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He calls his Psalms 'Oracles'. And he calls 'periodic restoration' the movement from the same point to the same point, which the sun makes annually, going around the zodiacal circle, and the moon in a certain number of days, from conjunction until its complete waning. And note that chronological calculations are from these things, and also from the months.

They define: They perfectly define. Beyond divinity: This I also wrote above, that God is in all things and

God, and is none of all things. Here he says more, that He is also even beyond all essences, which he says below, that He is also the filler of non-beings. But see how he says neither do those above attain its excellence, nor do those below cross it; that is, the Divine has neither beginning nor end, with the heavenly and higher powers not comprehending it, not that it exists but is not comprehended; do not think thus; but that it itself does not even exist; for this is 'the knowledge in ignorance'. For having become superior and having been united through the love of God to the powers above, we know that with all things we are ignorant of the divine nature.

And enlightens: That is, those things that receive his wholeness according to the measure they can receive; wherefore he is also said to be the measure of beings; or because he knows the beginning and end of all things, as the only creator; for coming down he interprets himself.

The orders: God is called Order for this reason, either because he created all things with good order, or because he is received by faith by those who approach him, neither overwhelming the weaker by abundance, nor by condescension being received to a lesser degree 14S_110 by the more holy, but thus causing goodness to well up for me according to my own vessel.

As a remote echo: Just as the perceptible sun illuminates all visible things, and those things that do not partake of its light do not partake because of their own sluggishness, so also with God, all are sanctified by him, as many as wish. But the divine Dionysius well corrected immediately the dissimilarity of the things said about the sun; for since he said the soulless sun was a manifest image of the goodness of God, calling the creation an image of the creator, first he immediately added 'as a remote echo', and in the following chapter he clarifies it more perfectly. But what 'remote echo' is must be said. For just as if someone, having shouted loudly and cried out, should say something, and those standing by, if their hearing is strong, hear both the shout and what was said, but those standing a short distance away hear the sound more faintly, in proportion to their distance, while those separated by a greater interval receive a remote and very faint part of the echo, so as to hear some indistinct sound, but not to understand what was shouted; so much can one suppose the solar light to be in relation to the true light, that the distance is even incomparable.

But also for generation: Do not think that the sun is the cause of generation or life or growth or perfection for any of the beings, just as no other element is, even if it happens to be one of the most necessary, such as water; for it is possible for us to survive both without sun and without water, even if not perfectly, but for a sufficient time; but God, knowing that what is completely cold is entirely barren, while what is moderately warm is generative, and that plants and seeds need warmth, as do also all bodies 14S_112 that have life, whether sentient or vegetative, and many things are cleansed, so as to be brought to whiteness, like garments and other things, and it renews chilled seeds, for this reason he made the sun to have such a nature, so that it might do all the aforementioned things, having received the ability from the creator, not from its own choice or power. Saint Dionysius says this perfectly, himself

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Λόγια δέ τούς ἐκείνου Ψαλμούς ὀνομάζει. Περιοδικήν δέ ἀποκατάστασιν τήν ἀπό τοῦ αὐτοῦ εἰς τό αὐτό φοράν λέγει, ἥν ὁ ἥλιος μέν κατ' ἐνιαυτόν ποιεῖται τόν ζῳδιακόν κύκλον περιϊών, ἡ δέ σελήνη δι' ἡμερῶν τινων τόν ἀπό συνόδου μέχρι τῆς παντελοῦς ταύτης μειώσεως. Σημείωσαι δέ, ὡς καί αἱ χρονικαί ἀριθμήσεις ἐκ τούτων εἰσί, καί ἔτι ἐκ τῶν μηνῶν.

Ἀφορίζουσι: Τελέως ὁρίζουσιν. Ἐπέκεινα θεότητος: Τοῦτο καί ἐν τοῖς ἄνω παρέγραψα, ὅτι καί ἐν τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁ

Θεός, καί οὐδέν τῶν ἁπάντων. Ἐνταῦθα δέ τό πλέον φησίν, ὅτι καί ἔτι ὑπέρ πάσας τάς οὐσίας ἐστίν, ὅπερ λέγει κατωτέρω, ὅτι καί τῶν μή ὄντων ἐστί πληρωτικός. Ὅρα δέ πῶς λέγει μήτε τῶν ἄνω φθανουσῶν αὐτῆς τήν ὑπεροχήν, μήτε τῶν κάτω ταύτην διαβαινουσῶν· τουτέστιν, οὔτε ἀρχήν, οὔτε πέρας ἔχει τό Θεῖον, τῶν οὐρανίων καί ὑπερτέρων δυνάμεων ταύτην μή καταλαβουσῶν, οὐχ ὅτι ἐστί μέν, οὐ κατελήφθη δέ· μή οὕτω νοήσεις· ἀλλ' ὅτι αὐτό οὔτε ἐστί· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν 'ἡ ἐν ἀγνωσίᾳ γνῶσις'. Ὑπέρτεροι γάρ γενόμενοι καί διά φιλοθεΐας ἑνωθέντες ταῖς ἄνω δυνάμεσι, γινώσκομεν ὅτι μετά πάντων τήν θείαν ἀγνοοῦμεν φύσιν.

