Time, Eternity, and Divine Emanations in the Thought of Pseudo-Dionysius
The late 5th–early 6th century Christian philosopher known as Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite stands at the crossroads of Neoplatonism and Christian theology, synthesizing the metaphysical categories of Plotinus and Proclus with the Christian vision of God as both transcendent and immanent. Central to his mystical theology is the relationship between time and eternity, and how divine emanations structure the entire cosmos. For Dionysius, time and eternity are not opposing realities, but manifestations of the Divine, who is Himself beyond both.
God as Supra-Eternal and Beyond Time
For Dionysius, God is not simply eternal, but beyond eternity—transcending even the category of timelessness as we can conceive it. Time is associated with change, motion, and sequence; eternity, with permanence and simultaneity. But the Divine surpasses both categories:
“He is not only the cause of being and life and wisdom, but He is also the cause of time and of eternity and of everything that is” (Divine Names V.8).
This radical transcendence means that God is not temporally extended, nor is He imprisoned within the concept of timeless duration. He is the origin and cause of both time and eternity:
“He is the eternity of things existing in eternity, the time of things existing in time, and the being of things which have being” (Divine Names V.8).
Here, Dionysius implies a metaphysical unity where God contains all modes of being—temporal, eternal, and beyond. He pre-contains all things in Himself without division or movement. Thus, the divine being is beyond temporal sequence and also beyond static timelessness.
Time as a Created Participation
Time, in Dionysius’ metaphysics, is not an illusion nor a mere byproduct of the fall. It is a created and ordered reality—a lower participation in the divine order, corresponding to changeable and composite things. Though inferior to eternity, time is not evil. It is part of the orderly procession of divine light through the cosmos.
“Time is the movable image of eternity... it imitates eternity through motion” (cf. Celestial Hierarchy VII.3, echoing Plato’s Timaeus).
While this is an implicit citation of Platonic doctrine, Dionysius Christianizes it by insisting that time exists for the good of lower beings, and that temporal order is illuminated from above by eternal principles. He distinguishes beings that “exist in time,” such as humans and the natural world, from those that “exist in eternity,” such as angels and intellects.
Eternity and the Angelic Orders
In the Celestial Hierarchy, Dionysius teaches that the angelic beings exist in eternity. They do not undergo change, death, or temporal corruption, but exist in a mode of fixed contemplation. Eternity is characterized by unbroken unity, simultaneity, and perfect presence:
“The intelligible beings are eternal... not subject to time, but above time, participating in divine eternity according to their capacity” (Celestial Hierarchy VII.3).
The angels participate in eternity, not because they are equal to the Divine, but because they receive the illumination of timeless life from Him. They exist in a state of unceasing praise and reflection, representing a higher ontological stratum than temporal beings.
Divine Emanation: The Procession from the One
At the center of Dionysius’ metaphysics is the doctrine of divine emanation (proodos), which is the process by which all things come forth from God in a structured hierarchy. This emanation is not mechanical but voluntary and loving—God, who is overflowing Goodness, gives being to all things out of self-diffusive generosity:
“The Good is the cause of all beings, through the fact of its overflowing goodness” (Divine Names IV.1).
This overflowing goodness initiates a cascade of being: from the One, divine light flows downward through layers of existence—first into intellectual beings (like angels), then into souls, and finally into material nature. But each level is illuminated according to its capacity.
The process of emanation is temporal only at the lower levels. The divine causality that gives rise to angels is eternal, while the causality that gives rise to human beings and nature involves time and motion. Time, then, is a necessary medium for the unfolding of lower emanations.
Return (Epistrophē) and the Unity of All
For Dionysius, the process of emanation is not linear—it is circular. All things not only proceed from God but are also called to return to Him. This return (epistrophē) occurs through purification, illumination, and union.
“All things desire to participate in the divine Light, and all aspiration and movement of every being is a return toward It” (Divine Names IV.10).
The return is possible because time is not severed from eternity, but dependent on it. Temporal beings are not trapped in flux; they are capable of ascent. Through the Church, sacraments, contemplation, and love, human beings begin to reorient toward the divine source—thus escaping fragmentation and participating in eternal unity.
God as Simultaneously Present in All Times
Though God is beyond time, He is present to all times and fills them without being contained by them. He is before time, in time, and beyond time:
“He is the cause of all time, and is before time and in time and beyond time... and He encompasses all things while Himself remaining encompassed by none” (Divine Names V.8).
This insight reveals the paradox of divine immanence and transcendence. God is in every moment, sustaining and illuminating it, yet untouched by succession or decay. Eternity and time are not in opposition but are modes of participation in the same divine presence, each suited to different orders of being.
Conclusion
In Pseudo-Dionysius’ vision, time and eternity are not rival categories but expressions of divine order. Eternity belongs to the angelic and intellectual realms, while time orders the becoming of lower beings. God Himself transcends both, being the supra-eternal source of all emanation. The divine light proceeds downward through a graded hierarchy, illuminating each level according to its capacity.
But this process is not unidirectional. All things are invited to return—to transcend the temporal through purification and illumination, and to participate in the eternal unity of the Divine. As Dionysius writes:
“The divine yearning brings ecstasy so that the lover belongs not to self but to the beloved” (Divine Names IV.13).
This divine yearning is the secret thread tying time to eternity: the calling of all creation to be gathered back into the One from which it came.
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