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Dionysius
The Areopagite
PART n.^
Rev. yohn Parker
LIBRARY OF WELLESLEY COLLEGE
BEaUEST OF
The Works of
DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE.
PART II. THE HEAVENLY HIERARCHY,
And
THE ECCLESIASTICAL HIERARCHY.
NO IV FIRST TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH, FROM THE ORIGINAL GREEK,
bV the
REV. JOHN PARKER, M.A.
Author of '■'• Christianity Chronologically Confirmed,'' <^'c.
Sames barker anb Co.
6 SOUTHAMPTON-STREET, STRAND, LONDON;
AND 27 BROAD-STREET, OXFORD. 1899,
"'i.e
Gi "n, Y^vc^^ ut^vA>u€<A
CONTENTS.
Os
Page
DiONYSIUS THE ArEOPAGITE AND THE
Alexandrine School * . . v
On the Heavenly Hierarchy , . i
On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy . . 67
Appendix : —
Lists of Bishops . . . .163
Apostolic Traditions generally in
abeyance ..... 167
Index ...... 168
To
The Memory
Of
EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY,
Theologian
Of the
CHURCH OF BRITAIN.
BOOKS TO BE READ.
1st. "The doctrine of the Lord, through the Twelve
Apostles, to the Gentiles." Spence, Nisbet. 2nd. "The Apostolic Constitutions." Lagarde. Williams
Gottingen, 1859. 6th. Hierocles on "Golden Verses" of Pythagoras.
Roger Daniel. London, 1654. 7th. "Ecclesiastical History (in Greek) from establish*
ment of the Church to our own time." By
Professor Kyriakos. Athens, 1898. 8th. " St. Denys, I'Areopagite, premier Eveque de
Paris." Darras, 1863. Vives, Paris. 9th. Gale's "Court of the Gentiles." Hall, Oxon, 1672. loth. Dexter's Chronicle. Migne, T. 31. nth. Monuments inedits. Faillon,
Dionysius the Areopagite
And
THE ALEXANDRINE SCHOOL.
Alexandria became the home of Christian
Philosophy, but Athens was its birthplace. Pan-
taenus and Ammonius-Saccus were chief founders
of the Alexandrine School. They were both Chris-
tian. They both drew their teaching from the Word
of God, " the Fountain of Wisdom," and from the
writings of Hierotheus, and Dionysius the Areopa-
gite — Bishops of Athens. For several centuries there
had been a Greek preparation for the Alexandrine
School. As the Old Testament was a Schoolmaster,
leading to Christ, so the Septuagint, Pythagoras,
Plato, Aristobulus, Philo, and Apollos were heralds
who prepared the minds of men for that fulness of
light and truth in Jesus Christ, which, in Alexandria,
clothed itself in the bright robes of Divine Philo-
sophy.
Pantaenus was born in Athens, a.d. i2o, and died
in Alexandria, a.d. 213. He was Greek by nation-
ality, and Presbyter of the Church in Alexandria by
vocation. First, Stoic, then Pythagorean, he became
Christian some time before a.d. 186, at which date
he was appointed chief instructor in the Didaskeleion,
vi Dionyslus the Areopagite
by Demetrius, Bishop of Alexandria. Pantseniis
recognised the preparation for the Christian Faith
in the Greek Philosophy. Anastasius-Sinaita describes
him as "one of the early expositors who agreed with
each other in treating the first six days of Creation
as prophetic of Christ and the whole Church."
Eusebius says, that Pantaenus expounded the
treasures of the Divine dogmas preserved direct,
as from father to son, from St. Paul and other
Apostles. Photius records that Pantaenus was pupil
of those who had seen the Apostles, but that he
certainly had not listened to any of them them-
selves. Now, if Pantaenus was pupil of those who
had seen the Apostles, and yet had not listened
to their oral teaching, it is natural to infer that he
was pupil through their writings. I am a pupil of
Dr. Pusey, but I never listened to his oral teach-
ing ; I am pupil through his writings. Now, there
exist, to this day, the writings of two Presbyters who
had seen the Apostles — both converts to the faith
through St. Paul, — whose writings contain the trea-
sures of the Divine dogmas, received from St. Paul
and the other Apostles. Those two Presbyters are
Hierotheus and Dionysius the Areopagite, both or-
dained Bishop of Athens by St. Paul. Dionysius
the Areopagite expressly calls St. Paul his " chief
initiator," and as such, gives his teaching on the
holy Angels, in the sixth chapter of the Heavenly
Hierarchy ; and frequently describes St. Paul as his
" chief instructor."
