The Intellect's Quest for God

100. When the intellect is established in God, it at first ardently longs to discover the principles of His essence. But God’s inmost nature does not admit of such investigation, which is indeed beyond the capacity of everything created. The qualities that appertain to His nature, however, are accessible to the intellect’s longing: I mean the qualities of eternity, infinity, indeterminateness, goodness, wisdom, and the power of creating, preserving and judging creatures. Yet of these, only infinity may be grasped fully; and the very fact of knowing nothing is knowledge surpassing the intellect, as the theologians Gregory of Nazianzos and Dionysios have said.

St. Maximus the Confessor Four Hundred Centuries on Love: #100

Maximus the Confessor explains that as the intellect is established in God, it longs to discover the principles of His essence. However, God’s inmost nature is beyond our capacity to investigate. We can, however, understand the qualities of His nature: eternity, infinity, indeterminateness, goodness, wisdom, and power.

Imagine a pilgrim on a journey, driven by a deep desire to reach a sacred destination. The intellect, in its quest for God, seeks to understand His essence. While the full nature of God remains beyond our grasp, the journey itself brings profound insights into His attributes.

By contemplating God’s qualities, we develop a deeper relationship with Him. This understanding, combined with the acknowledgment of our limitations, leads to a humble and profound reverence for the divine mystery. In recognizing that knowing nothing is a form of surpassing knowledge, we align ourselves with the wisdom of the theologians Gregory of Nazianzos and Dionysios.

Through this journey, we embrace the divine paradox: the closer we come to God, the more we realize the vastness of His mystery. This realization deepens our faith and enriches our spiritual life, drawing us ever closer to the infinite goodness and wisdom of God.