ζωὴν, πῶς ἀληθὴς ὁ φήσας ἱερὸς λόγος· Ὥσπερ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκρούς, καὶ ζωοποιεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζωοποιεῖ· καί· Ὅτι τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστι τὸ ζωοποιοῦν; Ὅτι δὲ καὶ τὴν κυρείαν ἔχει τῶν ὅλων ἡ ὅλη θεότης, περὶ μὲν τῆς θεογόνου θεότητος, ἢ τῆς υἱικῆς οὐδὲ εἰπεῖν ἔστιν, ὡς οἶμαι, ποσαχῇ τῆς θεολογίας ἐπὶ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ διαθρολλεῖται τὸ Κύριος· ἀλλὰ καὶ Κύριος τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστι. Καὶ τὸ καλὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ σοφὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ὅλης θεότητος ὑμνεῖται, καὶ τὸ φῶς, καὶ τὸ θεσποτικὸν, καὶ τὸ αἴτιον, καὶ πάντα ὅσα τῆς ὅλης θεαρχίας ἐστὶν, εἰς πᾶσαν ἀνάγει τὰ λόγια τὴν θεαρχικὴν ὑμνωδίαν· περιληπτικῶς μὲν, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Τὰ πάντα ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ· διεξοδικῶς δὲ, ὡς ὅταν φαίνῃ· Τὰ πάντα δι’ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισταί, καὶ· Τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκε· καὶ· Ἐξαποστελεῖς τὸ πνεῦμά σου, καὶ κτισθήσονται. Καὶ ἵνα συλλήβδην φαίη τις, αὐτὸς ὁ θεαρχικὸς ἔφη Λόγος· Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἓν ἐσμεν, καὶ, Πάντα ὅσα ἔχει ὁ Πατὴρ, ἐμά ἐστι, καὶ, Πάντα τὰ ἐμὰ, σὰ ἐστι, καὶ τὰ σὰ, ἐμά. Καὶ αὖθις, ὅσα ἐστι τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ αὐτοῦ, τῷ θεαρχικῷ Πνεύματι κοινωνικῶς καὶ ἡνωμένως ἀνατίθησι, τὰς θεουργίας, τὸ σέβας, τὴν πηγαίαν καὶ ἀνέκλειπτον αἰτίαν, καὶ διανομὴν τῶν ἀγαθοπρεπῶν δώρων. Καὶ οὐδένα τῶν ἐν τοῖς θείοις λογίοις ἀδιαστρόφοις ἐννοίαις ἐντεθραμμένων, οἶμαι πρὸς τοῦτο ἀντερεῖν, ὅτι τὰ θεοπρεπῆ πάντα τῇ ὅλῃ θεαρχίᾳ πρόσεστι κατὰ τὸν θεοτελῆ λόγον. Τούτων οὖν ἡμῖν βραχέως μὲν ἐν τούτοις καὶ μερικῶς, ἐν ἄλλοις δὲ ἱκανῶς ἐκ τῶν λογίων ἀποδεδειγμένων τε καὶ διωρισμένων, ὁποίαν ἀναπτύξαι θεωνυμίαν ὀλιχὴν ἐγχειρήσομεν, ἐπὶ τῆς ὅλης αὐτὴν θεότητος ἐκληπτέον.

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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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