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may have its strivings of an unknown union towards the unapproachable light, then 14S_134 the intelligible energies are also superfluous, as are the senses, since the soul conceives things higher than these, being henceforth united to God; but when it at the same time imagines lowly things and hastens to be moved concerning some one of the sensibles, then it is necessary to seek the clearer reasonings and the more manifest of the visible things.

Just as the intellectual powers also: Note that mind is one thing, and soul is another. He calls the thoughts intellectual energies and powers, which are inferior and a distraction of the mind. When, therefore, the soul wishes to ascend to God and, as far as possible, to be united to Him, it must turn its eye, that is, the mind itself, from particulars, and leap up to the more universal things; for particulars are the thoughts, as we said; for then, having become wholly mind and having turned inward, having henceforth become a unity and simplicity, it will be able to lay hold of the divine rays, through a laudable unknowing, not the ignorance which comes from lack of learning, but that which knows that it does not know the incomprehensible things concerning God; and it will know by enjoying the divine splendors; not through the eyes of the senses, for it is not apprehended by these, but by the eyeless states of the mind.

More manifest than the senses: He explains what are the more manifest transmissions of the senses, and says that they are the clearer reasonings and the more manifest of the visible things.

§ 12. And yet it seemed to some: That love also signifies eros, and that it is a more divine name than eros.

Let them hear: Note that even then there were some who carped at names, whom he silences from the divine Scripture.

The divine Ignatius: And from this some think to opportunely discredit the present work, as not being by the divine Dionysius, since they say Ignatius was later than him; for how is one able to mention those who came later? But this 14S_136 also seems to them a fiction; for Saint Paul, who enlightened Dionysius, was later in time than Saint Peter, after whom Ignatius becomes bishop of Antioch, when Peter was transferred to Rome; but Saint Paul, who enlightened Dionysius, lived for a long time, and Dionysius lived after him; but John the Evangelist is exiled to Patmos under Domitian, to whom Dionysius writes. But Ignatius is martyred before Domitian; therefore he is earlier than Dionysius.

My eros: It must be investigated how, when Ignatius was conversing in the time of Onesimus, who was after Timothy, and writing to the Romans, 'My eros has been crucified', Dionysius, now writing to Timothy, mentions this, as if Ignatius had already written it, and whether it was not perhaps placed in the margin by some of the philologians, for a greater confirmation of the things said by Saint Dionysius concerning divine eros, and later through ignorance was inserted into the text, which we know has often happened in many cases; for even without this the body of the discourse stands uninterrupted; or perhaps it was a customary saying of his, just as 'God-bearer' was often said and written of him, and a proof is that it is not added, 'He writes to certain people', that is, to the Romans, but simply, 'And the divine Ignatius also writes'.

And in the introductions: It should be known that he calls the works of Solomon the introductions of the divine Scripture, from which also are the sayings.

a) That love signifies eros, and that it is a more divine name than eros. 14S_138 b) Rather to divine things: Why they rather attribute to divine things the

true eros, the theologians.

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ἑνώσεως ἀγνώστου πρός τό ἀπρόσιτον φῶς τάς ἐπιβολάς ἔχῃ, τότε 14S_134 καί αἱ νοηταί ἐνέργειαι περιτταί εἰσιν, ὡς καί αἰσθήσεις, ἐπειδή τά ὑψηλότερα τούτων ἡ ψυχή διανοεῖται, λοιπόν ἡνωμένη Θεῷ · ὅταν δέ ὁμοῦ χαμαίζηλα φαντασθῇ καί περί τινος τῶν αἰσθητῶν σπεύσῃ κινηθῆναι, τότε τούς σαφεστέρους λόγους καί τά τρανότερα τῶν ὁρατῶν χρή ἐπιζητεῖν.

Ὥσπερ καί αἱ νοεραί δυνάμεις: Σημείωσαι, ὅτι ἕτερον νοῦς καί ἕτερον ψυχή. Νοεράς ἐνεργείας καί δυνάμεις φησί τά νοήσεις, αἵτινες κατώτεραί εἰσι καί σκεδασμός τοῦ νοῦ. Ὅταν οὖν ἡ ψυχή βούληται πρός Θεόν ἀνανεῦσαι καί κατά τό δυνατόν ἑνωθῆναι αὐτῷ, τό ὄμμα αὐτῆς, τουτέστι τόν νοῦν αὐτόν ἀποστρέψαι ὁφείλει τῶν μερικῶν, καί ἐπί τά καθολικώτερα ἀναπηδῆσαι· μερικά δέ εἰσιν αἱ νοήσεις, ὡς ἔφημεν· τότε γάρ νοῦς ὅλη γενομένη καί εἰς τό ἔσω στραφεῖσα, ἑνάς λοιπόν καί ἁπλότης γενομένη, ἐπιλαβεῖν δυνήσεται ταῖς θείαις ἀκτῖσι, διά τῆς ἐπαινετῆς ἀγνωσίας, οὐ τῆς ἐξ ἀμαθείας ἀγνοίας, ἀλλά τῆς γινωσκούσης ὅτι ἀγνοεῖ τά περί Θεοῦ ἀκατάληπτα· γνώσεται δέ ἀπολαύουσα τῶν θείων μαρμαρυγῶν· οὐ διά τῶν αἰσθητῶν ὀμμάτων, οὐ γάρ καταλαμβάνεται τούτοις, ἀλλά ταῖς ἀνομμάτοις τοῦ νοῦ καταστάσεσιν.

