Tahafut_al-Tahafut-transl-Engl-van-den-Bergh

possesses this capacity. The third kind of condition,
however, is a change in the essence, for when one who had
no knowledge acquires knowledge and one who had no
power becomes powerful there is indeed a change. ‘
And the change in the object known causes a change in
the knowledge, for the relation to the definite object known
enters into the essence of the knowledge itself, since the
essence of the definite knowledge is attached to the definite
object known as it exists in reality, and when the knowledge
attaches itself to it in another relation, it becomes necessarily
another knowledge and this succession implies a
differentiation in the essence of the knowledge. And it cannot
be said that God has one single knowledge which, having
been knowledge of the future event, could become
knowledge of the present event, and having been knowledge
of the present event, could become knowledge of the past
event, for although the knowledge would be one and the
same and have similar conditions, there would be a change
of relation to Him and the change of relation would enter into
the essence of the knowledge; and this change would imply
a change in the essence of the knowledge, and from this
there would result a change (which is impossible) in God.
The objection to this is twofold.
First one can say: How will you refute one who says that
God has one single knowledge of the eclipse, for instance, at
a definite time, and that this knowledge before the
occurrence of the eclipse is the knowledge that the eclipse
will occur, and during the eclipse is identical with the
knowledge that it is occurring, and after the eclipse identical
with the knowledge that it has ceased, and that these
differences refer to relations which imply neither a change in
the essence of the knowledge nor a change in the essence
of the knower, and that this is exactly like a mere relation?
For one single person can be at your right and then turn in
front of you and go to your left, and there is a succession of
relations with respect to you; but that which is changing is
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