The Celestial Hierarchy

The Celestial Hierarchy is a spiritual and philosophical treatise written by Dionysius The Areopagite, a Christian theologian and philosopher who lived in the 5th century. The book explores the nature of the celestial beings and their hierarchy in the divine order. Dionysius draws on the teachings of the Bible, as well as the works of earlier philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, to develop his ideas about the celestial hierarchy. He describes the nine orders of angels, beginning with the Seraphim and ending with the Angels, and their roles in the divine plan. He also discusses the concept of divine illumination, which he believes is necessary for humans to attain knowledge of God. The Celestial Hierarchy is considered a seminal work in Christian mysticism and has had a profound influence on Western philosophy and theology.Wherefore all things share in that Providence which streams forth from the superessential Deific Source of all; for they would not be unless they had come into existence through participation in the Essential Principle of all things. All inanimate things participate in It through their being; for the 'to be' of all things is the Divinity above Being Itself, the true Life. Living things participate in Its life-giving Power above all life; rational things participate in Its self-perfect and pre-eminently perfect Wisdom above all reason and intellect.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.