Καί φωτίζει: Τουτέστι τά χωροῦντα τήν ὁλότητα αὐτοῦ πρός τό μέτρον ὅ χωροῦσι· διό καί μέτρον εἶναι λέγεται τῶν ὄντων· ἤ ὅτι τήν ἀρχήν καί τό πέρας ἁπάντων ἐπίσταται, ὡς μόνος δημιουργός· ἑαυτόν γάρ παρακατιών ἑρμηνεύει.

Τάς τάξις: Τάξις διά τοῦτο λέγεται ὁ Θεός, ἤ ἐπειδή μετ' εὐταξίας τά πάντα ἐδημιούργησεν, ἤ ὅτι πίστει παρά τῶν εἰς αὐτόν φοιτώντων χωρεῖται, μήτε τῷ πληθυσμῷ τούς ἀσθενεστέρους καταβαπτίζων, μήτε τῇ συγκαταβάσει ἐπ' ἔλαττον 14S_110 παρά τῶν ἁγιωτέρων χωρούμενος, ἀλλά πρός τό ἐμόν ἀγγεῖον οὕτως ἐμοί πηγάζων τήν ἀγαθότητα.

Κατά πολλοστόν ἀπήχημα: Ὥσπερ ὁ αἰσθητός ἥλιος πάντα τά ὁρατά φωτίζει, καί τά μή μετέχοντα τοῦ φωτός αὐτοῦ δι' οἰκείαν ἀδράνειαν οὐ μετέχει, οὕτω καί ἐπί τοῦ Θεοῦ, πάντες παρ' αὐτοῦ ἁγιάζονται, ὅσοι βούλονται. Καλῶς δέ τό ἀπεμφαῖνον τῶν ἐπί τῷ ἡλίῳ λεγομένων εὐθύς ἐθεράπευσεν ὁ θεῖος ∆ιονύσιος· ἐπειδή γάρ ἐμφανῆ εἰκόνα τῆς ἀγαθότητος τοῦ Θεοῦ τόν ἥλιον εἶπε τόν ἄψυχον, τό δημιούργημα τοῦ δημιουργοῦ καλέσας εἰκόνα, πρῶτον μέν παραχρῆμα ἐπήγαγε 'κατά πολλοστόν ἀπήχημα', ἐν δέ τῷ ἑξῆς κεφαλαίῳ τελεώτερον αὐτό σαφηνίζει. Τί δέ ἐστι 'πολλοστόν ἀπήχημα' λεκτέον. Ὥσπερ γάρ εἴ τις μέγα βοήσας καί ἀνακράξας εἴποι τι, καί οἱ μέν παρεστῶτες, ἐάν ἐρρωμένοι τάς ἀκοάς ὦσι, καί τῆς βοῆς καί τοῦ λεχθέντος ἀκούουσιν, οἱ δέ βραχύ ἀφεστῶτες, ὅσον ἀπέχουσι, τοσοῦτον ἀδρανέστερον τοῦ φθέγματος ἀκροῶνται, οἱ δέ ἐπί μεῖζον διάστημα κεχωρισμένοι πολλοστόν τι μέρος καί ἀμυδρότατον τοῦ ἀπηχήματος λαμβάνουσιν, ὡς φωνῆς μέν ἀσήμου τινός ἀκοῦσαι, μή νοῆσαι δέ τό ἐκφωνηθέν· τοσοῦτον ἔστιν ὑπολαβεῖν τό ἡλιακόν φῶς τῷ ἀληθινῷ, ὡς καί ἀσύμβλητον εἶναι τό μέσον.

Ἀλλά καί πρός τήν γένεσιν: Μή νομίσῃς τόν ἥλιον γενέσεως ἤ ζωῆς ἤ αὐξήσεως ἤ τελειότητος αἴτιον εἶναι τῶν ὄντων τινός, ὥσπερ οὐδέ ἄλλο τι στοιχεῖον, εἰ καί σφόδρα τύχοι τῶν ἀναγκαίων, οἶον τό ὕδωρ· δυνατόν γάρ ἡμᾶς διαγενέσθαι καί ἡλίου χωρίς καί ὕδατος, εἰ καί μή τελείως, ἀλλ' οὖν ἱκανόν χρόνον· ἀλλ' εἰδώς ὁ Θεός, ὅτι τό μέν ψυχρόν ἅπαν ἄγονον παντελῶς, τό δέ μεμετρημένως θερμόν γενεσιουργεῖ, καί ὅτι φυτά καί τά σπέρματα θερμότητος δεῖται, ὡς καί τά σώματα 14S_112 πάντα τά ζωήν ἔχοντα εἴτε αἰσθητικήν εἴτε φυτικήν, καθαίρονται δέ πολλά, ὡς καί εἰς λευκότητα φέρεσθαι, ὡς ἐσθῆτες καί ἄλλα, ἀνανεοῖ δέ καί τά ψυγέντα σπέρματα, τούτου χάριν τόν ἥλιον οὕτως ἔχειν φύσεως ἐποίησεν, ἵνα τά εἰρημένα παντα ποιῇ ἐκ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τό δύνασθαι λαβών, οὐκ ἐκ προαιρέσεως ἰδίας ἤ δυνάμεως. Τοῦτο τελείως φησίν ὁ ἅγιος ∆ιονύσιος, ἑαυτόν