Mystical Theology of Dionysius: Transcendental God-Talk. Chapter Five. Part Seven

Last updated on: August 7, 2018 at 3:30 am by Henry Karlson

Mystical Theology of Dionysius: Transcendental God-Talk. Chapter Five. Part Seven 2018-08-07T03:30:34-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

God in Scripture is called the light as it declared him to be the light of the world which knows no darkness: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all” (1Jn. 1:5 RSV). In this way, Jesus can be shown to be proclaiming his divinity when he called himself the light of the world: “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (Jn. 8:12 RSV). The Word (Λόγος) which is God is said to be light (φως) and life (ζωη) because he is God: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (Jn. 1:4 RSV).

Because Scripture affirmed the relationship between the divinity with light, Dionysius in the Divine Names affirmed that light is a name which can be used to designate God:

For the light is from the Good, and an image of the Goodness, wherefore also the Good is celebrated under the name of Light; as in a portrait the original is manifested. For, as the goodness of the Deity, beyond all, permeates from the highest and most honoured substances even to the lowest, and yet is above all, neither the foremost outstripping its superiority, nor the things below eluding its grasp, but it both enlightens all that are capable, and forms and enlivens, and grasps, and perfects, and is measure of things existing, and age, and number, and order, and grasp, and cause, and end; so, too, the brilliant likeness of the Divine Goodness, this our great sun, wholly bright and ever luminous, as a most distant echo of the Good, both enlightens whatever is capable of participating in it, and possesses the light in the highest degree of purity, unfolding to the visible universe, above and beneath, the splendours of its own rays, and if anything does not participate in them, this is not owing to the inertness or deficiency of its distribution of light, but is owing to the inaptitude for light-reception of the things which do not unfold themselves for the participation of light. No doubt the ray passing over many things in such condition, enlightens the things after them, and there is no visible thing which it does not reach, with the surpassing greatness of its own splendour. Further also, it contributes to the generation of sensible bodies, and moves them to life, and nourishes, and increases, and perfects, and purifies and renews; and the light is both measure and number of hours, days, and all our time.[1]

By calling God light, Christian tradition is talking about the activity of God. God enlightens the world. God provides the illumination necessary for wisdom and understanding for those enlightened by him similar to the way the sun shines its light upon the world allowing those in the world to see by that light. Dionysius explained the relationship between the name of light for God with a portrait which manifests the image of the Good, so that it is the revelation and glory of the Good (and the Good is itself another name and title for God). Likewise, the light which shines from God was often understood by patristic commentators of Scripture to be the light of Genesis 1:3 (“Let there be light”) because this light was manifest in creation before the emergence of the sun. God gave forth a spiritual light, and only later a secondary, material light was created which served as but an echo of the divine light which nonetheless can serve as a symbol for the greater light of God.

Dionysius, in his description of light, explained how it represented the activity of God in creation as he enlightens it with his goodness. Thus, Dionysius set up the way for the denial of the name of light as being proper to God’s nature. In the Mystical Theology, as God is said not to be called power or said to possess power, Dionysius added: nor [is God] light.

The denial of God being light served an important theological function because it could be seen as a refutation of many forms of dualism which had become common. Such dualism taught there were two opposing forces, one that was good which was light, and one which was evil which was darkness. They were understood to be contending against each other, and in the process of their fight, the darkness captured some of the light, imprisoning it from within. Salvation was understood to happen when elements of the light are freed from the darkness and are able to return to their good origin in the light.

By denying God is light, Dionysius was able to denial any such dualistic cosmological speculation, thereby affirming the “Oneness of God.” For by denying God is light, Dionysius was able to deny any possible opposition to God, opposition which forms the basis of any dualistic cosmology by declaring light and darkness to be two such opposing principles. To deny God is light is to deny darkness can stand in opposition to God, because the darkness is not some equal and opposite power to God but only to the light which emerges from the activity of God. Kataphatic theology takes the activities of God and uses them to suggest names for God, providing conventional truths which we can use to discuss God. But the danger lies in the way we engage such conventions. Discursive logic, taking the names as absolutes instead of conventions, ends up with dualistic speculations, such as suggesting that darkness is a principle which opposes God because God is said to be light. To overturn such presumption, the names which are conventionally applied to God, like light, must be absolutely denied to God so that the errors of discursive logic can be denied, allowing us then in turn to accept the name conventionally for its usefulness when engaging kataphatic theology.

Dionysius is at once able to embrace the conventional names given to God in Scripture while denying the mistakes which occur when such attributions are seen as absolute. God in his activity creates all manifestations of light, spiritual and physical. As we know God in and through his economic activity with us, we can affirm him with names which demonstrate that activity. God is able to be called light because we know him to generate it for us even though we know God transcends his economic activity and so he transcends the light, making him not light but its source and origin.

[IMG=Black White Picture of Monastery [Public Domain] via pxhere]

[1] Dionysius, Divine Names. Trans. James Parker (London: James Parker and Co,, 1897), 36-7.

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook

Previous Post

August 6, 2018

Share The Glory

Next Post

August 8, 2018 Against Capital Punishment

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz