|
Wherefore that Word of God is in such wise so called, as not to be
called a thought of God, lest we believe that there is anything in
God which can be revolved, so that it at one time receives and at
another recovers a form, so as to be a word, and again can lose that
form and be revolved in some sense formlessly. Certainly that
excellent master of speech knew well the force of words, and had looked
into the nature of thought, who said in his poem, "And revolves with
himself the varying issues of war," i.e. thinks of them. That Son
of God, then, is not called the Thought of God, but the Word of
God. For our own thought, attaining to what we know, and formed
thereby, is our true word. And so the Word of God ought to be
understood without any thought on the part of God, so that it be
understood as the simple form itself, but containing nothing formable
that can be also unformed. There are, indeed, passages of Holy
Scripture that speak of God's thoughts; but this is after the same
mode of speech by which the forgetfulness of God is also there spoken
of, whereas in strict propriety of language there is in Him certainly
no forgetfulness.
26. Wherefore, since we have found now in this enigma so great an
unlikeness to God and the Word of God, wherein yet there was found
before some likeness, this, too, must be admitted, that even when we
shall be like Him, when "we shall see Him as He is" (and
certainly he who said this was aware beyond doubt of our present
unlikeness), not even then shall we be equal to Him in nature For
that nature which is made is ever less than that which makes. And at
that time our word will not indeed be false, because we shall neither
lie nor be deceived. Perhaps, too, our thoughts will no longer
revolve by passing and repassing from one thing to an other, but we
shall see all our knowledge at once, and at one glance. Still, when
even this shall have come to pass, if indeed it shall come to pass,
the creature which was formable will indeed have been formed, so that
nothing will be wanting of that form to which it ought to attain; yet
nevertheless it will not be to be equalled to that simplicity wherein
there is not anything formable, which has been formed or reformed, but
only form; and which being neither formless nor formed, itself is
eternal and unchangeable substance.
|
|