"^ Observe the doctrine of the Atonement. eV aunSf, Jesus and the Altar. eV aviif is also another reading.
on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 12$
CAPUT V.
/. Concerning sacerdotal Consecrations,
Section I.
Such, then, is the most Divine perfecting work of
the Muron. But it may be opportune, after these
Divine ministrations, to set forth the sacerdotal
Orders and elections themselves, and their powers,
and operations, and consecrations, and the triad of
the superior ranks under them ; in order that the
arrangement of our Hierarchy may be demonstrated,
as entirely rejecting and excluding the disordered,
the unregulated, and the confused ; and, at the same
time, choosing and manifesting the regulated and
ordered, and well-established, m the gradations of
the sacred Ranks within it. Now we have well shewn,
as I think, in the Hierarchies already extolled by us,
the threefold division of every Hierarchy, when we
affirmed that Our sacred tradition holds, that every
Hierarchical transaction is divided into * the most
Divine Mystic Rites, and ^ the inspired experts and
teachers of them, and those who are being religiously
initiated ^ by them.
Section H.
Thus the most holy Hierarchy of the" supercelestial
Beings has, for its initiation, its own possible and
most immaterial conception of God and things Divine,
and the complete likeness to God, and a persistent
124 Dionysius the Areopagite
habit of imitating God, as far as permissible. And
its illuminators, and leaders to this sacred conse-
cration, are the very first Beings around God. For
these generously and proportionately transmit to the
subordinate sacred Ranks the ever deifying notions
given to them, by the self-perfect Godhead and the
wise-making Divine Minds. Now the Ranks, who are
subordinate to the first Beings, are, and are truly
called, the initiated Orders, as being religiously con-
ducted, through those, to the deifying illumination of
the Godhead. And after this, — the heavenly and
supermundane Hierarchy, — the Godhead gave the
Hierarchy under the Law, imparting its most holy
gifts, for the benefit of our race, to them (as being
children according to the Logion y), by faint images of
the true, and copies ^ far from the Archetypes, and
enigmas hard to understand**, and types having the
contemplation enveloped within, as an analogous light
not easily discerned ^, so as not to wound weak eyes
by the light shed upon them. Now to this Hierarchy
under the Law, the elevation to spiritual worship *^ is
an initiation. Now the men religiously instructed for
that holy tabernacle ^ by Moses, — the first initiated
and leader of the Hierarchs under the Law, — were
conductors; in reference to which holy tabernacle, —
when describing for purposes of instruction the Hier-
archy under the Law, — he called all the sacred
services of the Law an image of the type shewn
y Gal. iv. 3. 2 Heb. x. I. a Num. xii. 8.
^ Rom. ii. 20. c John iv. 23. ^ Heb. ix. 11.
on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 125
to him in Mount Sinai ®. But " initiated " are those
who are being conducted to a more perfect revelation
of the symbols of the Law, in proportion to their
capacity. Now the Word of God calls our Hierarchy
the more perfect revelation, naming it a fulfilment^
of that, and a holy inheritance. It is both heavenly
and legal, like the mean between extremes, common
to the one, by intellectual contemplations, and to the
other, because it is variegated by sensible signs; and,
through these, reverently conducts to the Divine
Beinsj, And it has likewise a threefold division
of the Hierarchy, which is divided into the most
holy ministrations of the Mystic Rites, and into the
Godlike ministers of holy things, and those who are
being conducted by them, according to their capacity,
to things holy.
And each of the three divisions of our Hierarchy,
comformably to that of the Law, and the Hierarchy,
more divine than ours, is arranged as first and middle
and last in power ; consulting both reverent pro-
portion, and well-ordered and concordant fellowship
of all things in harmonious rank.
Section HI.
The most holy ministration, then, of the Mystic
Rites has, as first Godlike power, the holy cleansing
of the uninitiated ; and as middle, the enlightening
instruction of the purified ; and as last, and summary
of the former, the perfecting of those instructed in
e Exod. XXV. 40. ' Matt. v. 17.
