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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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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Ἔκειθεν αὐταῖς αἱ ὑπερκόσμιοι τάξεις, αἱ πρὸς ἑαυτὰς ἑνώσεις, αἱ ἐν ἀλλήλαις χωρήσεις, αἱ ἀσύγχυτοι διακρίσεις, αἱ πρὸς τὰς κρείττους ἀναγωγικαὶ τῶν ὑφειμένων δυνάμεις, αἱ περὶ τὰ δεύτερα πρόνοιαι τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, αἱ τῶν οἰκείων ἑκάστης δυνάμεως φρουραὶ, καὶ περὶ ἑαυτὰς ἀμετάπτωτοι συνελίξεις, αἱ περὶ τὴν ἔφεσιν τἀγαθοῦ ταὐτότητες, καὶ ἀκρότητες, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα εἴρηται πρὸς ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ Περὶ τῶν ἀγγελικῶν ἰδιοτήτων καὶ τάξεων· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσα τῆς οὐρανίας ἱεραρχίας ἐστὶν, αἱ ἀγγελοπρεπεῖς καθάρσεις, αἱ ὑπερκόσμιοι φωταγωγίαι, καὶ τὰ τελειουργὰ τῆς ὅλης ἀγγελικῆς τελειότητος, ἐκ τῆς παναιτίου καὶ πηγαίας ἐστιν ἀγαθότητος. ἐξ ἧς καὶ τὸ ἀγαθοειδὲς αὐταῖς ἐδωρήθη, καὶ τὸ ἐκφαίνειν ἐν ἑαυταῖς τὴν κρυφίαν ἀγαθότητα, καὶ εἶναι ἀγγέλους ὥσπερ ἐξαγγελικὰς τῆς θείας σιγῆς, καὶ οἷον φῶτα φανὰ τοῦ ἐν ἀδύτοις ὄντος ἑρμηνευτικὰ προβεβλημένας. Ἀλλὰ καὶ μετ' ἐκείνους τοὺς ἱεροὺς καὶ ἁγίους νόας, αἱ ψυχαὶ καὶ ὅσα ψυχῶν ἀγαθὰ, διὰ τὴν ὑπεράγαθόν ἐστιν ἀγαθότητα· τὸ νοερὸς αὐτὰς εἶναι, τὸ ἔχειν τὴν οὐσιώδη ζωὴν ἀνώλεθρον αὐτὸ τὸ εἶναι, καὶ δύνασθαι πρὸς τὰς ἀγγελικὰς ἀνατεινομένας ζωάς, δι' αὐτῶν ὡς ἀγαθῶν καθηγεμόνων, ἐπὶ τὴν πάντων ἀγαθῶν ἀγαθαρχίαν ἀνάγεσθαι, καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἐκβλυζομένων ἐλλάμψεων ἐν μετουσίᾳ γίνεσθαι κατὰ τὴν σφῶν ἀναλογίαν, καὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀγαθοειδοῦς δωρεᾶς ὅση δύναμις μετέχειν, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα πρὸς ἡμῶν ἐν τοῖς Περὶ ψυχῆς ἀπηρίθμηται. Ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ αὐτῶν, εἰ χρὴ φάναι, τῶν ἀλόγων ψυχῶν, ἢ ζώων, ὅσα τὸν ἀέρα τέμνει, καὶ ὅσα ἐπὶ γῆς βαίνει, καὶ ὅσα εἰς γῆν ἐκτέταται, καὶ τὰ ἐν ὕδασι τὴν ζωὴν, ἢ ἀμφιβίως λαχόντα, καὶ ὅσα ὑπὸ γῆν ἐγκεκαλυμμένα ζῇ καὶ ἐγκεχωσμένα, καὶ ἁπλῶς ὅσα τὴν αἰσθητικὴν ἔχει ψυχὴν, ἢ ζωὴν, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα διὰ τἀγαθὸν ἐψύχωταί καὶ ἐζώωται. Καὶ φυτὰ δὲ πάντα τὴν θρεπτικὴν καὶ κινητικὴν ἔχει ζωὴν, ἐκ τἀγαθοῦ· καὶ ὅση ἄψυχος καὶ ἄζωος οὐσία, διὰ τἀγαθόν ἐστι, καὶ δι' αὐτὸ τῆς οὐσιώδους ἕξεως ἔλαχεν.

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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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