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And defining the one being itself: That God is even beyond being, as He is all things, and He Himself is the maker and inventor of number.

It is numbered: Note that "numbered" signifies an indication of number; upon beings, therefore, that is, created things, the "one" being applied, is posited according to the concept of number.

Nor is it a monad: Do not hear simply "it is not a monad, nor a triad," but construe "it is not" with "discerned"; for the discourse does not wish to abolish the things of such a confession, but to teach the unsearchable.

And truly the God-begetting: He says that the God-begetting is revealed from the name of the Trinity; for in order that the adorable manifestation of the ineffable hypostases might be represented, number was devised, as Basil says, and the divine Gregories. And he named the Father "fruitful" catachrestically, since He is Father of the adorable Son (14S_376> and the source of the all-holy Spirit who is adored with them. Fruitfulness, then, or any other name known to men, or even to the intelligible powers themselves, could not clearly represent the things of God as they are, hidden from all; for how is it possible to name God from any of the beings, since He is not any of all things, but is even beyond all beings?

Nor is it her name: This divine man rightly says that it is not her name, nor discourse, but is set apart in inaccessible places, not in places, heaven forbid! but in reasonings and reflections; for the discourse about God is inaccessible to every mind and reflection. And understand rightly and without confusion that He has no name; for all beings are signified both by names and by cognitive things. What name, therefore, or thing is it possible to apply to God, who is set apart beyond all beings and has made all things and is the cause of all things? Therefore this divine Dionysius says that goodness itself or the beautiful does not properly apply to God Himself, since these are also found in beings. And you will find above that these are the affections and accidents accounted for in beings, which is the case with God who has transcended all.

But by a desire for understanding: Note, he says something beautiful, that in order to understand and say something about God at all, being possessed by the desire for Him, the theologians imposed the name of goodness upon God, since God is properly both beyond-good and beyond-being, and goodness, as he says, is the most august name of all. And the negations, that is, denials and privations, are not spoken of God by the theologians simply; for they are not understood as they are said, but are contemplated in a transcendent way; for "immortal," and "invisible," and "incorruptible," and "without need," and "sinless," one who partakes of wisdom would not assume more commonly, nor (14S_378> whatever such things are said of God, but departing from what is signified, he will ascend to the silent and more divine concepts; therefore he also rightly calls them in turn more divine names of God. For the soul, departing from all bodily and worldly sensations, for these it made connatural to itself; thus is united to the pure knowledge of God, as far as is possible for human nature, as also the Apostle intimates, saying: "and so we shall always be with the Lord"; and again: "now we see as in a riddle and in a mirror, but then we shall see face to face."

The most august of names: Note that of all names, goodness is the most august; therefore it is also primarily dedicated to God.

Of those connatural to itself: He says "connatural" meaning those that are kindred and familiar and proper to creation.

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Καί αὐτό τό ἕν ὄν ὁρίζον: Ὅτι καί ὑπέρ τό ὄν ὁ Θεός, ὡς πάντα ὑπάρχων, καί αὐτός τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ ποιητής καί ἐφευρετής ὑπάρχων.

Ἐνάριθμόν ἐστι: Σημείωσαι, ὅτι τό ἐνάριθμον ἀριθμοῦ δήλωσιν σημαίνει· ἐπί τῶν ὄντων τοίνυν, τουτέστι τῶν κτισμάτων, τό ἕν ἐντιθέμενον, κατά ἀριθμοῦ ἔννοιαν τίθεται.

Οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδέ μονάς: Μή ἁπλῶς τό 'οὐκ ἔστι μονάς, οὐδέ τριάς' ἐξακούσῃς, ἀλλά πρός τό, 'διεγνωσμένη', σύνταξον τό 'οὐκ ἔστιν'· οὐ γάρ ἀνελεῖν τά τῆς τοιαύτης ὁμολογίας, ἀλλά τό ἀνεξιχνίαστον ὁ λόγος διδάξαι βούλεται.

Καί τό θεογόνον ἀληθῶς: Τό θεογόνον φησί δηλοῦσθαι ἐκ τῆς ὀνομασίας τῆς Τριάδος· ἵνα γάρ παραστῇ τῶν ἀνεκλαλήτων ὑποστάσεων ἡ προσκυνητή ἔκφανσις, ὁ ἀριθμός ἐπενοήθη, καθά φησι Βασίλειος, καί οἱ θεῖοι Γρηγόριοι. Γόνιμον δέ τόν Πατέρα καταχρηστικῶς ὠνόμασεν, ἅτε καί προσκυνητοῦ Υἱοῦ (14S_376> Πατέρα, καί τοῦ συμπροσκυνητοῦ αὐτοῖς παναγίου Πνεύματος πηγήν. Γονιμότης οὖν, ἤ ἕτερόν τι ὄνομα τῶν συνεγνωσμένων ἀνθρώποις, ἤ καί αὐταῖς ταῖς νοηταῖς δυνάμεσιν, οὐκ ἄν παραστήσει τρανῶς τά ὥς εἰστιν ἐκ πάντων ἀποκεκρυμμένα τοῦ Θεοῦ· πῶς γάρ δυνατόν ὀνομάσαι ἀπό τινος τῶν ὄντων τόν Θεόν, μήτε τι τῶν πάντων ὄντα, ἀλλά καί ὑπέρ πάντα τά ὄντα;

