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

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

Δικαιοσύνη δὲ αὖθις ὁ Θεός, ὡς πᾶσι τὰ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀπονέμων ὑμνεῖται, καὶ εὐμετρίαν, καὶ κάλλος, καὶ εὐταξίαν, καὶ διακόσμησιν, καὶ πάσας διανομὰς καὶ Α. τάξεις ἀφορίζων ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὸν ὄντως ὄντα δικαιότατον ὅρον, καὶ πάσι τῆς αὑτῶν ἑκάστων αὐτοπραγίας αἴτιος ὤν. Πάντα γὰρ ἡ θεία δικαιοσύνη τάττει, καὶ ὁροθετεῖ, καὶ πάντα ἀπὸ πάντων ἀμιγῆ καὶ ἀσύγχυτα διασώζουσα, τὰ ἑκάστῳ προσήκοντα πᾶσι τοῖς οὖσι δωρεῖται κατὰ τὴν ἑκάστου τῶν ὄντων ἐπιβάλλουσαν ἀξίαν. Καὶ εἰ ταῦτα ὀρθῶς φαμεν, ὅσοι τῇ θείᾳ διαλοιδοροῦνται δικαιοσύνῃ, λανθάνουσιν ἑαυτῶν ἀδικίαν ἐναργῆ καταψηφιζόμενοι· φασὶ γὰρ ὀφείλειν ἐνεῖναι τοῖς θνητοῖς τὴν ἀθανασίαν, καὶ τοῖς ἀτελέσι τὸ τέλειον, καὶ τοῖς αὐτοκινήτοις τὴν ἑτεροκίνητον ἀνάγκην, καὶ τοῖς ἀλλοιωτοῖς τὴν ταὐτότητα, καὶ τὰ τελειοδύναμα τοῖς ἀσθενέσι, καὶ ἄθλα εἶναι τὰ ἔγχρονα, καὶ ἀμετάβολα τὰ φύσει κινούμενα, καὶ τὰς ἐπικαίρους ἡδονὰς αἰωνίας, καὶ ὅλως τὰ ἄλλων ἄλλοις ἀποδιδόασι. Δέον εἰδέναι, τὴν θείαν δικαιοσύνην ἐν τούτῳ ὄντως οὖσαν ἀληθῆ δικαιοσύνην, ὅτι πᾶσιν ἀπονέμει τὰ οἰκεῖα κατὰ τὴν ἑκάστου τῶν ὄντων ἀξίαν, καὶ τὴν ἑκάστου φύσιν ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκείας διασώζει τάξεως καὶ δυνάμεως. VIII.

§ 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