126 Dionysius the Areopagife
science of their proper instructions ; and the order of
the Ministers, in the first power, cleanses the un-
initiated through the Mystic Rites ; and in the
second, conducts to light the purified ; and in the
last and highest of the Ministering Powers, makes
perfect those who have participated in the Divine
light, by the scientific completions of the illuminations
contemplated. And of the Initiated, the first power
is that being purified ; and the middle is that being
enlightened, after the cleansing, and which contem-
plates certain holy things ; and the last and more
divine than the others, is that enlightened in the
perfecting science of the holy enlightenment of which
it has become a contemplator. Let, then, the three-
fold power of the holy service of the Mystic Rites
be extolled, since the Birth in God is exhibited in
the Oracles as a purification and enlightening illumin-
ation, and the Rite of the Synaxis and the Muron,
as a perfecting knowledge and science of the works
of God, through which the unifying elevation to the
Godhead and most blessed communion is reverently
perfected. And now let us explain next the sacer-
dotal Order, which is divided into a purifying and
illuminating and perfecting discipline.
Section IV.
This, then, is the all-sacred Law of the Godhead,
that, through the first, the second are conducted to
Its most Divine splendour. Do we not see the
material substances of the elements, first approach-
ing, by preference, things which are more congenial
071 the Ecclesiastical Hiera7'Lliy. 127
to them, and, through these, diffusing their own
energy to other things? Naturally, then, the Head
and Foundation of all good order, invisible and
visible, causes the deifying rays to approach the more
Godlike first, and through them, as being more trans-
parent Minds, and more properly adapted for re-
ception and transmission of Light, transmits light and
manifestations to the subordinate, in proportions
suitable to them.
It is, then, the function of these, the first contem-
plators of God, to exhibit ungrudgingly to those
second, in proportion to their capacity, the Divine
visions reverently gazed upon by themselves, and to
reveal the things relating to the Hierarchy (since
they have been abundantly instructed with a perfect-
ing science in all matters relating to their own Hier-
archy, and have received the effectual power of
instruction), and to impart sacred gifts according
to fitness, since they scientifically and wholly par-
ticipate in sacerdotal perfection.
Section V.
The Divine Rank of the Hierarchs, then, is the
first of the God-contemplative Ranks ; and it is, at
the same time, highest and lowest ; inasmuch as
every Order of our Hierarchy is summed up and
fulfilled in it. For, as we see every Hierarchy
terminated in the Lord Jesus, so we see each
terminated in its own inspired Hierarch. Now the
power of the Hierarchical Rank permeates the whole
I 28 Diouysius the Areopagite
sacred body, and through every one of the sacred
Ranks performs the mysteries of its proper Hier-
archy. But, pre-eminently, to it, rather than to the
other Ranks, the Divine institution assigned the
more Divine ministrations. For these are the per-
fecting images of the supremely Divine Power,
completing all the most Divine symbols and all
the sacred orderings. For though some of the
worshipful symbols are consecrated by the Priests,
yet never will the Priest effect the holy Birth in
God without the most Divine Muron ; nor will he
consecrate the mysteries of the Divine Communion,
unless the communicating symbols have been placed
upon the most Divine Altar; and neither will he be
Priest himself, unless he has been elected to this by
the Hierarchical consecrations. Hence the Divine
Institution uniquely assigned the dedication of the
Hierarchical Ranks, and the consecration of the
Divine Muron and the sacred completion of the
Altar, to the perfecting powers of the inspired
Hierarchs.
Section VI.
It is, then, the Hierarchical Rank which, full of
the perfecting power, pre-eminently completes the
perfecting functions of the Hierarchy, and reveals
lucidly the sciences of the holy mysteries, and
teaches their proportionate and sacred conditions
and powers. But the illuminating Rank of the
Priests conducts those, who are being initiated
under the Rank of the inspired Hierarchs, to the
on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 129
Divine visions of the Mystic Rites, and in co-opera-
tion with it, ministers its proper ministrations.
