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into activity, there is therefore a vision beyond all intellectual activities, which vision we call beyond intellection; that which, therefore, is no more non-intellection than intellection, how will it be a part of universal knowledge? And how will it be counter-distinguished from its species? For none of the wise has ever divided substance into body and incorporeal and supersubstantial, nor sensation into the five senses and that which is beyond sensation; for how could that which is beyond substance be under substance, and that which is beyond sensation be under sensation? Thus, therefore, that which is beyond knowledge is not a species of knowledge. And that the intellect has a power to transcend itself and through this to be united to what is superior to it, the great Dionysius also says most clearly, and he does not simply say this, but also indicates that such a knowledge is among the most necessary things for Christians; "for it is necessary," he says, "to know that our intellect has, on the one hand, a power for intellection, through which it sees intelligible things, and on the other, a union that transcends the nature of the intellect, through which it is joined to the things beyond itself." By that, then, through which it transcends the nature of the intellect, it is beyond all intellectual activities and is not knowledge, by way of preeminence; but by that through which it is a bond of both intellect and God, it is incomparably better than the power which binds the intellect to created things, that is, than knowledge.

But how does our opponent argue that there is no vision beyond all intellectual activities? "Because," he says, "nothing is higher than theology by way of negation." But the contemplation of theology is one thing, my good man, since it is not the same thing to say something about God and to possess and see God. For theology by way of negation is also a discourse (p. 504), but there are also contemplations beyond discourse, and he who was shown the ineffable things demonstrated this. Since, therefore, theology by way of negation is also a discourse, there is then also a contemplation beyond it or beyond discourse, and the contemplatives of things beyond discourse ascend beyond it, not in word, but in deed and in truth and by the grace of God and of the all-powerful Spirit, who grants us to see "what eye has not seen and ear has not heard."

But he, not understanding these things even moderately, thinks that the great Dionysius bears witness with him, saying, "in the divine darkness everyone who is deemed worthy to know and to see God comes to be, by the very act of not seeing nor knowing, truly being in that which is beyond vision and knowledge"; and elsewhere, "it is for those alone to enter into the darkness where He who is beyond all things truly is, those who have passed beyond all things, even pure things, and every ascent of all holy heights, and all the divine lights." "And one enters," says the philosopher, "into this darkness through the negation of all existing things, and this is the most perfect contemplation, this darkness, theology by way of negation alone, and there is nothing beyond knowing nothing, so that even that divine light, whatever it is, which you speak of, must be left behind, so that you may ascend to theology and contemplation by way of negation." But we say that light of grace is that which the great Dionysius himself says always, eternally, and unceasingly shines around the saints in that most blessed state of the age to come, "as also the disciples in the most divine Transfiguration." What device, then, could there be to be released from that which eternally shines around and is unfailingly seen then (and this not only sensibly but also intellectually, or rather, even beyond these, spiritually and divinely, as we have often (p. 506) and through many things shown), what device then, what benefit to be released from that which eternally unites what is better than us to what is better than the intellect and grants to see the things beyond you? For just as the intellect, ineffably united with sensation, sees sensible things, and just as sensation symbolically and sensibly presents intelligible things through its connection with the intellect, having come to an apprehension of them, so also these two, united to the Spirit, will spiritually behold the invisible light, or rather, they will co-exist eternally beholding it. What device then is there to be freed from the light that so eternally illumines us then, in order that of the most perfect which is supposed by you

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εἰς ἐνέργειαν, ἔστιν ἄρα ὑπέρ τάς νοεράς πάσας ἐνεργείας ὅρασις, ἥν ὅρασιν ὑπέρ νόησίν φαμεν˙ ὅ τοίνυν οὐ μᾶλλόν ἐστιν ἀνοησία ἤ νόησις, πῶς μόριον ἔσται τῆς καθόλου γνώσεως; Πῶς δ᾿ ἀντιδιαιρεθήσεται τοῖς εἴδεσιν αὐτῆς; Οὐδέ γάρ τήν οὐσίαν διεῖλέ ποτέ τις τῶν σοφῶν εἰς σῶμα καί ἀσώματον καί ὑπερούσιον, οὐδέ τήν αἴσθησιν εἴς τε τάς πέντε αἰσθήσεις καί τό ὑπέρ αἴσθησιν˙ τό γάρ ὑπέρ τήν οὐσίαν, πῶς ἄν εἴη ὑπό τήν οὐσίαν καί ὑπ᾿ αἴσθησιν τό ὑπέρ αἴσθησιν; Οὕτως ἄρα οὐδέ τό ὑπέρ τήν γνῶσιν, γνώσεως εἶδος. Ὅτι δέ ἔχει δύναμιν ὑπερβαίνειν ἑαυτόν ὁ νοῦς καί δι᾿ αὐτῆς τοῖς ἑαυτόῦ κρείττοσιν ἑνοῦσθαι καί ὁ μέγας ∆ιονύσιος ἀριδηλότατά φησι, καί οὐχ ἁπλῶς τοῦτο λέγει, ἀλλά καί τήν τοιαύτην εἴδησιν χριστιανοῖς τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων εἶναι προσημαίνειν˙ «δέον» γάρ, φησίν, «εἰδέναι τόν καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς νοῦν, τήν μέν ἔχειν δύναμιν εἰς τό νοεῖν, δι᾿ ἧς τά νοητά βλέπει, τήν δέ ἕνωσιν ὑπεραίρουσαν τήν τοῦ νοῦ φύσιν, δι᾿ ἧς συνάπτεται πρός τά ἐπέκεινα ἑαυτοῦ». Ἧ μέν οὖν ὑπεραίρει τήν τοῦ νοῦ φύσιν, ὑπέρ πάσας ἐστί τάς νοεράς ἐνεργείας καί γνῶσις οὐκ ἔστι καθ᾿ ὑπεροχήν˙ᾗ δέ σύνδεσμός ἐστι νοῦ τε καί Θεοῦ, κρεῖττον ἀσυγκρίτως τῆς συνδούσης τόν νοῦν πρός τά κτιστά δυνάμεως, δηλαδή τῆς γνώσεως.

Ἀλλά πῶς ὁ ἀντιλέγων ἡμῖν κατασκευάζει ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν ὑπέρ πάσας τάς νοεράς ἐνεργείας ὅρασις; «Ἐπειδή», φησί, «τῆς κατά ἀφαίρεσιν θεολογίας ὑψηλότερον οὐδέν». Ἀλλ᾿ ἕτερον, ὦ βέλτιστε, θεωρία θεολογίας, ἐπεί μηδέ ταὐτόν λέγειν τι περί Θεοῦ καί κεκτῆσθαι καί ὁρᾶν Θεόν. Λόγος μέν (σελ. 504) γάρ καί ἡ κατά ἀπόφασιν θεολογία, θεωρίαι δέ εἰσι καί ὑπέρ λόγον, καί τοῦτ᾿ ἔδειξεν ὁ ἀποκαλυφθείς τά ἄρρητα. Ἐπεί τοίνυν λόγος καί ἡ δι᾿ ἀποφάσεως θεολογία, καί ὑπέρ αὐτήν ἄρα ἐστίν ἤ ὑπέρ λόγον θεωρία, καί ὑπεραναβαίνουσι ταύτην οἱ θεωρητικοί τῶν ὑπέρ λόγον, οὐ λόγῳ, ἔργῳ δέ καί ἀληθείᾳ καί χάριτι Θεοῦ καί τοῦ πάντα δυναμένου Πνεύματος, ὅ δίδωσιν ἡμῖν ὁρᾶν «ἅ ὀφθαλμός οὐκ εἶδε καί οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν».

