Divine Names

PATRISTISCHE TEXTE UND STUDIEN #33

by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, James Cowan (Foreword)

THIS 148 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Dionysius the Areopagite; The Divine Names; and The Mystical Theology, by Dionysius . To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0922802971.

Genres: Theology

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Also known as Pseudo-Denys, was a Christian theologian and philosopher of the Neoplatonist school during the late 5th to early 6th century.

Reviews

[Noah Senthil · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important Christian Neo-platonic account of the divine essence and attributes. It’s a difficult text but worth the read for those interested in the doctrine of God, participation, and apophatic theology.

[Freddie Murfin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The text of the Divine Names that I read is from the Taurini edition from 1950, as edited by Roberto Busa S.J. Whilst reading this alongside of a translation by Urban Hannon, I together read the commentary of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

Rather idiosyncratically, I engaged with this text because of the references made to the Divine Names by a certain Georges Bataille, in his work Inner Experience. Since all I've read from Aquinas are excerpts from the Teria Pars of his great Summa, this became an opportunity to handle a rather hermetic work, and also engage with Denys the Areopagite.

Book four is obviously the most systematic aspect of the text, relating to the non-existence of evil and privation, - but, probably as a result of Bataille, the parts of the text that were most stimulating for me, were those discussions of "excess" and the destitution of subjectivity, which are very heavy themes in continental philosophy.

For those us that are interested in negative theology, and/or anthropology, the actual text of Denys the Areopagite, paired with the commentary by Aquinas, are seminal for engaging with these contemporary themes, - especially considering how watered down and banal the debates currently are between continental philosophy and negative theology (at least, in my opinion).

There is needed much more engagement with the primary literature. As always with Aquinas, the presentation of the argument is very easy to follow, from his systematic approach to writing.

Here is a few excerpts as an indication of the what the translation is like, -

‘In another way, it is the custom in divine scripture that those things that it says privatively are attributed to God on account of his excess; just as if God who is most clear light is called invisible; and who is laudable and nameable by all things is called ineffable and unnameable; and who is present to all things is called incomprehensible as though he should be absent to all things; and who can be found from all things is called not investigable: and the whole of this on account of his excess [consuetum est in divina Scriptura ut ea quae privative dicit, Deo attribuantur propter eius excessum; sicut si Deus qui est clarissimum lumen dicitur invisibilis; et qui est ex omnibus laudabilis et nominabilis dicitur ineffabilis et innominabilis; et qui est omnibus praesens, dicitur incomprehensibilis quasi sit omnibus absens; et qui ex omnibus rebus inveniri potest, dicitur non investigabilis: et hoc totum propter eius excessum]. And therefore, the Apostle also praises stupidity in God on account of that which appears in the wisdom of God, beyond our reason, and which seems unfitting to us, while we cannot comprehend the wisdom of God; and through this he elevates us unto the divine truth, which is ineffable to us and which exceeds our every reason [et apostolus in Deo laudat stultitiam propter id quod apparet in Dei sapientia, praeter nostram rationem et videtur nobis inconveniens, dum non possumus Dei sapientiam comprehendere; et per hoc elevat nos ad veritatem divinam, quae est nobis ineffabilis et quae omnem nostram rationem excedit]’ (Aquinas, De Divin Noms, VII.I.702).

‘[Denys] shows how we are deceived in the contemplation of the divine wisdom; and he says that […] while we wish to receive divine things that are above us according to our mode; and while we lean on our reason which is co-nourished by the senses from the beginning, namely gathering truth from sensible things; and while we wish to compare divine things to our own, namely those that are known to us, by this also we are deceived, wishing to scrutinize the reason divine and ineffable to us, according to what is apparent to us through reason and through sense [quomodo decipimur in contemplatione divinae sapientiae; et dicit quod, sicut in aliis libris suis dixit, dum res divinas quae sunt supra nos, volumus accipere secundum modum nostrum et dum innitimur rationi nostrae quae connutritur sensibus a principio scilicet a sensibilibus veritatem colligens et dum volumus comparare res divinas rebus nostris, quae scilicet nobis sunt notae, et hoc decipimur, volentes perscrutari rationem divinam et ineffabilem nobis, secundum illud quod nobis apparet per rationem et per sensum]’ (Aquinas, De Divin Noms, VII.I.704).

‘And because someone could say that this would be harmful to us, if we should desert our own selves, for this reason, third, [Denys] excludes this […] and he says that, since God is better than us, it is better for us that we should be of God through the unition of grace that that we should be of our own selves, that is, leaning on our natural things [et dicit quod, cum Deus sit melior nobis, melius est nobis quod simus Dei per unitionem gratiae quam quod simus nostri ipsorum, idest nostris naturalibus innitentes]. For thus, with us made with God, that is, when we will have been united to God, divine gifts will be present to us that we cannot perceive, if neglecting the unition of God, we should adhere to our own selves [Sic enim, nobis factis cum Deo, idest cum Deo uniti fuerimus, divina nobis dona aderunt quae percipere non possumus, si Dei unitionem neglegentes, nobis ipsis inhaeremus]’ (Aquinas, De Divin Noms, VII.I.706).

On how God is known. ‘…first of all and principally in the ablation of all things, namely inasmuch as nothing of these things that we see in the order of creatures do we reckon God or find befitting God [primo quidem et principaliter in omnium ablatione, inquantum scilicet nihil horum quae in creaturarum ordine inspicimus, Deum aestimamus aut Deo conveniens]’ (Aquinas, De Divin Noms, VII.IV.729; translation amended). Denys himself writes, in omnium ablatione et excessu et in omnium causa (De Divin Noms, VI.III.322). On oblation and excess.

[Diana Kullman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an abridged edition (which I didn't realize when ordering it) I did purchase the Complete Works of Dionysius which has the full text. It was still a good read.

[Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

We know so little about Dionysus the Areopagite - but his teachings tell of a mystic at home with early Christian teachings and also Neoplatonism. This is not the most accessible of the Shrine of Wisdoms publications but well worth any time invested in it.