Nicene and Post-Nicene Church Fathers Series 2 - The Still Small ...

visible objects are not at once brought into sight. The hemisphere of heaven is not beheld
with one glance, but we are surrounded by a certain appearance, though in reality many
things, not to say all things, in it are unperceived;—the nature of the stars, their greatness,
their distances, their movements, their conjunctions, their intervals, their other conditions,
the actual essence of the firmament, the distance of depth from the concave circumference
to the convex surface. Nevertheless, no one would allege the heaven to be invisible because
of what is unknown; it would be said to be visible on account of our limited perception of
it. It is just the same in the case of God. If the mind has been injured by devils it will be
guilty of idolatry, or will be perverted to some other form of impiety. But if it has yielded
to the aid of the Spirit, it will have understanding of the truth, and will know God. But it
will know Him, as the Apostle says, in part; and in the life to come more perfectly. For
“when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.” 2954 The
judgment of the mind is, therefore, good and given us for a good end—the perception of
God; but it operates only so far as it can.
2954 1 Cor. xiii. 10.
To Amphilochius, in reply to certain questions.
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