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echo, will be discussed by us more broadly in the discourse *On the Divine Names*, in the fourth chapter.

Except for the misshapen: Understand the misshapen as beast-formed and brutish, which Scripture says concerning the angels; and 'manifestive' signifies that which makes manifest, that is, that which reveals.

Angel-like: Rightly he named the typical iconographies, which he also mentioned before, not angelic, but angel-like; for the images were not painted of the angels themselves, as they are, but they suggest a certain emphasis of the formation of incorporeal beings, as he himself explained.

14Ε_226 To define: He is accustomed to use 'to define' for things that are distinctly defined and clarified.

We think: The 'we think' is used collectively; so that it would be, we think there is a hierarchy, and who we think are able to be benefited, that is, to be helped, by the hierarchs through the sacred rites.

But you, O child: It must be investigated how the great Dionysius calls the divine Timothy a child; for either, as I think, he says this since he was more advanced than him in years, and excelling in philosophy, so as even to be consulted by him, as the writings at hand show; for even if Saint Timothy believed before the divine Dionysius, as the Acts of the holy Apostles show, nevertheless the great Dionysius was more capable in secular learning; or he calls him a child, as imitating the Lord saying, "Children, have you any food?", or because they used to call those who practiced innocence according to God children, as Papias also shows in the first book of the *Expositions of the Lord's Oracles*, and Clement of Alexandria in the *Paedagogus*.

Of the multitude: To 'of the multitude' he added 'the uniform'; for holy things unify, but profane things and things of sin multiply into many through division. This, then, he now calls multitude, the as-it-were profane.

ON CHAPTER 3

There is a hierarchy: Definition of hierarchy. As far as is attainable: As far as is possible. Initiating: That is, perfecting. It is entirely unmixed: Likeness and equality and identity is the one and the unifying,

since it is called simple and unmixed and uncompounded; 14Ε_228 but they say the material is unlike and unequal and otherness and mixed and in change. The One, therefore, might be understood as God.

Votaries: A *thiasos* is properly a chorus. But here by *thiasotai* he means those who are engaged with divine things. Most transparent means brilliant, translucent, and spotless means unstained.

To perform. I think these things show that none of those enrolled in a priestly rank should do anything greater than his own order, but should only perform and transmit by teaching what is fitting for his own dignity, and not attempt things beyond his dignity; for example, presbyters are to teach, and to offer the gift, but not to ordain; deacons are to teach, but not to baptize; for they will not give the Holy Spirit, as neither did Philip the deacon in the Acts of the holy Apostles, nor to offer, and so on in order; but also that those being initiated should only do what is proper, so that what is said by the divine Paul may be well kept: "Let each one remain in the rank in which he was called."

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ἀπήχημα, ἐν τῷ Περί θείων ὀνομάτων λόγῳ, κεφαλαίῳ δ', λεχθήσεται ἡμῖν πλατύτερον.

Εἰ μή τό δυσειδές: Τό δυσειδές τό θηριόμορφον νόησον καί κτηνῶδες, ὅ περί τῶν ἀγγέλων φησίν ἡ Γραφή· τό δέ 'ἐκφαντικῆς' σημαίνει τῆς φανεροποιοῦ, ἤγουν τῆς ἐκφαινούσης.

Ἀγγελοειδεῖς: Καλῶς τάς τυπικάς εἰκονογραφίας, ἅς καί προεῖπεν, οὐκ ἀγγελικάς, ἀλλ' ἀγγελοειδεῖς ὠνόμασεν· οὐ γάρ αὐτῶν τῶν ἀγγέλων, ὡς εἰσίν, αἱ εἰκόνες ἐγράφησαν, ἀλλ' ἔμφασίν τινα εἰδοποιίας ἀσωμάτων ὑπεμφαίνουσιν, ὡς ἐξηγήσατο αὐτός ἑαυτόν.

14Ε_226 Ἀφορίσασθαι: Τό ἀφορίσασθαι εἴωθε λέγειν ἐπί τῶν διακεκριμένως ὁριζομένων καί διασαφουμένων.

Οἰόμεθα: Κατά κοινοῦ τό οἰόμεθα· ἵνα εἴη, οἰόμεθα ἱεραρχίαν εἶναι, καί τίνα οἰόμεθα ὀνήνασθαι, τουτέστιν ὠφελεῖν δύνασθαι τούς ἱεράρχας διά τῶν ἱερῶν τελετῶν.

