The Divine Names

^6. For instance, they call It Nameless when they say that the Supreme Godhead Itself, in one of the mystical visions whereby It was symbolically manifested, rebuked him who said: “What is thy name?”^[97] and, as though bidding him not seek by any means of any Name to acquire a knowledge of God, made the answer: “Why askest thou thus after My Name seeing it is secret?” Now is not the secret Name precisely that which is above all names^[98] and nameless, and is fixed beyond every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come? On the other hand, they attribute many names to It when, for instance, they speak of It as declaring: “I am that I am,”^[99] or “I am the Life,”^[100] or “the Light,”^[101] or “God,”^[102] or “the Truth,”^[103] and when the Inspired Writers themselves celebrate the Universal Cause with many titles drawn from the whole created universe, such as “Good,”^[104] and “Fair,” ^[105] and “Wise,”^[106] as “Beloved,”^[107] as “God of Gods” and “Lord of Lords”,^[108] and “Holy of Holies,”^[109] as “Eternal,”^[110] as “Existent”^[111] and as “Creator of Ages,”^[112] as “Giver of Life,”^[113] as “Wisdom,”^[114] as “Mind,”^[115] as “Word,”^[116] as “Knower,”^[117] as “possessing beforehand all the treasures of knowledge,”^[118] as “Power,”^[119] as “Ruler,”^[120] as “King of kings,”^[121] as “Ancient of Days;”^[122] and as “Him that is the same and whose years shall not fail,”^[123] as “Salvation,”^[124] as “Righteousness,”^[125] as “Sanctification,”^[126] as “Redemption,”^[127] as “Surpassing all things in greatness,”^[128] and yet as being in “the still small breeze.”^[129] Moreover, they say that He dwells within our minds, and in our souls^[130] and bodies,^[131] and in heaven and in earth,^[132] and that, while remaining Himself, He is at one and the same time within the world around it and above it (yea, above the sky and above existence); and they call Him a Sun,^[133] a Star,^[134] and a Fire,^[135] and Water,^[136] a Wind or Spirit,^[137] a Dew,^[138] a Cloud,^[139] an Archetypal Stone,^[140] and a Rock,^[141] and All Creation, ^[142] Who yet (they declare) is no created thing.

Thus, then, the Universal and Transcendent Cause must both be nameless and also possess the names of all things in order that It may truly be an universal Dominion, the Centre of creation on which all things depend, as on their Cause and Origin and Goal; and that, according to the Scriptures, It may be all in all, and may be truly called the Creator of the world, originating and perfecting and maintaining all things; their Defence and Dwelling, and the Attractive Force that draws them: and all this in one single, ceaseless, and transcendent act.^[143] For the Nameless Goodness is not only the cause of cohesion or life or perfection in such wise as to derive Its Name from this or that providential activity alone; nay, rather does It contain all things beforehand within Itself, after a simple and uncircumscribed manner through the perfect excellence of Its one and all-creative Providence, and thus we draw from the whole creation Its appropriate praises and Its Names.

8. Moreover, the sacred writers proclaim not only such titles as these (titles drawn from universal^[144] or from particular^[145] providences or providential activities^[146]), but sometimes they have gained their images from certain heavenly visions^[147] (which in the holy precincts or elsewhere have illuminated the Initiates or the Prophets), and, ascribing to the super-luminous nameless Goodness titles drawn from all manner of acts and functions, have clothed It in human (fiery or amber) shapes^[148] or forms, and have spoken of Its Eyes,^[149] and Ears,^[150] and Hair,^[151] and Face,^[152] and Hands,^[153] and Wings,^[154] and Feathers,^[155] and Arms,^[156] and Back Parts,^[157] and Feet;^[158] and fashioned such mystical conceptions as its Crown,^[159]and Throne,^[160] and Cup,^[161] and Mixing Bowl,^[162] etc., concerning which things we will attempt to speak when we treat of Symbolical Divinity. At present, collecting from the Scriptures what concerns the matter in hand, and employing as our canon the rule we have described, and guiding our search thereby, let us proceed to an exposition of God’s Intelligible^[163] Names; and as the Hierarchical Law directs us in all study of Divinity, let us approach these godlike contemplations (for such indeed they are^[164]) with our hearts predisposed unto the vision of God, and let us bring holy ears to the exposition of God’s holy Names, implanting holy Truths in holy instruments according to the Divine command, and withholding these things from the mockery and laughter of the uninitiate, or, rather, seeking to redeem those wicked men (if any such there be) from their enmity towards God. Thou, therefore, O good Timothy, must guard these truths according to the holy Ordinance, nor must thou utter or divulge the heavenly mysteries unto the uninitiate.^[165] And for myself I pray God grant me worthily to declare the beneficent and manifold Names of the Unutterable and Nameless Godhead, and that He do not take away the word of Truth out of my mouth.

