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with unspeakable silence through deeds, being cried out incomprehensibly by all of creation: "for though he was crucified through weakness, yet he lives by the power," according to the divine Paul. To the same point, he has spoken well of the weakness of the Godhead; for through the voluntary condescension towards us, having endured all things even unto death, and the death of the cross, he himself also bears our weaknesses, and suffers for us, and "with his stripe we were all healed," and his passion is called his own according to the voice of Peter saying: "Forasmuch then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh"; and, "for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory"; whence also the Jews are called deicides.

14S_096 A hymnodist being judged: That those around the holy Hierotheus then spoke melodious psalms and odes, as is shown both by the singing of hymns and the chanting of hymns, and that the high and mystical things must be kept unspeakable for the many, but one must converse with and teach the many the things that are possible and easily demonstrable.

§ 3. Of divine things: Namely, of the Scriptures and of theorems. Through excessive reverence: That it is reverent not to seek the more divine things. We have received: Note that one must not of the possible knowledge of divine things

neglect, but also impart it to others; and that by nature minds have a desire for the possible contemplation of supernatural things.

The things beyond us: That one must not meddle with the things beyond us, nor neglect divine knowledge, but also impart to others the things that are possible; for it is said, "Seek not the things that are too high for thee, and search not out the things that are deeper than thee; but the things that have been commanded thee, think on them".

Enjoined: According to the Apostle who said: "these things commit thou to faithful men".

To these things, then, us also: Note, whence he came to write. To Hierotheus: That in the things about to be said, he interprets the things of Hierotheus.

TO CHAPTER 4 § 1. So be it then: Come now then. They assign: The word 'assign' instead of 'attribute' 14S_098

must be taken, and the divine goodness being shown from all things indicates that all things were brought into being from it.

As essential: That the Divine itself is essential good, and that all beings partake of the good, as created things partake of the sun.

Just as our sun: Let no one suppose that the great Dionysius judges the things concerning God entirely by the example of the sun, but let it be understood thus: just as the sun, being nothing other than light, does not have light as an accident and as being something else or with soul by choice to do good, it receives light from within and distributes it to all; for on the contrary; it does good being neither animate nor having a choice, for it is irrational; and it does not receive light from elsewhere; for it is this very light and it gives light; so should one understand this alone also in the case of God, that God does not have the good accidentally, as some quality, as we have virtues, but God himself being the substance of the good, just as light is the substance of the sun, and as being the good itself, God extends the radiance of goodness around all by doing good to those who are illuminated; whence he says the example of the sun has a dark and almost unseen image of the completely incommunicable archetype; for if the images possessed the truth, they would no longer be examples, but archetypes.

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ἀφθέκτῳ σιγῇ δι' ἔργων, ἐκβοώμενον πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει ἀκαταλήπτως· «εἰ γάρ καί ἐσταυρώθη ἐξ ἀσθενείας, ἀλλά ζῇ ἐκ δυνάμεως», κατά Παῦλον τόν θεσπέσιον. Εἰς τό αὐτό καλῶς τό τῆς ἀσθενείας τῆς θεαρχικῆς εἴρηκε· διά γάρ τήν πρός ἡμᾶς ἑκούσιον συγκατάβασιν, πάντα ὑπομείνας ἄχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δέ σταυροῦ καί τάς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν αὐτός αἴρει, καί περί ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται, καί «τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἰάθημεν», καί τό πάθος αὐτοῦ ἴδιον λέγεται κατά τήν τοῦ Πέτρου φωνήν τήν λέγουσαν· «Χριστοῦ οὖν παθόντος ὑπέρ ἡμῶν σαρκί»· καί, «εἰ ἔγνωσαν, οὐκ ἄν τόν Κύριον τῆς δόξης ἐσταύρωσαν»· ὅθεν καί κυριοκτόνοι οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι λέγονται.

14S_096 Ὑμνολόγος κρινόμενος: Ὅτι καί ψαλμούς ἔλεγον τότε ἐμμελεῖς οἱ περί τόν ἅγιον Ἱερόθεον καί ᾠδάς, ὡς δηλοῖ καί τό ὑμνολογεῖν καί τό ὑμνῳδεῖν καί ὅτι τά μέν ὑψηλά καί μυστικά ἄρρητα τοῖς πολλοῖς δεῖ φυλάττειν, ὁμιλεῖν δέ καί διδάσκειν δεῖ τούς πολλούς τά δυνατά καί εὐαπόδεικτα.