Whatever then this Rank may do, by shewing
the works of God, through the most holy symbols,
and perfecting those who draw nigh in the Divine
contemplations, and communion of the holy rites,
it yet refers those, who crave the science of the
religious services contemplated, to the Hierarch.
And the Rank of the Leitourgoi (which is puri-
fying and separates the unfit, previous to the
approach to the ministrations of the Priests),
thoroughly purifies those who are drawing nigh,
by making them entirely pure from opposing pas-
sions, and suitable for the sanctifying vision and
communion. Hence, during the service of the
Birth in God, the Leitourgoi strip him who draws
nigh of his old clothing, yea further, even take
off his sandals, and make him stand towards the
west for renunciation ; and again, they lead him
back to the east (for they are of the purifying
rank and power), enjoining on those who approach
to entirely cast away the surroundings of their
former life, and shewing the darkness of their
former conduct, and teaching those, who have
said farewell to the lightless, to transfer their al-
legiance to the luminous. The Leitourgical Order,
then, is purifying, by leading those who have been
purified to the bright ministrations pf the Priests,
both by thoroughly purifying the uninitiated and by
bringing to birth, by the purifying illuminations and
teachings of the Oracles, and further, by sending
13° Diofiysius the Areopagite
away from the Priests the unholy, without respect
of persons. Wherefore also the Hierarchical insti-
tution places it at the holy gates, suggesting that the
approach of those who draw nigh to holy things
should be in altogether complete purification, and
entrusting the approach to their reverent vision and
communion to the purifying powers, and admitting
them, through these, without spot.
Section VII.
We have shewn, then, that the Rank of the Hier-
archs is consecrating and perfecting, that of the
Priests, illuminating and conducting to the light;
and that of the Leitourgoi purifying and discrimi-
nating; that is to say, the Hierarchical Rank is
appointed not only to perfect, but also at the same
time, to enlighten and to purify, and has within itself
the purifying sciences of the power of the Priests to-
gether with the illuminating. For the inferior Ranks
cannot cross to the superior functions, and, besides
this, it is not permitted to them to take in hand
such quackery as that. Now the more Divine Orders
know also, together with their own, the sacred sciences
subordinate to their own perfection. Nevertheless,
since the sacerdotal orderings of the well-arranged
and unconfused order of the Divine operations are
images of Divine operations, they were arranged in
Hierarchical distinctions, shewing in themselves the
illuminations marshalled into the first, and middle,
and last, sacred operations and Ranks ; manifesting,
as I said, in themselves the well-ordered and uncon-
071 the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 131
fused character of the Divine operations. For since
the Godhead first cleanses the minds which He may
enter, then enHghtens, and, when enhghtened, per-
fects them to a GodUke perfection ; naturally the
Hierarchical of the Divine images divides itself into
well-defined Ranks and powers, shewing clearly the
supremely. Divine operation firmly established, with-
out confusion, in most hallowed and unmixed Ranks.
But, since we have spoken, as attainable to us, of the
sacerdotal Ranks and elections, and their powers and
operations, let us now contemplate their most holy
consecrations as well as we can.
//. Mysterion of Sacerdotal Conseerations. ^
The Hierarch, then, being led to the Hierarchical
consecration, after he has bent both his s knees
before the Altar, has upon his head ^ the God-
transmitted oracles, and the Hierarchical hand,
and in this manner is consecrated^ by the Hier-
arch, who ordains him by the altogether most holy
invocations. And the Priest, after he has bent both
his knees before the Divine Altar, has the Hier-
archical right hand upon his head, and in this
manner is dedicated'*^ by the Hierarch, who ordains
him with hallowing invocations. And the Leitourgos,
after he has bent one of two knees before the Divine
Altar, has upon his head the right hand of the Hier-
arch who ordains him, being completed' by him