455

the limits, I mean both the above and the below, that is, according to the beginning and the end. For the infinite is incomprehensible in its essence, and inconceivable in its power, and (1185) indescribable in its energy, and without beginning from above, and without end from below, and to speak more truly, simply indefinite in all things, so that nothing at all can be conceived together with it in any one of the ways enumerated. For in whatever way or manner we might say that something else, different in essence, can be compared to it, we take away from it the whole principle of its entire infinity. But if something cannot be infinite to which another thing, different in essence, has co-existed from eternity, it is in no way possible for a dyad to be infinite. For the monads within it, co-existing with each other by juxtaposition, define each other, neither allowing the other to be seen indefinitely, having it lying beside but not extending beyond, and they rightly take from each other the principle of infinity. But if, as has been shown, it is not possible for a dyad to be infinite, then clearly it is not without beginning, for the beginning of every dyad is a monad; and if it is not without beginning, it is not unmoved, for it is moved by number from monads by union, and into them by division, receiving its being; and if it is not unmoved, it cannot be the beginning of anything else. For that which is moved is not a beginning, but from a beginning, that is, from that which moves it. But a monad alone is properly unmoved, because it is neither a number, nor numerable or numbered (for a monad is neither a part nor a whole nor a relation), and properly without beginning, because it has nothing older than itself, from which, being moved, it receives its being as a monad, and properly infinite, because it has nothing co-existing or co-numbered with it, and properly a beginning, because it happens to be the cause of everything, both of number and of what is numbered and of what is numerable, as it is removed from every relation and every part and whole, and properly and truly, but primarily and solely and simply, in this way, being both the first and only monad. And saying this, we do not signify the blessed Godhead as it is, being infinitely unapproachable and inaccessible in every respect and way and to every mind and word and name, but we provide for ourselves a firm and, for us, attainable and suitable limit of faith in it. For the divine word does not proclaim this, I mean the name of monad, as in every way representative of the divine and blessed essence, but as indicative of its complete simplicity which is beyond all quantity and quality, and of any relation whatsoever, so that we may know that it is not some whole made up of certain parts, nor is it some part of a certain whole. For the Godhead is above all division and composition and part and whole, because it is without quantity, and removed from all existence by position and from the concept defining how it is, because it is without quality, and free and released from all connection and affinity to anything else, for it is without relation, having nothing before it or with it or after it, as it is beyond all things, and is not ranked (1188) with any of the beings in any way or manner. And perhaps having understood this, the great and divine Dionysius says: "Wherefore also the Godhead beyond all things, celebrated as monad and triad, is neither monad nor triad, as known by us or by any other being, but in order that we might truly praise both its super-unified nature and its divine generativity, we have named the Super-nominal with the triadic and unitary divine-name, and the Super-essential with the names of beings. " Therefore no one who wishes to live piously through truth will be able to say that a dyad or a multitude is without beginning, or is altogether the beginning of anything. For One God will appear to him through all the contemplative power and science of reason and mind, existing beyond all infinity, and known to none of the beings at all in any way, except to be known by faith alone, and this from His own works that He is, not what He is, and

