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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Τοῦτο τἀγαθὸν ὑμνεῖται πρὸς τῶν ἱερῶν θεολόγων καὶ ὡς καλὸν, καὶ ὡς κάλλος, καὶ ὡς ἀγάπη καὶ ὡς ἀγαπητὸν, καὶ ὅσαι ἄλλαι εὐπρεπεῖς εἰσι τῆς καλλοποιοῦ καὶ κεχαριτωμένης ὡραιότητος θεωνυμίαι. Τὸ δὲ καλὸν καὶ κάλλος διαιρετέον ἐπὶ τῆς ἐν ἑνὶ τὰ ὅλα συνελιτηρυίας αἰτίας· ταῦτα γὰρ ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ὄντων ἀπάντων εἰς μετοχὰς καὶ μετέχοντα διαιροῦντες, καλὸν μὲν εἶναι λέγομεν τὸ κάλλους μετέχον, κάλλος δὲ τὴν μετοχὴν τῆς καλλοποιοῦ τῶν ὅλων καλῶν αἰτίας. Τὸ δὲ ὑπερούσιον καλὸν κάλλος μὲν λέγεται, διὰ τὴν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ πᾶσι τοῖς οὖσι μεταδιδομένην οἰκείως ἑκάστῳ καλλονὴν, καὶ ὡς τῆς πάντων εὐαρμοστίας καὶ ἀγλαΐας αἴτιον, δίκην φωτὸς ἐναστράπτον ἅπασι τὰς καλλοποιοὺς τῆς πηγαίας ἀκτῖνος αὐτοῦ μεταδόσεις, καὶ ὡς πάντα πρὸς ἑαυτὸ καλῶν (ὅθεν καὶ κάλλος λέγεται) καὶ ὡς ὅλα ἐν ὅλοις εἰς ταὐτὸ συνάγων. Καλὸν δὲ ὡς πάγκαλον ἅμα καὶ ὑπέρκαλον, καὶ ἀεὶ ὂν, κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ ὡσαύτως καλὸν, καὶ οὔτε γιγνόμενον, οὔτε ἀπολλύμενον, οὔτε αὐξανόμενον, οὔτε φθῖνον, οὐδὲ τῇ μὲν καλὸν, τῇ δὲ αἰσχρὸν, οὐδὲ τοτὲ μὲν, τοτὲ δὲ οὔ, οὐδὲ πρὸς μὲν τὸ, πρὸς δὲ τὸ, αἰσχρὸν· οὔτε ἔνθα μὲν, ἔνθα δὲ οὔ, ὡς τισι μὲν ὂν καλὸν, τισὶ δὲ οὐ καλόν· ἀλλ' ὡς αὐτὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ μονοειδὲς ἀεὶ ὂν καλὸν, καὶ ὡς παντὸς καλοῦ τὴν πηγαίαν καλλονὴν ὑπεροχικῶς ἐν ἑαυτῷ προέχον. Τῇ γὰρ ἀπλῇ καὶ ὑπερφυεῖ τῶν ὅλων καλῶν φύσει πᾶσα καλλονὴ καὶ πᾶν καλὸν, ἑνοειδῶς κατ' αἰτίαν προϋφέστηκεν. Ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦ τούτου πᾶσι τοῖς οὖσι τὸ εἶναι, κατὰ τὸν οἰκεῖον λόγον ἕκαστα καλὰ, καὶ διὰ τὸ καλὸν αἱ πάντων ἐφαρμογαὶ, καὶ φιλίαι, καὶ κοινωνίαι· καὶ τῷ καλῷ τὰ πάντα ἥνωται· καὶ ἀρχὴ πάντων τὸ καλὸν, ὡς ποιητικὸν αἴτιον, καὶ κινοῦν τὰ ὅλα, καὶ συνέχον τῷ τῆς οἰκείας καλλονῆς ἔρωτι· καὶ πέρας πάντων, καὶ ἀγαπητὸν, ὡς τελικὸν αἴτιον (τοῦ καλοῦ γὰρ ἕνεκα πάντα γίνεται)· καὶ παραδειγματικὸν, ὅτι κατ' αὐτὸ πάντα ἀφορίζεται· διὸ καὶ ταὐτόν ἐστι τἀγαθῷ τὸ καλὸν, ὅτι τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν αἰτίαν πάντα ἐφίεται· καὶ οὐκ ἔστι τι τῶν ὄντων, ὃ μὴ μετέχει τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ. Τολμήσει δὲ καὶ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν ὁ λόγος, ὅτι καὶ τὸ μὴ ὂν μετέχει τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ, τότε γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸ καλὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν, ὅταν ἐν θεῷ κατὰ τὴν πάντων ἀφαίρεσιν ὑπερουσίως ὑμνηται. Τοῦτο τὸ ἓν ἀγαθὸν καὶ καλὸν ἑνικῶς ἐστι πάντων τῶν πολλῶν καλῶν καὶ ἀγαθῶν αἴτιον. Ἐκ τούτου πᾶσαι τῶν ὄντων αἱ οὐσιώδεις ὑπάρξεις, αἱ ἑνώσεις, αἱ διακρίσεις, αἱ ταυτότητες, αἱ ἑτερότητες, αἱ ὁμοιότητες, αἱ ἀνομοιότητες, αἱ κοινωνίαι τῶν ἐναντίων, αἱ ἀσυμμιξίαι τῶν ἡνωμένων, αἱ πρὸς νοιαι τῶν ὑπερτέρων, αἱ ἀλληλουχίαι τῶν ὁμοστοίχων, αἱ ἐπιστροφαὶ τῶν καταδεεστέρων, αἱ πάντων ἑαυτῶν φρουρητικαὶ καὶ ἀμετακίνητοι μοναὶ καὶ ἱδρύσεις. Καὶ αὖθις αἱ πάντων ἐν πᾶσιν οἰκείως ἑκάστῳ κοινωνίαι, καὶ ἐφαρμογαὶ, καὶ ἀσύγχυτοι φιλίαι, καὶ ἁρμονίαι τοῦ παντός, αἱ ἐν τῷ παντὶ συγκράσεις, καὶ αἱ ἀδιάλυτοι συνοχαὶ τῶν ὄντων, αἱ ἀνέκλειπτοι διαδοχαὶ τῶν γινομένων, αἱ στάσεις πᾶσαι, καὶ αἱ κινήσεις αἱ τῶν νοῶν, αἱ τῶν ψυχῶν, αἱ τῶν σωμάτων· στάσις γάρ ἐστι πᾶσι καὶ κίνησις, τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν στάσιν καὶ πᾶσαν κίνησιν ἐνιδρῦον ἕκαστον ἐν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ λόγῳ, καὶ κινοῦν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκείαν κίνησιν.

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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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