[97] Judges xiii. 18.

[98] Phil. ii. 9; Eph. i. 21.

[99] Ex. iii. 14.

[100] John xiv. 6.

[101] John viii. 12.

[102] Gen. xxviii. 13.

[103] John xiv. 6.

[104] Matt. xix. 17.

[105] Ps. xxvii. 4.

[106] Rom. xvi. 27.

[107] Isa. v. 1.

[108] Ps. cxxxvi. 2, 3.

[109] Isa. vi. 3.

[110] Deut. xxxiii. 27.

[111] Ex. iii. 14.

[112] Gen. i. 1–8.

[113] Gen. i. 20; ii. 7; Job x. 12; John x. 10.

[114] Prov. viii.

[115] I Cor. ii. 16.

[116] John i. 1.

[117] Ps. xliv. 21.

[118] Col. ii. 3.

[119] Rev. xix. 1.

[120] Rev. i. 5.

[121] Rev. xvii. 4.

[122] Dan. vii.

[123] Ps. cii. 25.

[124] Ex. xv. 2.

[125] Jer. xxiii. 6.

[126] I Cor. i. 30.

[127] I Cor. i. 30.

[128] Isa. xl. 15.

[129] I Kings xix. 12.

[130] John xiv. 17.

[131] I Cor. vi. 19.

[132] Isa. lxvi. 1.

[133] Ps. lxxxiv. 11.

[134] Rev. xxii. 16.

[135] Deut. iv. 24.

[136] Ps. lxxxiv. 6.

[137] John iv. 24; Acts ii. 2.

[138] Hosea xiv. 5.

[139] Ex. xiii. 21.

[140] Ps. cxviii. 22.

[141] Ps. xxxi. 2,3.

[142] I Cor. xv. 28.

[143] God is above Time.

[144] e. g. “I am that I am,” “Good,” “Fair.”

[145] e. g. Sun,” c c Star,” “Rock,” etc.

[146] ἀπὸ τῶν... προνοιῶν ἢ προνοουμένων. The first are the faculties of acting or being revealed in a certain way; the second are the results or manifestations of these faculties when in action.

[147] Thus the complete classification is: (1) Analogies drawn from the material world, (a) universal, (b) particular; (2) psychic visions.

[148] Ezek. i. 26, 27.

[149] Ps. x. 5.

[150] James v. 4.

[151] Dan. vii. 9.

[152] Ps. xxxiii. 17.

[153] Job x. 8.

[154] Ps. xci. 4.

[155] Ibid.

[156] Deut. xxxiii. 27.

[157] Ex. xxxiii. 23.

[158] Ex. xxiv. 10.

[159] Rev. xiv. 14.

[160] Ezek. i. 26, 27.

[161] Ps. lxxv. 8.

[162] Prov. ix. 5.

[163] τῶν νοητῶν θεωνυμιῶν—i. e. the Names belonging to God when revealed in the relative sphere; not those which belong to the ultimate Godhead as such. In fact, the Godhead, as such, is Nameless. See Intr., p. 7.

[164] κυρίως εἰπεῖν—i. e. actually godlike because man is deified by them.

[165] See Myst. Theol. I. 2; and cf. Matt. vii. 6.