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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Τοῦ ἀγωτάτου Ἱεροθέου ἐκ τῶν θεολογικῶν στοιχειώσεων.

Ἡ πάντων αἰτία, καὶ ἀποπληρωτική, τοῦ Ἰησοῦ θεότης, ἡ τὰ μέρη τῇ ὁλότητι σύμφωνα διασῴζουσα καὶ οὔτε μέρος οὔτε ὅλον οὖσα, καὶ ὅλον καὶ μέρος, ὡς πᾶν καὶ μέρος καὶ ὅλον ἐν ἑαυτῇ συνειληφυῖα, καὶ ὑπερέχουσα, καὶ προέχουσα, τελεία μὲν ἔστιν ἐν τοῖς ἀτελέσιν, ὡς τελετάρχις· ἀτελὴς δὲ ἐν τοῖς τελείοις, ὡς ὑπερτελὴς καὶ προτέλειος· εἶδος εἰδοποιὸν ἐν τοῖς ἀνειδέοις, ὡς εἰδάρχις, ἀνειδέος ἐν τοῖς εἴδεσιν, ὡς ὑπὲρ εἶδος· οὐσία ταῖς ὅλαις οὐσίαις ἀχράντως ἐπιβατεύουσα, καὶ ὑπερούσιος, ἀπάσης οὐσίας ἐξηρημένη, τὰς ὅλας ἀρχὰς καὶ τάξεις ἀφορίζουσα, καὶ πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ τάξεως ὑπεριδρυμένη. Καὶ μέτρον ἐστὶ τῶν ὄντων, καὶ αἰὼν, καὶ ὑπὲρ αἰῶνα, καὶ πρὸ αἰῶνος· πλήρης ἐν τοῖς ἐνδεέσιν· ὑπερπλήρης ἐν τοῖς πληρέσιν, ἄῤῥητος, ἀφθεγκτος, ὑπὲρ νοῦν, ὑπὲρ ζωήν, ὑπὲρ οὐσίαν· ὑπερφυῶς ἔχει τὸ ὑπερφυὲς, ὑπερουσίως τὸ ὑπερούσιον. Ἵθεν ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἕως φύσεως ὑπὸ φιλανθρωπίας ἐλήλυθε, καὶ ἀληθῶς οὐσιώθη, καὶ ἀνὴρ ὁ ὑπέρθεος ἐχρημάτισεν (πλὴν ὡς εἴη τὰ πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὰ ὑπὲρ νοῦν καὶ λόγον ὑμνούμενα)· κἂν τούτοις ἔχει τὸ ὑπερφυὲς καὶ ὑπερούσιον, οὐ μόνον ᾗ ἀναλλοιώτως ἡμῖν καὶ ἀσυγχύτως κεκοίνωνηκε, μηδὲν πεπονθὼς εἰς τὸ ὑπερπλῆρες αὐτοῦ, πρὸς τῆς ἀφθέγκτου κενώσεως· ἀλλ’ ὅτι καὶ τὸ πάντων καινῶν καινότατον, ἐν τοῖς φυσικοῖς ἡμῶν ὑπερφυὴς ἦν, ἐν τοῖς κατ’ οὐσίαν ὑπερούσιος, πάντα τὰ ἡμῶν ἐξ ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς ὑπερέχων.

§ XI

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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§ XX

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§ XXVII

§ XXVIII

§ XXIX

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§ XXXV

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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