Ἐπιδηλότεραι τῶν αἰσθήσεων: Ἐξηγεῖται, τί εἰσιν αἱ ἐπιδηλότεραι τῶν αἰσθήσεων διαπορθμεύσεις, καί φησιν αὐτάς τούς σαφεστέρους λόγους καί τά τρανέστερα τῶν ὁρατῶν.

§ 12. Καίτοι ἔδοξέ τισιν: Ὅτι καί ἡ ἀγάπη ἔρωτα δηλοι, καί ὅτι θειότερον ὄνομα τοῦ ἔρωτος.

Ἀκουέτωσαν: Σημείωσαι, ὅτι καί τότε ἦσάν τινες ἐπιλαμβανόμενοι ὀνομάτων, οὕς ἐπιστομίζει ἐκ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς.

Ὁ θεῖος Ἰγνάτιος: Καί ἐκ τούτου τινές οἴονται διαβάλλειν εὐκαίρως τό παρόν σύνταγμα, ὡς μή ὅν τοῦ θείου ∆ιονυσίου, ἐπειδή Ἰγνάτιον λέγουσι μεταγενέστερον αὐτοῦ εἶναι· πῶς δέ δύναταί τις τῶν μεταγενεστέρων μεμνῆσθαι; Πλάσμα δέ καί 14S_136 τοῦτο δοκοῦν αὐτοῖς· ὁ γάρ ἅγιος Παῦλος, ὁ φωτίσας ∆ιονύσιον, μεταγενέστερος ἧν τῷ χρόνῳ τοῦ ἁγίου Πέτρου, μεθ' ὅν ὁ Ἰγνάτιος ἐπίσκοπος γίνεται Ἀντιοχείας, μετατεθέντος Πέτρου ἐν Ρώμῃ· ἐπέζησε δέ ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος χρόνον πολύν, ὁ φωτίσας ∆ιονύσιον, καί ∆ιονύσιος μετ' αὐτόν ἔζησεν· ὁ δέ Εὐαγγελιστής Ἰωάννης ἐπί ∆ομετιανοῦ ἐξορίζεται εἰς Πάτμον, ᾧ ἀντιγράφει ∆ιονύσιος. Ἰγνάτιος δέ πρό ∆ομετιανοῦ μαρτυρεῖ· ὥστε προγενέστερος ∆ιονυσίου.

Ὁ ἐμός ἔρως: Ζητητέον πῶς ἐπί Ὀνησίμου τοῦ μετά Τιμόθεον Ἰγνατίου διαλεγομένου, καί γράφοντος Ρωμαίοις τό, 'ἐμός ἔρως ἐσταύρωται', ∆ιονύσιος νῦν Τιμοθέῳ γράφων τούτου μέμνηται, ὡς Ἰγνατίου ἤδη γράψαντος, καί μήποτε παρά τινος τῶν φιλολόγων ἔξω παρατεθέν, πρός πλείονα σύστασιν τῶν περί θείου ἔρωτος τῷ ἁγίῳ ∆ιονυσίῳ εἰρημένων, ὕστερον κατά ἄγνοιαν ἔσω παρενετέθῃ, ὅπερ ἐν πολλοῖς πολλάκις γενόμενον ἔγνωμεν· καί γάρ δίχα τούτου ἵσταται ἀπαραλείπτως τό σῶμα τοῦ λόγου· ἤ τάχα σύνηθες αὐτῷ εἶναι ἀπόφθεγμα, ὡς καί τό θεοφόρος πολλάκις αὐτῷ λεγόμενόν τε καί γραφόμενον, τεκμήριον δέ τό μή προσκεῖσθαι, Γράφει δέ τισι, τουτέστι Ρωμαίοις, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς, Γράφει δέ καί ὁ θεῖος Ἰγνάτιος.

Καί ἐν ταῖς προεισαγωγαῖς: Ἐπιστητέον, ὅτι προεισαγωγάς καλεῖ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς τά Σολομῶντος, ἀφ' οὗ καί τά ρητά.

α) Ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη ἔρωτα δηλοῖ, καί ὅτι θειότερον ὄνομα τοῦ ἔρωτος. 14S_138 β) Τοῖς θείοις μᾶλλον: ∆ιά τί τοῖς θείοις μᾶλλον ἀνατιθέασι τόν

ὄντως ἔρωτα οἱ θεολόγοι.