The Celestial Hierarchy — Chapter X

St. Dionysius the Areopagite

Recapitulation and summary of the Angelic Hierarchies.

We have agreed that the most venerable Hierarchy of the Intelligences,

which is close to God, is consecrated by His first and highest Ray, and

uplifting itself directly to It, is purified, illuminated and perfected

by the Light of the Godhead which is both more hidden and more

revealed. It is more hidden because It is more intelligible, more

simplifying, and more unitive, It is more revealed because It is the

First Gift and the First Light, and more universal and more infused

with the Godhead, as though transparent. And by this again the second

in its own degree, and by the second the third, and by the third our

hierarchy, according to the same law of the regular principle of order,

in divine harmony and proportion, are hierarchically, led up to the

super-primal Source and End of all good orders, according to that

divinely established law.

Each Order is the interpreter and herald of those above it, the most

venerable being the interpreter of God who inspires them, and the

others in turn of those inspired by God. For that superessential

harmony of all things has provided most completely for the holy

regulation and the sure guidance of rational and intellectual beings by

the establishment of the beautiful choirs of each Hierarchy; and we see

that every Hierarchy possesses first, middle and last powers.

But to speak rightly, He also divided each rank in the same divine

harmonies, and on this account the Scriptures say that the most divine

Seraphim cry one to another, by which, as I think, it is clear that the

first impart to the second their knowledge of divine things.

This may fittingly be added, that each Celestial and human intelligence

contains in itself its own first, middle and last powers, which are

manifested in a way analogous to the aforesaid ordination belonging to

each of the Hierarchical illuminations; and accordingly each

intelligence, as far as is right and attainable to it, participates in

the most spotless purity, the most abundant light, and the most

complete perfection. For nothing is self-perfect nor absolutely

unindigent of perfection, save only That which is truly self-perfect

and above all perfection.

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