§ 3. Τῶν θείων: Γραφῶν δηλονότι καί θεωρημάτων. ∆ιά περισσήν εὐλάβειαν: Ὅτι εὐλαβές τό μή ζητεῖν τά θειότερα. Εἰλήφαμεν: Σημείωσαι ὅτι οὐ δεῖ τῆς ἐνδεχομένης τῶν θείων γνώσεως

ἀμελεῖν, ἀλλά καί ἑτέροις μεταδιδόναι· καί ὅτι κατά φύσιν οἱ νόες ἔφεσιν ἔχουσι πρός τήν ἐγχωροῦσαν τῶν ὑπερφυῶν θεωρίαν.

Τά μέν ὑπέρ ἡμᾶς: Ὅτι οὐ δεῖ τά ὑπέρ ἡμᾶς πολυπραγμονεῖν, οὐδέ ἀμελεῖν τῆς θείας γνώσεως, ἀλλά καί ἑτέροις μεταδιδόναι τῶν ἐνδεχομένων· εἴρηται γάρ, «ὑψηλότερά σου μή ζήτει, καί βαθύτερά σοι μή ἐρεύνα· ἅ προσετάγη σοι, ταῦτα διανοοῦ».

Ἐγκελευομένη: Κατά τόν Ἀπόστολον εἰπόντα· «ταῦτα παράθου πιστοῖς ἀνθρώποις».

Τούτοις οὖν καί ἡμᾶς: Σημείωσαι, πόθεν ἐπί τό συγγράφειν ἦλθεν. Ἱερόθεῳ: Ὅτι ἐν τοῖς λεχθησομένοις τά Ἱεροθέου ἑρμηνεύει.

ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ∆' § 1. Εἶεν δέ οὖν: Ἄγε δή οὖν. Ἀφορίζουσι: Τό μέν ἀφορίζουσι ἀντί τοῦ ἀνατιθέασιν 14S_098

ἐκληπτέον, τό δέ ἀπό πάντων δηλοῦσθαι τήν θείαν ἀγαθότητα, τό πάντα ἐξ αὐτῆς παρῆχθαι πρός ὕπαρξιν δηλοῖ.

Ὡς οὐσιῶδες: Ὅτι οὐσιῶδες ἀγαθόν αὐτό τό Θεῖον, καί ὅτι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ πάντα τά ὄντα μετέχει, ὡς τοῦ ἡλίου τά ποιητά.

Ὥσπερ ὁ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἥλιος: Μηδείς ὑπολαβέτω πρός τό τοῦ ἡλίου παράδειγμα ὁλοκλήρως τά περί Θεοῦ κρίνειν τόν μέγαν ∆ιονύσιον, ἀλλ' οὕτω νοείσθω, ὥσπερ ὁ ἥλιος, οὐκ ἄλλο τι ὤν παρά τό φῶς, οὐ συμβατόν ἔχει τό φῶς καί ὡς ἄλλο τι ὤν ἤ ψυχικῶς προαιρέσει τοῦ εὐεργετεῖν ἔσωθεν λαμβάνει τό φῶς καί διαδίδωσιν εἰς πάντα· τοὐναντίον γάρ· οὔτε ψυχικός ὤν, οὔτε προαίρεσιν ἔχων εὐεργετεῖ, ἄλογος γάρ· καί οὐδέ ἑτέρωθεν τό φῶς λαμβάνων· αὐτό γάρ τοῦτο φῶς ἐστι καί φωτίζει· οὔτω χρή τοῦτο μόνον καί ἐπί Θεοῦ νοεῖν, ὅτι ὁ Θεός τό ἀγαθόν οὐ συμβεβηκότως ἔχει, καθάπερ τινά ποιότητα, ὡς ἡμεῖς τάς ἀρετάς, ἀλλ' οὐσία τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ αὐτός ὁ Θεός ὑπάρχων, ὥσπερ καί τό φῶς, οὐσία ἡλίου, καί ὡς αὐτό τό ἀγαθόν ὤν ὁ Θεός ἐκτείνει περί πάντας τήν τῆς ἀγαθότητος αἴγλην διά τοῦ εὐεργετῆσαι τούς φωτιζομένους· ὅθεν φησί τό τοῦ ἡλίου παράδειγμα, ὡς σκοτεινήν καί σχεδόν ἀφανῆ εἰκόνα τοῦ παντελῶς ἀκοινωνήτου ἀρχετύπου ἔχει· εἰ γάρ αἱ εἰκόνες ἀλήθειαν εἶχον, οὐκέτι ἦσαν παραδείγματα, ἀλλ' ἀρχέτυπα.