the mystical theology of valentin weigel - DataSpace at Princeton ...
the mystical theology of valentin weigel - DataSpace at Princeton ... the mystical theology of valentin weigel - DataSpace at Princeton ...
thereby perfecting the perfect and filling all things with its own perfection...Nothing in the world lacks its share of the One.” 566 The One is the “underlying element of all things,” and all things exist simultaneously in their state of created multiplicity, as well as in their state of pre-created unity. 567 All beings can therefore be said to be in God. And yet, it must also be said that while God is in all beings, he is not himself a being—because “to be” means “to be some thing in particular.” 568 Rather, God is the limit of Being itself, its condition of possibility. In order to truly assert God’s Oneness, one must assert that God is also beyond oneness, that God is, oxymoronically, a multiple unity. 569 Or, as Dionysius puts it, “the One cause of all things is not one of the many things in the world but actually precedes oneness and multiplicity and indeed defines oneness and multiplicity.” 570 Dionysius uses a number of metaphors to describe his view of creation—as unfolding, as overflowing or boiling over, as emanating, as radiating—but the general idea is that creation proceeds outwards from God. God, says Dionysius, is a “being-making procession.” 571 But simply because God is all things does not mean that God is all things equally. This outward procession means that, for Dionysius, the entire created universe is structured hierarchically, starting with the three ranks of Angels, down through man and 566 DN, 977B. 567 DN, 1980B. 568 As Perl puts it, “All things are not God, but God is not therefore something else besides all things.” And so, by interposing God’s status as a non-being between Creature and Creator, Dionysius, arguably, avoids the charge of pantheism. Eric D. Perl, Theophay: The Neoplatonic Philosophy of Dionysius the Areopagite (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2007), 33. 569 To quote again from Perl: “The center of the circle, the undifferentiated containment of all things, is not ‘first’ a simple monad which ‘then’ in addition to being itself also produces or undergoes differentiation. Rather, the containment is itself the unfolding, the overflow, multiplication or differentiation, by which beings are distinct and so are beings.” Perl, 32. 570 DN, 977D. 571 DN, 816B. 210
animals, through plants and non-living beings all the way to mere matter. 572 Each rank in the hierarchy is receptive in a different way to divine illumination, and four of God’s names correspond to the modes by which God relates to each rank. The first name, Good, names “all the processions of the universal Cause; it extends to beings and non-beings and that Cause is superior to being and non-beings.” 573 The second, Being, “extends to all beings which are, and...is beyond them” (including inanimate beings like rocks); Life extends to all living things (plants) and wisdom to all “higher” beings (animals, humans, angels). 574 Importantly, each rank possesses not only its own procession, but all those below it as well: if something has Being it also possesses Goodness, Life possesses Being and Goodness, and finally Wisdom possesses the other three. 575 Proceeding down the scale of being, each rank does not possess God less, but rather possesses God more specifically (i.e. it possesses fewer processions). Dionysius is not suggesting that the beings that participate less fully in God do not participate sufficiently in God. Rather, each is illuminated according to its capacity, unequally but not inadequately: “the title ‘Righteousness’ is given to God because he assigns what is appropriate to all things; he distributes their due proportion, beauty, rank, arrangement, their proper and fitting place and order, according to a most just and righteous determination.” 576 To kick against this hierarchy would be a grievous sin, since 572 “Although he applies his neologism hierarchy only to the angelic and ecclesiastical ranks, the concept of hierarchy is at work throughout his understanding of reality, and all the related terminology, such as order, rank, higher/coordinate/lower, superior/inferior, superordinate/subordinate, is found in the Divine Names with regard to the structure of reality as a whole.” Perl, 65. 573 DN 816B. 574 Ibid. 575 That the processions remain “inside” each other is an extremely important concept for Weigel, as we will see later in this chapter. The lower and higher ranks, by virtue of their participation in the One, remain continuous, and so one part can express (if imperfectly) the whole. As Weigel transforms this idea, the rank of man becomes the microcosm that contains and expresses the macrocosm. 576 DN, 894A-B. 211
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animals, through plants and non-living beings all <strong>the</strong> way to mere m<strong>at</strong>ter. 572 Each rank in<br />
<strong>the</strong> hierarchy is receptive in a different way to divine illumin<strong>at</strong>ion, and four <strong>of</strong> God’s<br />
names correspond to <strong>the</strong> modes by which God rel<strong>at</strong>es to each rank. The first name, Good,<br />
names “all <strong>the</strong> processions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> universal Cause; it extends to beings and non-beings<br />
and th<strong>at</strong> Cause is superior to being and non-beings.” 573 The second, Being, “extends to all<br />
beings which are, and...is beyond <strong>the</strong>m” (including inanim<strong>at</strong>e beings like rocks); Life<br />
extends to all living things (plants) and wisdom to all “higher” beings (animals, humans,<br />
angels). 574 Importantly, each rank possesses not only its own procession, but all those<br />
below it as well: if something has Being it also possesses Goodness, Life possesses Being<br />
and Goodness, and finally Wisdom possesses <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r three. 575 Proceeding down <strong>the</strong><br />
scale <strong>of</strong> being, each rank does not possess God less, but ra<strong>the</strong>r possesses God more<br />
specifically (i.e. it possesses fewer processions).<br />
Dionysius is not suggesting th<strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> beings th<strong>at</strong> particip<strong>at</strong>e less fully in God do not<br />
particip<strong>at</strong>e sufficiently in God. Ra<strong>the</strong>r, each is illumin<strong>at</strong>ed according to its capacity,<br />
unequally but not inadequ<strong>at</strong>ely: “<strong>the</strong> title ‘Righteousness’ is given to God because he<br />
assigns wh<strong>at</strong> is appropri<strong>at</strong>e to all things; he distributes <strong>the</strong>ir due proportion, beauty, rank,<br />
arrangement, <strong>the</strong>ir proper and fitting place and order, according to a most just and<br />
righteous determin<strong>at</strong>ion.” 576 To kick against this hierarchy would be a grievous sin, since<br />
572 “Although he applies his neologism hierarchy only to <strong>the</strong> angelic and ecclesiastical ranks, <strong>the</strong> concept <strong>of</strong><br />
hierarchy is <strong>at</strong> work throughout his understanding <strong>of</strong> reality, and all <strong>the</strong> rel<strong>at</strong>ed terminology, such as order,<br />
rank, higher/coordin<strong>at</strong>e/lower, superior/inferior, superordin<strong>at</strong>e/subordin<strong>at</strong>e, is found in <strong>the</strong> Divine Names<br />
with regard to <strong>the</strong> structure <strong>of</strong> reality as a whole.” Perl, 65.<br />
573 DN 816B.<br />
574 Ibid.<br />
575 Th<strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> processions remain “inside” each o<strong>the</strong>r is an extremely important concept for Weigel, as we<br />
will see l<strong>at</strong>er in this chapter. The lower and higher ranks, by virtue <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir particip<strong>at</strong>ion in <strong>the</strong> One, remain<br />
continuous, and so one part can express (if imperfectly) <strong>the</strong> whole. As Weigel transforms this idea, <strong>the</strong> rank<br />
<strong>of</strong> man becomes <strong>the</strong> microcosm th<strong>at</strong> contains and expresses <strong>the</strong> macrocosm.<br />
576 DN, 894A-B.<br />
211
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