598 FOURTH PEEIOD. A. D. 590-1049.
as far as possible to the godlike and elevated to the imitation of God in proportion to the divine illuminations conceded to it." There are two hierarchies, one in heaven, and one on earth, each with three triadic degrees.
The celestial or supermundane hierarchy consists of angelic beings in three orders : 1) thrones, cherubim, and seraphim, in the immediate presence of God ; 2) powers, mights, and domi nions; 3) angels (in the narrower sense), archangels, and prin cipalities.1 The first order is illuminated, purified and perfected by God, the second order by the first, the third by the second.
The earthly or ecclesiastical hierarchy is a reflex of the hea venly, and a school to train us up to the closest possible com munion with God. Its orders form the lower steps of the heavenly ladder which reaches in its summit to the throne of God. It requires sensible symbols or sacraments, which, like the parables of our Lord, serve the double purpose of revealing the truth to the holy and hiding it from the profane. The first and highest triad of the ecclesiastical hierarchy are the sacra ments of baptism which is called illumination (<pd)Ttafj.a), the eucharist (ffwaZec, gathering, communion), which is the most
1 Or, in the descending order, they are :
(a) aepaQiu, ^epovfti/n, &p6voi.
(6) Kup^r^rff, dwd/re^, t!-ovaiat.
(c) apx^-'h ctp^ayye^ot, ayye^ot.
Five of these orders are derived from St. Paul, Eph. 1 : 21 6vva/Ltis, Kvpi6rw)} and Col. 1 : 16 (dpovoi, /cup^n/ref, apxai, f^ovmai] ; the other four (ffepa&ifj., xepovpi/i, apxdyyehot, ayyehoi) are likewise biblical designations of angelic beings, but nowhere mentioned in this order. Thomas Aquinas, in his doctrine of angels, closely follows Dionysius, quoting him literally, or more frequently interpreting his meaning. Dante introduced the three celes tial triads into his Divina Commedia (Paradiso, Canto XXVIII. 97 sqq.) :
"These orders upward all of them are gazing, And downward so prevail, that unto God They all attracted are and all attract. And Dionysius with so great desire To contemplate these orders set himself, He named them and distinguished them as I do."
(Longfellow's translation.)
\ 137. THE PSEUDODIONYSIAN WRITINGS. 590
sacred of consecrations, and the holy unction or chrism which represents our perfecting. Three other sacraments are men tioned: the ordination of priests, the consecration of monks, and the rites of burial, especially the anointing of the dead. The three orders of the ministry form the second triad.1 The third triad consists of monks, the holy laity, and the catechu mens.
These two hierarchies with their nine-fold orders of heavenly and earthly ministrations are, so to speak, the machinery of God's government and of his self-communication to man. They express the divine law of subordination and mutual dependence of the different ranks of beings.
The Divine Names or attributes, which are the subject of a long treatise, disclose to us through veils and shadows the foun tain-head of all life and light, thought and desire. The good ness, the beauty, and the loveliness of God shine forth upon all created things, like the rays of the sun, and attract all to Him self. How then can evil exist? Evil is nothing real and posi tive, but only a negation, a defect. Cold is the absence of heat, darkness is the absence of light ; so is evil the absence of good ness. But how then can God punish evil? For the answer to this question the author refers to another treatise which is lost.2 The Mystic Tlieology briefly shows the way by which the human soul ascends to mystic union with God as previously set forth under the Divine Names. The soul now rises above signs and symbols, above earthly conceptions and definitions to the pure knowledge and intuition of God.
Dionysius distinguishes between cataphatic or affirmative theo logy,3 and apophatic or negative theology.4 The former descends from the infinite God, as the unity of all names, to the finite
1 They are not called bishop, priest, and deacon, but iepdpxw, lepev^ and fatrovpydc. Yet Dionysius writes to Timothy a* rrpeo^vrtpoq r£ * TLepl fiiKdiov Kal deiov diKatuTTfpiov.
8 KaraQariKdc, affirmative, from KarafyciGKU (Kardtyrjiit}, to affirm. 4 ano<f>a.TLn6<;, negative, from cnrofdoKu (air6$ij[U\ to deny.