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

§ I

§ II

§ III

§ IV

§ V

§ VI

§ VII

§ VIII

CAPUT II. unio et distinctio.

§ I

§ II

§ III

§ IV

§ V

§ VI

§ VII

§ VIII

§ IX

§ X

§ XI

Τούτων μὲν οὖν ἅλις· ἐπὶ δὲ τὸν τοῦ λόγου σκοπὸν πρόιωμεν, τὰ κοινὰ καὶ ἡνωμένα τῆς διακρίσεως τῆς θείας ὀνόματα, κατὰ τὸ ἡμῖν ἐφικτὸν, ἀνελίττοντες. Καὶ ἵνα σαφῶς περὶ πάντων ἑξῆς προδιορισώμεθα, διάκρισιν θείαν φαμὲν, ὡς εἴρηται, τὰς ἀγαθοπρεπεῖς τῆς θεαρχίας προόδους. Δωρουμένη γὰρ πᾶσι τοῖς οὖσι, καὶ ὑπερχέουσα τὰς τῶν ὅλων ἀγαθῶν μετουσίας, ἡνωμένως μὲν διακρίνεται, πληθύεται δὲ ἐνικῶς, καὶ πολλαπλασιάζεται ἐκ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀνεκφοιτήτως· οἷον, ἐπειδὴ ὢν ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς ὑπερουσίως, δωρεῖται δὲ τὸ εἶναι τοῖς οὖσι, καὶ παράγει τὰς ὅλας οὐσίας, πολλαπλασιάζεσθαι λέγεται τὸ ἓν ὂν ἐκεῖνο τῇ ἐξ αὐτοῦ παραγωγῇ τῶν πολλῶν ὄντων, μένοντος δὲ οὐδὲν ἧττον ἐκείνου, καὶ ἑνὸς ἐν τῷ πληθυσμῷ, καὶ ἡνωμένου κατὰ τὴν πρόοδον, καὶ πλήρους ἐν τῇ διακρίσει, τῷ πάντων εἶναι τῶν ὄντων ὑπερουσίως ἐξηρημένον, καὶ τῇ ἐνιαία τῶν ὅλων προσαγωγῇ, καὶ τῇ ἀνελαττώτῳ χύσει τῶν ἀμειώτων αὐτοῦ μεταδόσεων. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ὢν, καὶ παντὶ μέρει καὶ ὅλῳ, καὶ ἑνὶ καὶ πλήθει, τοῦ ἑνὸς μεταδοὺς, ἓν ἐστιν ὡσαύτως ὑπερουσίως, οὔτε μέρος ὂν τοῦ πλήθους, οὔτε ἐκ μερῶν ὅλον· καὶ οὕτως οὔτε ἓν ἐστιν, οὔτε ἑνὸς μετέχει, οὐδὲ τὸ ἓν ἔχει· πόρρω δὲ τούτων ἕν ἐστιν, ὑπὲρ τὸ ἓν, τοῖς οὖσιν ἓν, καὶ πλῆθος ἀμερές, ἀπλήρωτον ὑπερπλῆρες, πᾶν ἓν καὶ πλῆθος παράγον, καὶ τελειοῦν, καὶ συνέχον. Πάλιν τῇ ἐξ αὐτοῦ θεώσει, τῷ κατὰ δύναμιν ἑκάστου θεοειδεῖ θεῶν πολλῶν γιγνομένων, δοκεῖ μὲν εἶναι καὶ λέγεται τοῦ ἑνὸς Θεοῦ διάκρισις καὶ πολλαπλασιασμός, ἔστι δὲ οὐδὲν ἧττον ὁ ἀρχίθεος καὶ ὑπέρθεος ὑπερουσίως εἷς Θεός, ἀμέριστος ἐν τοῖς μεριστοῖς, ἡνωμένος ἑαυτῷ, καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀμιγὴς καὶ ἀπληθύντος. Καὶ τοῦτο ὑπερφυῶς ἐννοήσας ὁ κοινὸς ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ καθηγεμόνος ἐπὶ τὴν θείαν φωτοδοσίαν χειραγωγός, ὁ πολὺς τὰ θεῖα, τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου, τάδε φησὶν ἐνθεαστικῶς ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς αὐτοῦ γράμμασι· Καὶ γὰρ εἴπερ εἰσὶ λεγόμενοι θεοὶ, εἴτε ἐν οὐρανῷ, εἴτε ἐπὶ γῆς, (ὥσπερούν εἰσι θεοὶ πολλοὶ, καὶ κύριοι πολλοὶ,) ἀλλ' ἡμῖν εἷς Θεὸς ὁ Πατὴρ, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς αὐτόν· καὶ εἷς Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἡμεῖς δι' αὐτοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν θείων αἱ ἑνώσεις τῶν διακρίσεων ἐπικρατοῦσι, καὶ προκατάρχουσι, καὶ οὐδὲν ἧττόν ἐστιν ἡνωμένας τῇ καὶ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀνεκφοίτητον καὶ ἐνιαίαν διάκρισιν. Ταύτας ἡμεῖς τὰς κοινὰς καὶ ἡνωμένας τῆς ὅλης θεότητος διακρίσεις, εἴτ' οὖν ἀγαθοπρεπεῖς προόδους, ἐκ τῶν ἐμφαινουσῶν αὐτὰς ἐν τοῖς λογίοις θεωνυμιῶν ὑμνῆσαι κατὰ τὸ δυνατόν πειρασόμεθα, τούτου καθάπερ εἴρηται προδιεγνωσμένου, τοῦ πᾶσαν ἀγαθουργικὴν θεωνυμίαν, ἐφ' ἧπερ ἂν κέηται τῶν θεαρχικῶν Ὑποστάσεων, ἐπὶ τῆς ὅλης αὐτὴν ἐκληφθῆναι θεαρχικῆς ὁλότητος ἀπαρατηρήτως.

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

§ I

§ II

§ III

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

§ I

§ II

§ III

§ IV

§ V

§ VI

§ VII

§ VIII

§ IX

§ X

§ XI

§ XII

§ XIII

§ XIV

§ XV

§ XVI

§ XVII

§ XVIII

§ XIX

§ XX

§ XXI

§ XXII

§ XXIII

§ XXIV

§ XXV

§ XXVI

§ XXVII

§ XXVIII

§ XXIX

§ XXX

§ XXXI

§ XXXII

§ XXXIII

§ XXXIV

§ XXXV

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

§ I

§ II

§ III

§ IV

§ V

§ VI

§ VII

§ VIII

§ IX

§ X

CAPUT VI. De vita.

§ I

§ II

§ III

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

§ I

§ II

§ III

§ IV

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

§ I

§ II

§ III

§ IV

§ V

§ VI

§ VII

§ VIII

§ IX

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

§ I

§ II

§ III

§ IV

§ V

§ VI

§ VII

§ VIII

§ IX

§ X

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

§ I

§ II

§ III

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.

§ I

§ II

§ III

§ IV

§ V

§ VI

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

§ I

§ II

§ III

§ IV

CAPUT XIII. De perfecto et uno.

§ I

§ II

§ III

§ IV

↑ Top of work