Οὐδέ ὄνομα αὐτῆς ἐστι: Καλῶς ὁ θεῖος οὗτος ἀνήρ λέγει, ὅτι οὐδέ τό ὄνομα αὐτῆς ἐστιν, οὐδέ λόγος, ἀλλά ἐν ἀβάτοις ἐξήρηται, οὐ τόποις, μή γένοιτο! ἀλλά λογισμοῖς καί ἐνθυμήσεσιν· ἄβατος γάρ παντί νῷ καί ἐνθυμήσει ὁ περί Θεοῦ λόγος. Τό δέ μήτε ὄνομα αὐτοῦ εἶναι, καλῶς καί εὐαπαλλάκτως νόησον· τά γάρ ὄντα πάντα καί δι' ὀνομάτων καί διά πραγμάτων γνωστικῶν σημαίνονται. Ποῖον τοίνυν ὄνομα ἤ πρᾶγμα δυνατόν ἐπιθεῖναι τῷ Θεῷ, τῷ ὑπέρ πάντα τά ὄντα ἐξηρημένῳ καί πεποιηκότι τά πάντα καί αἰτίῳ τῶν πάντων; ∆ιό καί τήν ἀγαθότητα αὐτήν ἤ τό καλόν φησιν ὁ θεῖος οὗτος ∆ιονύσιος μή κυρίως ἐφαρμόσαι αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ, ἐπειδή καί ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν εὑρίσκονται ταῦτα. Καί ἀνωτέρω οὕτως εὑρήσεις, ὅτι ταῦτα τά πάθη καί συμβεβηκότα λογίζοντα ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν, ὅπερ ἔστιν ἐπί Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑπεραναβεβηκότος πάντων.

Ἀλλά πόθῳ τοῦ νοεῖν: Σημείωσαι, ὡραῖόν φησιν, ὅτι διά τό ὅλως νοεῖν τι καί λέγειν περί Θεοῦ, τῷ περί αὐτόν πόθῳ κατεχόμενοι, τό τῆς ἀγαθότητος ὄνομα ἐπέβαλον τῷ Θεῷ οἱ θεολόγοι, ἐπεί κυρίως καί ὑπεράγαθος καί ὑπερούσιός ἐστιν ὁ Θεός, ἡ δέ ἀγαθότης, ὥς φησιν οὗτος, σεμνότατον ὄνομα τῶν πάντων. Αἱ δέ ἀποφάσεις, ἤτοι ἀρνήσεις καί στερήσεις, ἐπί Θεοῦ οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἴρηνται τοῖς θεολόγοις· οὐ γάρ, ὡς λέγονται, νοοῦνται, ἀλλά ὑπεραναβεβηκότως θεωροῦνται· τό γάρ ἀθάνατος, καί ἀόρατος, καί ἄφθαρτος, καί ἀνενδεής, καί ἀναμάρτητος, οὐκ ἄν τις, σοφίας μετέχων, δημωδέστερον ὑπολάβοι, οὔτε (14S_378> ὅσα ἐπί Θεοῦ τοιαῦτα λέγεται, ἀλλά τῶν δηλουμένων ἐξιστάμενος ἐπί τάς σεσιγημένας καί θειοτέρας ἐννοίας ἀνανεύσει· διό καί θειοτέρας θεωνυμίας ἐφεξῆς αὐτάς καλῶς προσαγορεύει. Ἐξισταμένη γάρ ἡ ψυχή τῶν σωματικῶν πασῶν αἰσθήσεων καί κοσμικῶν, ταῦτα γάρ ἑαυτῇ ἐποίησε σύμφυλα· οὕτω συνάπτεται τῷ ἀκραιφνεῖ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, καθ' ὅσον δυνατόν ἐστιν ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει, ὡς καί ὁ Ἀπόστολος αἰνίττεται λέγων· «καί οὕτω πάντοτε σύν Κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα»· καί πάλιν· «νῦν ὡς ἐν αἰνίγματι καί ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ ὁρῶμεν, τότε δέ τό πρόσωπον πρός πρόσωπον ὀψόμεθα».

Τό τῶν ὀνομάτων σεπτότατον: Σημείωσαι, ὅτι πάντων ὀνομάτων σεπτότατον ἡ ἀγαθότης· διό καί πρώτως τῷ Θεῷ ἀφιέρωται.

Τῶν ἑαυτῇ συμφύλων: Συμφύλων φησί τῶν συμφυῶν καί γνωρίμων καί τῆς κτίσεως ἰδίων.