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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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.

Περὶ παντοκράτορος, παλαιοῦ ἡμερῶν· ἐν ᾧ καὶ περὶ αἰῶνος καὶ χρόνου.

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Ἆρα δὴ τῷ λόγῳ τὸν πολυώνυμον Θεὸν, ὡς παντοκράτορα, καὶ ὡς παλαιὸν ἡμερῶν ὑμνήσαι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ λέγεται διὰ τὸ πάντων αὐτῶν εἶναι παντοκρατορικὴν ἕδραν, συνέχουσαν καὶ περιέχουσαν τὰ ὅλα, καὶ ἐνιδρύουσαν, καὶ θεμελιοῦσαν, καὶ περισφίγγουσαν, καὶ ἀφθαγὲς ἐν ἑαυτῇ τὸ πᾶν ἀποτελοῦσαν, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τὰ ὅλα, καθάπερ ἐκ ῥίζης παντοκρατορικῆς, προάγουσαν, καὶ εἰς ἑαυτὴν τὰ πάντα, καθάπερ εἰς πυθμένα παντοκρατορικὸν, ἐπιστρέφουσαν καὶ συνέχουσαν αὐτὰ, ὡς πάντων ἕδραν παγκρατῆ, τὰ συνεχόμενα πάντα κατὰ μίαν ὑπερέχουσαν πάντα συνοχὴν ἀσφαλιζομένην, καὶ οὐκ ἐῶσαν αὐτὰ διεκπεσόντα ἑαυτῆς, ὡς ἐκ παντελοῦς ἑστίας κινούμενα, παραπολέσθαι. Λέγεται δὲ παντοκράτωρ ἡ θεαρχία καὶ ὡς πάντων κρατοῦσα, καὶ ἀμιγῶς τοῖς διοικουμένοις ἐπάρχουσα, καὶ ὡς πᾶσιν ἐφετὴ καὶ ἐπέραστος οὖσα, καὶ ἐπιβάλλουσα πᾶσι τοὺς ἐθελουσίους ζυγοὺς, καὶ τὰς γλυκείας ὠδῖνας τοῦ θείου καὶ παντοκρατορικοῦ καὶ ἀλύτου τῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐτῆς ἔρωτος.

§ II

Ἡμερῶν δὲ παλαιὸς ὁ Θεὸς ὑμνεῖται διὰ τὸ πάντων αὐτὸν εἶναι καὶ αἰῶνα, καὶ χρόνον, καὶ πρὸ ἡμερῶν, καὶ πρὸ αἰῶνος, καὶ χρόνου. Καίτοι καὶ χρόνον, καὶ ἡμέραν, καὶ καιρὸν, καὶ αἰῶνα θεοπρεπῶς αὐτὸν προσηκτέον, ὡς ὄντα κατὰ πᾶσαν κίνησιν ἀμετάβλητον καὶ ἀκίνητον, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀεὶ κινεῖσθαι μένοντα ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ὡς αἰῶνος, καὶ χρόνου, καὶ ἡμερῶν αἴτιον. Διὸ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἱεραῖς τῶν μυστικῶν ὁράσεων θεοφανείαις καὶ πολιὸς καὶ νέος πλάττεται· τοῦ μὲν προτέρου τὸν ἀρχαῖον καὶ ὄντα ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, τοῦ νεωτέρου δὲ τὸν ἀγήρω σημαίνοντος· ἢ ἀμφοῖν τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς διὰ πάντων ἄχρι τέλους αὐτὸν προϊέναι διδασκόντων· ἢ, ὡς ὁ θεῖος ἡμῶν ἱεροτελε- στης φησι, τοῦ ἑκατέρου τὴν ἀρχαιότητα τὴν θείαν ὑποδηλοῦντος, τοῦ μὲν πρεσβυτέρου τὸ πρῶτον ἐν χρόνῳ, τοῦ νεωτέρου δὲ τὸ κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀρχαιότερον ἔχοντος· ἐπείπερ ἡ μονὰς καὶ τὰ περὶ μονάδα τῶν ἐπὶ πολὺ προεληλυθότων ἀριθμῶν ἀρχηγικώτερα.

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Χρὴ δὲ, ὡς οἶμαι, καὶ χρόνου καὶ αἰῶνος φύσιν ἐκ τῶν λογίων εἰδέναι· καὶ γὰρ οὐ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἀπολύτως ἀγέννητα καὶ ὄντως ἀΐδια πανταχοῦ φησὶν αἰώνια, καὶ τὰ ἄφθαρτα δὲ, καὶ ἀθάνατα, καὶ ἀναλλοίωτα, καὶ ὄντα ὡσαύτως· ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ τό· Ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι, καὶ τὰ ὅμοια. Πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τὰ ἀρχαιότατα τῇ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐπωνυμίᾳ χαρακτηρίζει, καὶ τὴν ὅλην δὲ αὖθις ἐφ’ ἧς τοῦ καθ’ ἡμᾶς χρόνου παράτασιν αἰῶνα προσαγορεύει, καθ’ ὅσον καὶ ἰδιότης αἰῶνός ἐστι τὸ ἀρχαῖον καὶ ἀναλλοίωτον, καὶ τὸ καθόλου τὸ εἶναι μετρεῖν. Χρόνον δὲ καλεῖ τὸν ἐν γενέσει καὶ φθορᾷ, καὶ ἀλλοιώσει, καὶ ἄλλοτε ἄλλως ἔχοντα· διὸ καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐνθάδε κατὰ χρόνον ὁριζομένους αἰῶνος μεθέξειν ἡ θεολογία φησὶν, ἡνίκα τοῦ ἀφθάρτου καὶ ἀεὶ ὡσαύτως ἔχοντος αἰῶνος ἐφικώμεθα. Τοῖς λογίοις δὲ ἔσθ’ ὅτε καὶ ἐγχρονος αἰὼν δοξάζεται, καὶ αἰώνιος χρόνος· εἰ καὶ μᾶλλον ἴασιν αὐτοῖς, καὶ κυριώτερον τὰ ὄντα τῷ αἰῶν, καὶ τὰ ἐν γενέσει τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ λεγόμενα καὶ δηλούμενα. Χρὴ τοιγαροῦν οὐχ ἁπλῶς συναΐδια θεῖῳ πρὸ αἰῶνος οἴεσθαι τὰ αἰώνια λεγόμενα· ταῖς σεπτοτάταις δὲ λογίοις ἀπαρατρέπτως συνεπομένους, αἰώνια μὲν καὶ ἔγχρονα κατὰ τοὺς συνεγνωσμένους αὐτοῖς προυπάρχειν τρόπους, μέσα δὲ ὄντων καὶ γιγνομένων, ὅσα πῇ μὲν αἰῶνος, πῇ δὲ χρόνου μετέχει. Τὸν δὲ Θεὸν καὶ ὡς αἰῶνα καὶ ὡς χρόνον ὑμνεῖν, ὡς χρόνου παντὸς καὶ αἰῶνος αἴτιον, καὶ παλαιὸν ἡμερῶν, ὡς πρὸ χρόνου, καὶ ὑπὲρ χρόνον, καὶ ἀλλοιῶντα καιροὺς καὶ χρόνους· καὶ αὖθις πρὸ αἰώνων ὑπάρχοντα, καθ’ ὅσον καὶ πρὸ αἰῶνός ἐστι, καὶ ὑπὲρ αἰῶνα, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ βασιλεία πάντων τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

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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