  A consideration that is an ever occurring theme in Dietrich is the unity of being, both created and uncreated, a unity he expressed in the term universitas entium, or universe of being. Dietrich does not tell us why he chooses the term universitas over the more common term universum. Universitas of course can mean “universality” so that universitas entium would mean the universality of being. But from the contexts in which Dietrich uses the terms such a meaning does not seem to be implied. Of course the term was used in the Middle Ages, just as it is today, to refer to an institution of higher learning, a university. Such an institution traditionally has the goal of turning (from the Latin versus) all the disciplines toward one thing or one state (unum meaning one), which is wisdom. But to render universitas entium as university of beings with its heuristic connotation would have an odd or confusing connotation. But the term universitas can also mean a whole community or a commonality of things. This is very close to the modern term universe and it seems to fit the context of Dietrich’s own usage. Consequently, we have rendered Dietrich’s term as universe of beings.