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

§ 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

Εἰ δέ, τὴν κατ' ἔκπτωσιν εἰρήνης ἑτερότητα λέγων, ἰσχυρίζεται μὴ πᾶσιν εἶναι ἐραστὴν τὴν εἰρήνην, μάλιστα μὲν οὐδέν ἐστι τῶν ὄντων, ὃ πάσης παντελοῦς ἑνώσεως ἀποπέπτωκε· τὸ γὰρ πάντῃ ἀστα- τον, καὶ ἄπειρον, καὶ ἀνίδρυτον, καὶ ἀόριστον, οὔτε ὃν ἐστιν, οὔτε ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν. Εἰ δὲ τούτους φησὶν εἰρήνη καὶ εἰρήνης ἀγαθοῖς ἀπεχθάνεσθαι, τοὺς ἔρισι καὶ θυμοῖς, καὶ ἀλλοιώσεσι καὶ ἀκαταστασίαις χαίροντας· καὶ οὗτοι ἀμαυροῖς εἰδώλοις εἰρηνικῆς ἐφέσεως διακρατοῦνται, πρὸς παθῶν ἐνοχλούμενοι πολυκινήτων, καὶ ταῦτα ἰστὰν ἀνεπιστημόνως ἐφιεμένοι, καὶ οἰόμενοι τῇ ἀποπληρώσει τῶν ἀεὶ ἀπορρεόντων εἰρηνεύειν ἑαυτοὺς τῇ ἀτεύξίᾳ τῶν κρατησασῶν ἡδονῶν ἐκταρασσομένους. Τί ἄν τις εἴποι περὶ τῆς κατὰ Χριστὸν εἰρηνοχύτου φιλανθρωπίας; καθ' ἣν οὐ μὴ μάθωμεν ἔτι πολεμεῖν, οὔτε ἑαυτοῖς, οὔτε ἀλλήλοις, οὔτε ἀγγέλοις· ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῖς τὰ θεῖα κατὰ δύναμιν συνεργήσωμεν, κατὰ πρόνοιαν Ἰησοῦ τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν ἐνεργοῦντος, καὶ ποιοῦντος εἰρήνην ἄῤῥητον καὶ ἐξ αἰῶνος προωρισμένην, καὶ ἀποκαταλλάσσοντος ἡμᾶς ἑαυτῷ καὶ ἐν ἑαυτῷ τῷ Πατρί, περὶ ὧν ὑπερφυῶν δώρων ἐν ταῖς Θεολογικαῖς ὑποτυπώσεσιν ἱκανῶς εἴρηται, προσεπιμαρτυρούντων ἡμῖν καὶ τῆς ἱερᾶς τῶν λογίων ἐπιπνοίας.

§ 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