Doctrine

In accordance with the Neoplatonic tradition, going back to Plato’s description of the Idea of the Good as ‘‘beyond being’’ (epekeina tes ousias, Rep., VI, 509b), Dionysius sees God as the creative cause of all being, which itself transcends the realm of being (hyperousios). Insofar as God is the cause of all the created beings, He is known through each and every one of them, and at the same time, insofar as He transcends the realm of being, He is not known through any of them: ‘‘He is all things in everything and nothing in anything, known to all from all things and to no one from anything’’ (DN, VII.3, 872A). This is the foundation of the two ways of speaking about God: cataphatic or affirmative theology, in which positive statements about God, based on His self-manifestation in the created realm, are made, and apophatic or negative theology, in which such statements are denied. Though negative statements about God are superior to affirmative ones, ultimately all statements about God, both affirmative and negative, are to be left behind and one is to enter the ‘‘truly mystical darkness of unknowing’’ (MT, I, 1000B-1001A), paralleling the darkness penetrated by Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex. 20:21 Lxx). It is through unknowing that, according to Dionysius, God is most appropriately known and through silence that He is most fittingly praised (MT, I, 1001A; Ep. 1, 1065A-B; DN, VII.3, 872A-B).

God’s self-manifestation in the created realm, which forms the basis of cataphatic theology, takes various shapes, from the Incarnation to scriptural and liturgical symbolism. Hence, much of the Dionysian corpus is concerned with such symbolism, in particular with the interpretation of divine names (Rorem 1984). This is done in three stages. The lost or fictitious work Theological Representations (summarized in DN, I-II and MT, III, 1032D-1033A) dealt with names associated with the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation. The Divine Names dealt with scriptural descriptions of God derived from the intelligible realm (e. g., being, life, and wisdom). Finally, the lost or fictitious Symbolic Theology (summarized in Ep. 9, cf. CH, XV) dealt with scriptural descriptions of God drawn from the sensible realm, including such seemingly inappropriate imagery as God’s falling asleep and being drunk. In the powerful apophatic finale of The Mystical Theology, Dionysius takes up these descriptions again, but this time, he systematically denies their applicability to God (MT, IV-V).

The purpose of God’s symbolic procession into the created realm is to purify, illumine, and unite all beings back to Himself (this triad - purification, illumination, and union - is adopted by Dionysius from Proclus). Purification, illumination, and union are effected through the two “hierarchies” (a term coined by Dionysius himself): the celestial hierarchy and the ecclesiastical hierarchy. The celestial hierarchy comprises nine orders of angelic beings, arranged in triads (the seraphim, cherubim, and thrones; dominions, powers, and authorities; principalities, archangels, and angels). The ecclesiastical hierarchy, also arranged in triads, comprises three sacraments (baptism, Eucharist, and consecration of the oil), three ranks of the clergy (hierarchs, priests, and deacons), and three ranks of laity (monks, lay people, and three minor groups: catechumens, penitents, and demon-possessed). Both hierarchies enable their members to imitate God and to be united to Him as far as possible (CH, III, 165A-B).