Lecture 1, Part L

Then, when he says: “etenim sicut ipsa etc.” (since just as that…) which in addition to the reasons which were given above, he argues by means of authority, when he says that: “that [divinity] from him himself is handed over in [sacred] eloquence, as is fitting the good” that is his goodness, that the truth, namely, should be handed over from himself; this, I say, handed over, that “knowledge by all existing things, and contemplation through the same, is impossible” that is, nothing is able to draw near to him, not indeed through any sort of knowledge of contemplation whatsoever, but according to that which is known or contemplated from that which is; which indeed is comprehensive knowledge of his substance. And “indeed [this] knowledge” or contemplation by this means is impossible, because “the supersubstantial is separate from all”, that is, according to the supersubstantial excess of divinity. For to him alone is it fitting to know from himself that which he is. And this especially is seen to have been taken up from that which is said in Exodus 33: “shall no man see me, and live.” and I Timothy 6: “He dwells in light inaccessible, which no man can approach unto.” [The KJV has been modified to match the Latin.] “Also, many of the theologians have praised him not only as invisible and incomprehensible, but also as inscrutable, and not able to be searched out”, following this, Job 11: “Canst thou by searching find out God?”, and Romans 11: “how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out.” And the reason it says “not able to be searched out”, he puts forth in the following “just as no trace of things which go across to his dark infinitude exists[?]” One negation, however, in that passage is superfluous; and it is spoken according to the peculiarity of his manner of speaking: for it is proper to investigate the footsteps [traces] of anyone going on a road to be led to the end of the road. Thus therefore, deity is able to be would be able to be investigated, if anyone approaching to knowledge of the Him had left behind for us any examples, like a sort of footstep [trace], we would be able, through the examples, to approach toward the vision of God. But this is not: Either because no one had gone over into Him, if he refers [?] to a comprehensive vision, or because those who passed over to vision of God through His Essence, as are all the saints, are not able to express to us that Divine Essence. Thus also Paul, caught up to the third heaven, said he had seen “unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter” (II Corinthians 12).