Σύ δέ, ὦ παῖ: Πῶς παῖδα καλεῖ τόν θεῖον Τιμόθεον ὁ μέγας ∆ιονύσιος, ζητητέον· ἤ γάρ, ὡς οἶμαι, ἅτε προβεβηκώς αὐτόν τοῖς ἔτεσι, τοῦτό φησι, καί τῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ προέχων, ὡς καί προερωτᾶσθαι παρ' αὐτοῦ, καθά δηλοῖ τά μετά χεῖρας συγγράμματα κἄν γάρ πρό τοῦ θείου ∆ιονυσίου ἐπίστευσεν ὁ ἅγιος Τιμόθεος, ὡς αἱ Πράξεις τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων δηλοῦσιν, ἀλλ' οὖν τήν ἔξω παιδειαν ἱκανώτερος ἦν ὁ μέγας ∆ιονύσιος· ἤ παῖδα καλεῖ αὐτόν, ὡς μιμούμενος τόν Κύριον λέγοντα, «παιδία, μή τι προσφάγιον ἔχετε;», ἤ ἐπειδή τούς κατά Θεόν ἀκακίαν ἀσκοῦντας παῖδας ἐκάλουν, ὡς καί Παπίας δηλοῖ βιβλίῳ πρώτῳ τῶν Κυριακῶν ἐξηγήσεων, καί Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς ἐν τῷ Παιδαγωγῷ.

Πληθύος: Πρός τό πληθύος τό ἑνοειδῆ ἐπήγαγε· τά μέν γάρ ἅγια ἑνοποιεῖ, τά δέ βέβηλα καί τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὄντα εἰς πολλά διά τῆς διαιρέσεως πληθύνει. Τοῦτο γοῦν νῦν καλεῖ πλῆθος, τό οἱονεί βέβηλον.

ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Γ'

Ἔστι μέν ἱεραρχία: Ὅρος ἱεραρχίας. Ὡς ἐφικτόν: Ὡς δυνατόν. Τελεταρχικόν: Ἤγουν τελειοποιοῦν. Ἀμιγές ἐστι καθόλου: Ὁμοιότης καί ἱσότης καί ταυτότης τό ἕν καί ἑνοποιόν,

ἅτε ἁπλοῦν καί ἀμιγές καί ἀσύνθετον καλεῖται· 14Ε_228 ἀνόμοιον δέ καί ἄνισον καί ἑτερότητα καί μικτόν καί ἐν μεταβολῇ τό πρόσυλόν φασι. Τό οὖν ἕν ὁ Θεός νοοῖτ' ἄν.

Θιασώτας: Θίασος μέν κυρίως ὁ χορός. Θιασώτας δέ ἐνταῦθα τούς περί τά θεῖα ἀναστρεφομένους φησί. ∆ιειδέστατα μέν λαμπρά, διαυγῆ, ἀκηλίδωτα δέ ἀρρύπωτα.

Ἐνεργῆσαι. Ταῦτα νομίζω δηλοῦν, ὅτι οὐ χρή τινα τῶν ἐν ἱερατικῷ βαθμῷ καταλεγομένων μεῖζόν τι τῆς οἰκείας τάξεως ποιεῖν, ἀλλά τό ἐπιβάλλον τῇ οἰκείᾳ ἀξίᾳ μόνον ἐνεργεῖν καί παραδιδόναι διδάσκοντα, μή μήν ἐπιχειρεῖν εἰς τά ὑπέρ τήν ἀξίαν· οἷον, τούς πρεσβυτέρους διδάσκειν, καί τό δῶρον προσκομίζειν, οὐ μήν καί χειροτονεῖν· διακόνους διδάσκειν, οὐ μήν καί βαπτίζειν· οὐ γάρ δώσουσι Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, ὡς οὐδέ ὁ Φιλιππος ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων, ὁ διάκονος, ἀλλά μήτε προσφέρειν, καί οὕτως ἐφεξῆς, ἀλλά καί τούς τελουμένους τά καθήκοντα μόνον πράσσειν, ἵνα φυλάττοιτο καλῶς τό παρά τῷ θείῳ Παύλῳ· «ἕκαστος ἐν ᾦ ἐκλήθη βαθμῷ μενέτω».