Paraphrasis in Dionysium Areopagitam

in deeds, and they did not bring to work what they had planned. For he says that they did not entirely succeed in what they wished to do to those they chose to treat unjustly or beneficially; and it is obvious that the one [failure] is due to the unwillingness of those being benefited, and the other is due to the inefficiency of those acting unjustly. Having proposed to speak about both—those who propose to act unjustly and those who propose to act beneficially—he brings the discourse to bear only on those acting unjustly, [saying] that those who are treated unjustly will inherit the kingdom of God, while the unjust themselves will be punished both in this life and in the next, being condemned even with the demons. After these things, he also discourses about the much-celebrated divine vision. This is the Carpus whom the divine apostle mentions in the second letter to Timothy, who did not even undertake the initiations of the holy mysteries unless he was first deemed worthy of a vision and the pre-initiatory prayers. The Athenians used to call the prayers performed with sacrifices concerning marriages "pre-initiatory" proteleia pre-initiations; for they called marriage an "end" telos goal/completion, as it completes a person for life. Therefore, they even considered marriage a mystery. And they spoke of "being pre-initiated" and "being pre-instructed" and, as it were, "being pre-purified" in preparation for a mystery. The Father, therefore, transferred what was spoken impiously among the Greeks to the mystery of the truth, and he called "pre-initiatory prayers" the petitions before the mystery for purification and for an uncondemned participation in the most perfect gift, which makes perfect the mysteries. And what are the ilariai joyful/propitiatory prayers? There were certain days for the idolaters which they called ilariai. Some were specific ilariai, such as when someone married or a son was born; others were common and public, as when a king was proclaimed, he provided public ilariai. And it was not permitted to wear mourning clothes during these, but there were spectacles and sacrifices...