If, then, we can prove that the writings of Diony-
and the Alexandrine School. vii
sius existed before, and were known in Alexandria,
when Pantaeniis delivered his lectures in that city>
we may fairly infer that Pantaenus would know-, and
knowing, would use, the writings penned by the
Chief of his own Areopagus, and Bishop of his own
Athens.
Historical criticism does not permit us to reject
probabilities, merely because they confirm the Chris-
tian Faith.
Dexter, in his Chronicle, collected from the
Archives of Toledo and other churches in Spain,
gives this testimony : — ■
" U.C. 851 (a.d. 98). Dionysius Areopagita dicat
Eugenio Marcello, dicto, propter ingenii excellen-
tiam, Timotheo, libros de Divinis Nom'uiibus.''''
Dionysius of Alexandria, writing to Pope Sixtus II.,
c. 250, respecting the writings of Dionysius the
Areopagite, affirms " that no one can intelligently
dispute their paternity — that no one penetrated more
profoundly than Dionysius into the mysterious depths
of Holy Scripture — that Dionysius was disciple ot
St. Paul, and piously governed the Church of
Athens." If, then, the Bishops of Alexandria and
Rome exchanged letters only a few years after the
death of Pantaenus, and only seven years after the
death of Amnjonius, and in those le-tters affirmed
the writings to be undoubtedly written by Dionysius
the Areopagite, it would be the height of absurdity
to affirm that such writings were unknown to Pan-
taenus and Ammonius.
J3ut we do not need to base our proof on mere
viii Dionysiiis the Areopaglte
supposition. Routh gives two fragments of Pan-
taenus. The second is a distinct echo of Dionysius.
In Divine Names (c. 7), Dionysius discusses how-
Almighty God knows existing things, and explains
the text ; "ZT^, knoiamg all things before their birth^^
as proving that *' not as learning existing things
from existing things, but from Himself, and in Him-
self, as Cause, the Divine Being pre-holds and pre-
comprehends the notions and essence of all things,
not approaching each several thing according to its
kind, but knowing and containing all things within
one grasp of the cause. Thus Almighty God knows
existing things, not by a knowledge of existing things,
but by that of Himself." Dionysius, c. V. s. 8,
speaking of creation, declares that the Divine and
good volitions of Almighty God define and produce
existing things.
Pantsenus teaches the same : *' Neither does He
know things sensible sensibly (ala-dTjTwi), nor things
intelligible intellectually. For it is not possible that
He, Who is above all things, should comprehend
things being, after things being (Kara ra ovra), but we
affirm that He knows things being, as His own
volitions .... yea, as His own volitions, Almighty
God knows things being, since by willing (deXcov),
He made all things being."
In Mystic Theology, c. V., Dionysius says, " Al-
mighty God does not know existing things, ^im exist-
ing." The teaching of Ammonius-Saccus is the same ;
Ammonius uses the word ^ovXrjixa, Dionysius and
Pantaenus, OfXrifxaTa, of God, as Source of Creation.
mid the Alexandi'ine School. ix
But, though the known fragments of Pantaenus are
few, we possess abundant writings of two pupils^
Clement of Alexandria and Origen, from which we
may gather the teaching of their master. Clement
speaks of Pantaenus as his " great instructor and
collaborator." Such is the similarity between the
writings of Clement and Dionysius, that some have
hazarded the conjecture that Clement the Philosopher,
mentioned by Dionysius, was Clement of Alexandria !
I give only one familiar illustration. Clement writes :
" As then, those riding at anchor at sea, drag the
anchor, but do not drag it to themselves, but them-
selves to the anchor, thus those who are drawn to
God in the gnostic life, find themselves unconsciously
led to God." Dionysius, D. N., c. III. s. i, says,
" or, as if after we have embarked on ship, and are
holding on to the cable, attached to some rock, we
do not draw the rock to us, but ourselves, and the
ship, to the rock. Wherefore, before everything, and
especially theology, we must begin with prayer ; not
as though we ourselves were drawing the power,
which is everywhere, and nowhere present, but as,
by our godly reminiscences and invocations, con-
ducting ourselves to, and making ourselves one with
It."