Ἀλλ᾿ ἐκεῖνος ταῦτα οὐδέ μετρίως συνιείς, τόν μέγαν οἴεται συμμαρτυρεῖν αὐτῷ ∆ιονύσιον λέγοντα, «ἐν τῷ θείῳ γνόφῳ γίνεται πᾶς ὁ Θεόν γνῶναι καί ἰδεῖν ἀξιούμενος, αὐτῷ τῷ μή ὁρᾶν μηδέ γινώσκειν, ἀληθῶς ἐν τῷ ὑπέρ ὅρασιν καί γνῶσιν γινόμενος»˙ καί ἀλλαχοῦ, «μόνοις ὑπάρχει εἰσδύεσθαι εἰς τόν γνόφον, οὗ ὄντως ἐστίν ὁ πάντων ἐπέκεινα, τοῖς πάντα καί τά καθαρά καί πᾶσαν πασῶν ἁγίων ἀκροτήτων ἀνάβασιν καί πάντα τά θεῖα φῶτα ὑπερβᾶσιν». «Εἰσέρχεται δέ τις», φησίν ὁ φιλόσοφος, «εἰς τοῦτον τόν γνόφον διά τῆς τῶν πάντων τῶν ὄντων ἀφαιρέσεως, καί τοῦτό ἐστιν ἡ τελεωτάτη θεωρία, ὁ γνόφος οὗτος, ἡ δι᾿ ἀποφάσεως θεολογία μόνη, καί τοῦ μηδέν γινώσκειν οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐπέκεινα, ὥστε καί τό θεῖον φῶς ἐκεῖνο, ὅ τί ποτέ ἐστιν, ὅ λέγεται ὑμεῖς, ἀπολιπεῖν δεῖ, ἵνα πρός τήν κατά ἀπόφασιν θεολογίαν τε καί θεωρίαν ἀναδράμητε». Ἀλλά μήν φῶς ἡμεῖς τῆς χάριτος ἐκεῖνο λέγομεν, ὅ φησιν αὐτός ὁ μέγας ∆ιονύσιος πάντοτε αἰωνίως καί ἀδιαλείπτως περιαστράπτειν τούς ἁγίους ἐν τῇ μακαριωτάτῃ ἐκείνῃ διαγωγή τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, «ὡς καί τούς μαθητάς ἐν τῇ θειοτάτῃ μεταμορφώσει». Τίς ἄν οὖν γένοιτο μηχανή τοῦ ἀϊδίως περιλάμποντος καί ἀνεκλείπτως ὁρωμένου τότε (καί ταῦτ᾿ οὐ μόνον αἰσθητῶς ἀλλά καί νοερῶς, μᾶλλον δέ καί ὑπέρ ταῦτα πενυματικῶς καί θεϊκῶς, ὡς πολλάκις (σελ. 506) καί διά πολλῶν ἐδείξαμεν), τίς οὖν μηχανή, τίς δ᾿ ὄνησις ἀπολελύσθαι, τοῦ κρεῖττον ἤ καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς τοῖς νοῦ κρείττοσιν ἑνοῦντος αἰωνίως καί διδόντος τά ὑπέρ ὑμᾶς ὁρᾶν; Ὡς γάρ ὁ νοῦς ἀφράστως τῇ αἰσθήσει συνημένος ὁρᾷ τά αἰσθητά καί ὡς ἡ αἴσθησις συμβολικῶς καί αἰσθητῶς προτίθεται τά νοητά διά τῆς πρός τόν νοῦν συναφείας, ἐν καταλήψει γενομένη τούτων, οὕτω καί τῷ Πνεύματι ταῦτ᾿ ἄμφω συνημμένα τό ἀόρατον φῶς πνευματικῶς θεάσονται, μᾶλλον δέ συνδιαιωνίσουσι θεώμενα. Τίς οὖν μηχανή τοῦ ἀϊδίως οὕτω περιαυγάζοντος τόθ᾿ ἡμᾶς φωτός ἀφεῖσθαι, ἵνα τῆς σοί νομιζομένης τελεωτάτης