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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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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Αὕτη γοῦν ἡ θεία δικαιοσύνη καὶ σωτηρία τῶν ὅλων ὑμνεῖται, τὴν ἰδίαν ἑκάστου καὶ καθαρὰν ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων οὐσίαν καὶ τάξιν ἀποσώζουσα καὶ φυλάττουσα, καὶ αἰτία καθαρῶς οὖσα τῆς ἐν τοῖς ὅλοις ἰδιοπραγίας. Εἰ δέ τις τὴν σωτηρίαν ὑμνοίη, καὶ ὡς ἐκ τῶν χειρόνων τὰ ὅλα σωστικῶς ἀναρπάζουσαν πάντως που καὶ τοῦτον ἡμεῖς τὸν ὑμνητὸν τῆς παντοδαπῆς σωτηρίας ἀποδεξόμεθα, καὶ ταύτην δὲ καὶ πρίστην σωτηρίαν τῶν ὅλων ἀξιώσομεν αὐτὸν ὁρίζεσθαι, τὴν πάντα ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν ἀμετάβλητα καὶ ἀστασίαστα καὶ ἄρρεπῆ πρὸς τὰ χείρω διασώζουσαν, καὶ πάντα φρουροῦσαν, ἁμαχὰ καὶ ἀπολέμητα τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἑκάστα λόγοις διακοσμούμενα, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀνισότητα καὶ ἀλλοτριοπραγίαν ἐκ τῶν ὅλων ἐξορίζουσαν, καὶ τὰς ἀναλογίας ἑκάστου συνιστᾶνουσαν ἀμεταπτώτους εἰς τὰ ἐναντία, καὶ ἀμεταχωρήτους. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ταύτην τὴν σωτηρίαν οὐκ ἀπὸ σκοποῦ τις ὑμνήσοι τῆς ἱερᾶς θεολογίας, ὡς πάντα τὰ ὄντα τῇ σωστικῇ τῶν ἀπάντων ἀγαθότητι, τῆς τῶν οἰκείων ἀγαθῶν ἀποπτώσεως ἀπολυτρουμένην, καθ' ὅσον ἡ ἑκάστου τῶν σωζομένων ἐπιδέχεται φύσις· διὸ καὶ ἀπολύτρωσιν αὐτὴν ὀνομάζουσιν οἱ θεολόγοι, καὶ καθ' ὅσον οὐκ ἐξ τὰ ὄντως ὄντα πρὸς τὸ μὴ εἶναι διαπεσεῖν, καὶ καθ' ὅσον εἴ καί τι πρὸς τὸ πλημμελὲς καὶ ἄτακτον ἀποσφαλείη, καὶ μείωσίν τινα πάθοι τῆς τῶν οἰκείων ἀγαθῶν τελειότητος, καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ πάθους, καὶ τῆς ἀδρανείας, καὶ τῆς στερήσεως ἀπολυτροῦται, πληροῦσα τὸ ἐνδεὲς, καὶ πατρικῶς τὴν ἀπονίαν ὑπερειδοῦσα, καὶ ἀνιστῶσα τοῦ κακοῦ· μᾶλλον δὲ ἱστῶσα ἐν τῷ καλῷ, καὶ τὸ ὑπεκρυφὲν ἀγαθὸν ἀναπληροῦσα, καὶ τάττουσα, καὶ κοσμοῦσα τὴν ἀταξίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκοσμίαν, καὶ ὁλόκληρον ἀποτελοῦσα, καὶ πάντων ἀπολύουσα τῶν λελυθημένων. Ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων καὶ περὶ δικαιοσύνης εἴρηται, καθ' ἣν ἡ πάντων ἰσότης μετρεῖται καὶ ὁρίζεται, καὶ πᾶσα ἀνισότης, ἢ κατὰ στέρησιν τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἑκάστοις ἰσότητος, ἐξορίζεται· τὴν γὰρ ἀνισότητα εἴ τις ἐκλάβοι, τῆς ἐν τῷ ὅλῳ τῶν ὅλων πρὸς ὅλα διαφορᾶς, καὶ ταύτης ἡ δικαιοσύνη φρουρητική, μὴ συγχωροῦσα συμμιγῆ τὰ ὅλα ἐν ὅλοις γενόμενα διαταραχθῆναι, φυλάττουσα δὲ τὰ ὄντα πάντα κατ' εἶδος ἕκαστον, ἐν ᾧ ἕκαστον εἶναι πέφυκε.

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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