455

τά πέρατα, τό ἄνω τε λέγω καί τό κάτω, τουτέστι κατά τήν ἀρχήν καί τό τέλος. Ἀχώρητον γάρ κατά τήν οὐσίαν, καί ἀπερινόητον κατά τήν δύναμιν, καί κατά τήν (1185) ἐνέργειαν ἀπερίγραφον, καί ἄναρχον ἄνωθεν, καί ἀτελεύτητον κάτωθέν ἐστι τό ἄπειρον, καί ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν ἀληθέστερον, καί πάντα ἀόριστον, ὡς οὐδενός τό παράπαν καθ᾿ ἕνα τῶν ἀπηριθμημένων τρόπων συνεπινοηθῆναι αὐτῷ δυναμένου. Καθ᾿ ὅν γάρ ἄν εἴποιμεν λόγον ἤ τρόπον δύνασθαί τι ἕτερον αὐτῷ κατ᾿ οὐσίαν διάφορον παραβάλλεσθαι, τόν ὅλον τῆς ὅλης ἀπειρίας αὐτῷ συναφαιρούμεθα λόγον. Εἰ δέ ἄπειρόν τι εἶναι οὐ δύναται ᾧ ἐξ ἀϊδίου συνυπάρχει ἕτερόν τι κατ᾿ οὐσίαν διάφορον, ἄπειρον εἶναι οὐδαμῶς ἐνδέχεται δυάδα. Αἱ γάρ κατ᾿ αὐτήν μονάδες ἀλλήλαις κατά παράθεσιν συνυπάρχουσαι ἀλλήλας ὁρίζουσιν, οὐδετέρας τήν ἑτέραν ἀορίστως ὁρᾶσθαι συγχωρούσης, παρακειμένην, ἀλλ᾿ οὐχ ὑπερβαίνουσαν ἐχούσης, καί τόν τῆς ἀπειρίας εἰκότως ἀλλήλων συναφαιροῦνται λόγον. Εἰ δέ ἄπειρον, ὡς δέδεικται, μή ἐνδέχεται εἶναι δυάδα, οὔτε ἄναρχον δηλονότι, ἀρχή γάρ πάσης δυάδος μονάς· εἰ δέ μή ἄναρχον οὐδέ ἀκίνητον, κινεῖται γάρ τῷ ἀριθμῷ ἐκ μονάδων κατ᾿ ἕνωσιν, καί εἰς αὐτά κατά διαίρεσιν τό εἶναι λαμβάνουσα· εἰ δέ μή ἀκίνητον, οὐδέ ἄλλου τινός ἀρχήν εἶναι. Τό γάρ κινούμενον οὐκ ἀρχή, ἀλλ᾿ ἐξ ἀρχῆς, δηλαδή τοῦ κινοῦντος. Μονάς δέ μόνη κυρίως ἀκίνητος, ὅτι μήτε ἀριθμός ἐστι, μήτε ἀριθμητόν ἤ ἀριθμούμενον (οὔτε γάρ μέρος ἤ ὅλον ἤ σχέσις ἐστίν ἡ μονάς), καί κυρίως ἄναρχος, ὅτι μηδέτερον ἑαυτῆς ἔχει πρεσβύτερον, ἐξ οὗ κινουμένη δέχεται τό εἶναι μονάς, καί ἄπειρον κυρίως, ὅτι μηδέν ἔχει συνυπάρχον ἤ συναριθμούμενον, καί ἀρχή κυρίως, ὅτι παντός καί ἀριθμοῦ καί ἀριθμουμένου καί ἀριθμητοῦ αἰτία τυγχάνει, ὡς πάσης σχέσεως καί παντός μέρους καί ὅλου ἐξῃρημένη, καί κυρίως καί ἀληθῶς, πρώτως δέ καί μόνως καί ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ᾿ οὕπως, πρώτη τε μονάς ὑπάρχουσα καί μόνη. Καί τοῦτο λέγοντες οὐκ αὐτήν ὡς ἔστι σημαίνομεν τήν μακαρίαν θεότητα, ἀπείρως κατά πάντα καί λόγον καί τρόπον καί νῷ καί λόγῳ παντί καί ὀνόματι ἀπρόσιτον οὖσαν παντελῶς καί ἀπροσπέλαστον, ἀλλ᾿ ἑαυτοῖς ὅρον τῆς εἰς αὐτήν πίστεως παρέχομεν βάσιμον καί ἡμῖν ἐφικτόν τε καί πρόσφορον. Οὐ γάρ ὡς παραστατικόν πάντως τοῦτο, φημί δέ τό τῆς μονάδος ὄνομα, τῆς θείας καί μακαρίας οὐσίας ὁ θεῖος διαγορεύει λόγος, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἐνδεικτικόν τῆς παντελοῦς αὐτῆς ἁπλότητος τῆς ἐπέκεινα πάσης ποσότητός τε καί ποιότητος, καί τῆς οἱασδήποτε σχέσεως, ἵνα γνῶμεν ὄτι μή ὅλον τί ἐστιν ὡς ἐκ μερῶν τινων, μηδέ τι μέρος ἐστίν ἐξ ὄλου τινός. Ὑπεράνω γάρ πάσης διαιρέσεώς τε καί συνθέσεως καί μέρους καί ὅλου ἡ θεότητς, ὅτι ἄποσον, καί πάσης τῆς κατά θέσιν ὑπάρξεως καί τῆς πῶς εἶναι αὐτήν ὁριζομένης ἐννοίας ἀπῳκισμένη, ὅτι ἄποιον, καί τῆς πρός ἄλλο πᾶν πάσης συναφείας τε καί οἰκειότητος ἐλευθέρα καί ἄφετος, ἄσχετον γάρ τό πρό αὐτῆς ἤ μετ᾿ αὐτῆς ἤ μετ᾿ αὐτήν οὐκ ἔχουσα, ὡς πάντων ἐπέκεινα, καί μηδενί τῶν ὄντων (1188) κατ᾿ οὐδένα λόγον ἤ τρόπον συντεταγμένη. Καί τοῦττο τυχόν ἐννοήσας ὁ μέγας καί θεῖος ∆ιονύσιός φησι· "∆ιό καί μονάς ὑμνουμένη καί τριάς, ἡ ὑπέρ πάντα θεότης, οὐκ ἔστιν οὔτε μονάς, οὔτε τριάς, ἤ πρός ἡμῶν ἤ ἄλλου τινός διεγνωσμένη, ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα καί τό ὑπερηνωμένον αὐτῆς καί τό θεογόνον ἀληθῶς ὑμνήσωμεν, τῇ τριαδικῇ καί ἑνιαία θεονυμίᾳ τήν ὑπερώνυμον ὠνομάσαμεν, καί τοῖς οὖσι τήν ὑπερούσιον. " Οὐδαμῶς οὖν τις δυάδα ἤ πλῆθος ἄναρχον, ἤ ἀρχήν τό σύνολόν τινος εἶναι λέγειν δυνήσεται, ζῇν εὐσεβῶς δι᾿ ἀληθείας βεβουλημένος. Εἷς γάρ διά πάσης τῆς κατά λόγον καί νοῦν θεωρητικῆς δυνάμεως καί ἐπιστήμης αὐτῷ Θεός ἀναφανήσεται, πάσης ἀπειρίας ὑπάρχων ἐπέκεινα, καί μηδενί καθόλου τῶν ὄντων καθ᾿ ὁτιοῦν, πλήν τοῦ διά πίστεως μόνον γινώσκεσθαι, καί τοῦτο ἐκ τῶν αὐτοῦ ποιημάτων ὅτι ἐστίν, οὐχ ὅτι ποτέ ἐστι διεγνωσμένος, καί