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§ 8. Of divine apparitions: That he calls the revelations of God in symbols "apparitions", and how he says it, note.

To palaces: The Greeks called the precincts of their gods "palaces" (anaktora); the saint, therefore, indicates in these things that which is in Isaiah; for it seems to suggest that he saw that divine glory and vision, that of the seraphim, in the temple; but the things that follow are said on account of the vision of Ezekiel, the one in Babylon, and certain other contemplations.

And seats: Thrones. To symbolic theology: He promises to write another treatise, which he calls

Symbolic Theology. The hierarchic: Note, that it is especially fitting for priests to contemplate the divine

Scripture. God-like: Instead of god-manifesting. And holy ears. He commands that holy ears be offered to the saints, that is

a pious hearing and one worthy of the saints. Of the uninitiated: That is, of those who are not initiated; because he who with laughter and mockery of the

hears the divine oracles or the interpretations concerning them, is judged as one who fights against God. And the Apostle also writes to Timothy, that one ought not to speak about such things to those who do not receive the word in truth.

ON CHAPTER 2

14S_054 § 1. The thearchic: From this chapter especially both

Arians and Eunomians, who hold the doctrine of unlikeness, are warred against, and also Nestorians and the Acephali. He says that the entire thearchic being of the holy and only adorable Trinity is the divinity known in three hypostases; for it is his custom to call the venerable Trinity the whole divinity; for this, and what the whole divinity is, revealing itself with a distinction of the persons, that is, with a separation, he made manifest to the saints, showing forth the properties of the three hypostases, that they are Father and Son and Holy Spirit; for the three are one and whole and only divinity. But it must be known that "being" (hyparxis) is not properly said of God, for he is pre-existence, that is, even before being itself, but since all being is from him, he is named from the things that appeared through him, so that he may be understood as even beyond these.

Distinguishing: That is, making known and showing. The thearchy: Note that, even though the voice was spoken in a human way, to the

divinity he attributes it, on account of the unity of the person. Not partially: Well said is 'not partially'; for the energies and all the

hymnologies of theology are not assigned exclusively to one and only one of the persons of the divine Trinity, but these are common to the Trinity, except for the incarnation alone; for it belongs to the Son alone, as he says next; but only the characteristic properties of the three hypostases belong partially and individually to each hypostasis, for example, to the Father, being Father, and to no other; and so also in the case of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

And of the whole: Note that the Trinity is signified as the whole divinity. Unless concerning the whole: Note that, he who says are not common 14S_056 the

divine names, impiously divides the unity of the adorable Trinity. Thus says he who is: It should be noted, that he accepts the Revelation of the among saints

John the Evangelist, this holy Dionysius; for this saying is there.

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§ 8. Θείων φασμάτων: Ὅτι φάσματα καλεῖ τάς ἐν συμβόλοις ἀποκαλύψεις τοῦ Θεοῦ, καί τό πῶς αὐτό λέγει, σημείωσαι.

Ἀνακτόροις: Ἕλληνες ἀνάκτορα ἐκάλουν τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς θεῶν τά τεμένη· ἐμφαίνει οὖν ὁ ἅγιος ἐν τούτοις τό παρά τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ· δοκεῖ γάρ ἐν τῷ ναῷ ὑπαγορεύειν αὐτόν ἑωρακέναι τήν θείαν ἐκείνην δόξαν καί ὄψιν, τήν τοῦ σεραφίμ · τά δέ ἑξῆς εἴρηται διά τήν τοῦ Ἰεζεκιήλ ὅρασιν, τήν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, καί ἑτέρας τινάς θεωρίας.

Καί θώκους: Θρόνους. Συμβολικῇ θεολογίᾳ: Ἄλλο σύνταγμα ὑπισχνεῖται γράφειν, ὅπερ καλεῖ

Συμβολικήν θεολογίαν. Ὁ ἱεράρχικός: Σημείωσαι, ὅτι μάλιστα ἱερεῦσι πρέπει θεωρεῖν τήν θείαν

Γραφήν. Θεοειδεῖς: Ἀντί τοῦ θεοφανεῖς. Καί ὦτα ἱερά. Ὦτα διεντέλλεται ἱερά τοῖς ἁγίοις παρατίθεσθαι, τουτέστιν

ἀκοήν εὑσεβῆ καί ἀξίαν τῶν ἁγίων. Ἀμύστων: Τουτέστι τῶν ἀμυήτων· ὅτι ὁ μετά γέλωτος καί ἐμπαιγμῶν τῶν

θείων ἀκούων λογίων ἤ τῶν περί αὐτά ἑρμηνειῶν, ὡς θεομάχος κρίνεται. Τιμοθέῳ δέ γράφει καί ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ὅτι οὐ δεῖ τοῖς μή δεχομένοις τόν λόγον ἐν ἀληθείᾳ λαλεῖν περί τοιούτων.

ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Β'

14S_054 § 1. Τήν θεαρχικήν: Ἐκ τοῦ κεφαλαίου τούτου μάλιστα καί

Ἀρειανοί καί Εὐνομιανοί τό ἀνόμοιον πρεσβεύοντες πολεμοῦνται, καί Νεστοριανοί δέ καί Ἀκέφαλοι. Θεαρχικήν δέ ὅλην ὕπαρξίν φησι τῆς ἁγίας καί μόνης προσκυνητῆς Τριάδος τήν ἐν τρισίν ὑποστάσεσι γνωριζομένην θεότητα· ἔθος γάρ αὐτῷ ὅλην θεότητα καλεῖν τήν σεβασμίαν Τριάδα· αὕτη γάρ καί τί ἐστιν ὅλη θεότης ἑαυτήν ἀποκαλύπτουσα μετ' ἀφορισμοῦ τῶν προσώπων, τουτέστι μετά διαιρέσεως τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐφανέρωσε, τῶν τριῶν ὑποστάσεων τάς ἰδιότητας ἐκφαίνουσα, ὅτι Πατήρ καί Υἱός καί ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· οἱ γάρ τρεῖς, μία καί ὅλη καί μόνη θεότης. Ἰστέον δέ, ὅτι ὕπαρξις μέν κυρίως ἐπί Θεοῦ οὐ λέγεται καί γάρ ἐστι προΰπαρξις, τουτέστι καί πρό αὐτῆς τῆς ὑπάρξεως ἔπειδή δέ πᾶσα ὕπαρξις ἐξ αὐτοῦ, ἐκ τῶν δι' αὐτοῦ φανέντων ὀνομάζεται, ἵνα νοηθῇ καί ὑπέρ ταῦτα.

Ἀφορίζουσα: Τουτέστι γνωρίζουσα καί δεικνύουσα. Τήν θεαρχίαν: Σημείωσαι ὅτι, καί ἀνθρωπίνως λεχθείσης τῆς φωνῆς, τῇ

θεότητι ταύτην ἀνατίθησι διά τήν τοῦ προσώπου ἑνότητα. Οὐ μερικῶς: Καλῶς τό 'οὐ μερικῶς'· αἱ γάρ ἐνέργειαι καί πᾶσαι τῆς θεολογίας

αἱ ὑμνολογίαι οὐχ ἑνί καί μόνῳ τῶν τῆς θείας Τριάδος προσώπων ἀποκληρωτικῶς ἀπονενέμηνται, ἀλλ' αὐταί μέν κοιναί εἰσι τῆς Τριάδος, δίχα μόνης τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως· μόνη γάρ ἐστι τοῦ Υἱοῦ, ὡς ἐφεξῆς λέγει· μόναι δέ αἱ χαρακτηριστικαί τῶν τριῶν ὑποστάσεων ἰδιότητες μερικῶς καί ἰδίως ἑκάστῃ ὑποστάσει πρόσεισιν, οἷον τῷ Πατρί τό Πατήρ, καί οὐκ ἄλλῳ τινί· οὕτω καί ἐπί τοῦ Υἱοῦ καί τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος.

Καί ὁλοκλήρου: Σημείωσαι ὅλης θεότητος τήν Τριάδα σημαίνεσαθαι. Εἰ μή περί τῆς ὅλης: Σημείωσαι ὅτι, ὁ μή κοινάς εἶναι λέγων 14S_056 τάς

θεωνυμίας, ἀποσχίζει ἀσεβῶς τήν ἑνότητα τῆς προσκυνητῆς Τριάδος. Τάδε λέγει ὁ ὤν: Σημειωτέον, ὅτι δέχεται τήν Ἀποκάλυψιν τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις

Ἰωάννου τοῦ Εὐαγγελιστοῦ ὁ ἅγιος οὗτος ∆ιονύσιος· ἐκεῖ γάρ ἐστι τό ρητόν τοῦτο.