Origen confessed that Pantaenus was his superior
in the philosophy of the schools, and that he moulded
his teaching upon the model of Pantaenus. Do the
writings of Origen bear the stamp of Dionysius and
Hierotheus? Origen, on the resurrection of the
body, says, " For how does it not seem absurd
x - Dionysius the Areopaglte
that this body which has endured scars for Christ,
and, equally with the soul, has borne the savage
torments of persecutions, and has also endured the
suffering of chains, and rods, and has been tortured
with fire, beaten with the sword, and has further
suffered the cruel teeth of wild beasts, the gallows
of the cross, and divers kinds of punishments, — that
this should be deprived of the prizes of such contests.
If forsooth, the soul alone, which not alone conten-
ded, should receive the crown, and its companion
the body, which served it with much labour, should
attain no recompense, for its agony and victory, —
how does it not seem contrary to all reason, that
the flesh, resisting for Christ its natural vices, and
its innate lust, and guarding its virginity with im-
mense labour, — that one, when the time for rewards
has come, should be rejected as unworthy and the
other should receive its crown? Such a fact would
undoubtedly argue on the part of God, either a lack
of justice or a lack of power." Dionysius (E. H.,
c. VII.) says, "Now the pure bodies of the holy
souls, enrolled together as yoke-fellows, and fellow
travellers, which together strove during the divine
contests, throughout the Divine Life, in the unmoved
steadfastness of the souls, will together receive their
own resurrection. For, having been made one with
the holy souls, to which they were united during this
present life, by having become members of Christ,
they will receive in return the godlike and incor-
ruptible immortality and blessed inheritance." Dio-
nysius (D. N., c. VI. s. 2) says, " what is still more
and the Alexandi'ine School. xi
divine, It promises to transfer our whole selves
(I mean souls and bodies, their yoke-fellows), to
a perfect life and immortality. Others again do
this injustice to bodies, that, after having toiled
with the holy souls, they unjustly deprive them of
the holy retributions, when they have come to the
goal of their most divine course." " For if the man
have passed a life dear to God in soul and body,
the body which has contended throughout the Divine
struggles will be honoured together with the devout
soul."
To shew that Origen knew the works of Hiero-
theus, we give an extract from his letter to Gregory :
" Would that you might both participate in and
continually augment this part, so that you may
not only say, ' we are partakers of Christ,' but also
partakers of God." Papias % Bishop of Hierapolis
(fragment V.) says, " the Presbyters, the disciples
of the Apostles, say that this is the gradation and
method of those who are saved, and that they
advance through steps of this nature, and that,
moreover, they ascend through the Spirit to the
Son, and through the Son to the Father ; and that,
in due time, the Son will yield up His work to the
Father." Who the Presbyters^ the disciples of the
Apostles were, we may gather from the three last
chapters of the " Book of Hierotheus ^" in which
the very same doctrine is taught. Is it not, then,
a legitimate inference, that when Photius says "that
a c. 140. b Br. Mus. {Ad. Rich. 7189),
xii Dionysius the Areopagite
Pantasnus was a pupil of the Presbyters who had seen
the Apostles ^^'' he designated Hierotheus and Dionysius
the Areopagite, generally known under that title ?
Ammonius-Saccus was born of Christian parents in Alexandria, and died in that city, a.d. 242.
Anastasius Sinaita calls him "the Wise," and
Hierocles, " the taught of God." Besides being
famous for his expositions of Holy Scripture, he
wrote the " Diatesseron," or " Harmony of the
Gospels, '' contained in the Bib. Patrum. In a.d.
236, he wrote the agreement between Moses and
Jesus. He was the great conciliator, who sought
the good in every system, and to make all one in
Christ. Pressense beautifully describes him as a man
who wished to believe and to know — to adore and to
comprehend — to conciliate the Greek Philosophy wuth
the Mysteries of the East. He wrote a commentary
on the golden verses of Pythagoras, which Hierocles
published, as well as reproduced his other works.
The titles of his books, mentioned by Photius, such
as "Providence" and "Free Will," recall those of
the lost books of Dionysius, of which we have only
a summary in his known works. (Cod. 251 — 214.)
Ammonius was surnamed Saccus from having
been a corn carrier. Virgil, Shakespere, Milton,
were great geniuses in themselves, but when we
know the sources from which they drew, we can
better understand their achievements.