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The Vision of God
Nicholas of Cusa was a Christian mystic who lived during the 1400s. The Vision of God is known as a classic of Christian mysticism, putting many believers in touch with the divine. Many Christians have a desire to experience God, rather than just believe in Him. Nicholas of Cusa provides an excellent guidebook for Christians who sense something deeper to the Christian experience. He was a mystic. He experienced God on a number of levels and taught people to move beyond mere belief and have similar experiences. By bringing spiritual principles into the Christian religious setting, Nicholas was able to instruct and enrich thousands of people. This he did at a time when Christianity was beginning to cast a long shadow of strict dogma over the masses -- it was the dawning of the Inquisition -- yet Nicholas was able to keep his mystical teachings Safely within the boundaries of the Church. During this incredibly busy and volatile time, Nicholas engaged himself whenever he could in meditation and study. It is from these introspective journeys that he received his spiritual insights. He also spent much time with a group of Benedictine monks, who asked for spiritual guidance from Nicholas after recognizing his gifts. Nicholas responded with The Vision of God in December of 1453. A rare classic brought back into print.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1453
63 people are currently reading
431 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas of Cusa
89 books59 followersNicholas of Cusa (1401 – August 11, 1464), also referred to as Nicholas of Kues and Nicolaus Cusanus, was a cardinal of the Catholic Church from Germany (Holy Roman Empire), a philosopher, theologian, jurist, mathematician, and an astronomer. He is widely considered one of the great geniuses and polymaths of the 15th century. He is today recognized for significant spiritual, scientific and political contributions in European history, notable examples of which include his mystical or spiritual writings on 'learned ignorance' (and mathematical ideas expressed in related essays), as well as his participation in power struggles between Rome and the German states of the Holy Roman Empire.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 14, 2025
There were some very potent images and metaphors in here that I will remember for a long time (the icon of the omnivoyant was the best by far). What was most intriguing about this 15th century mystical writer, however, was how his work transcends our categories of philosophy, theology and spirituality. In The Vision of God, they're all interweaved together seamlessly. The whole work is basically written as a prayer, with rich reflections on the nature of God, philosophy and a very distinctive Augustinian spirituality throughout.
March 29, 2024
Easy to understand in comparison to his earlier works. Maybe a good starting point to join the Cusanus gang.
November 4, 2019
A great synthesizer of Plato, Aristotle, Pseudo-Dionysius, Anselm, Aquinas, Meister Ekhart, and Maimonides, Nicholas Cusanius was a first-rate schizophrenic. I mean mystic! I enjoyed his work as an example of a medieval and practical formulation of Theosis for a monastic community interested in mystical theology. He himself knew that his Latin was not good enough, and it made for much repetition.
I enjoy his use of Negative Theology to discuss the potential for God’s unknowable infinity as the Absolute Form (“Maximum” as he describes in “Learned Ignorance”) and his awe-filled (not “awful,” pardon the pun!) diction as he was clearly in the midst of an ecstatic experience while realizing the truths he was describing in his book. Thus, along with the icon he included to the Benedictine community for which he wrote this book, it can be read like a manual for inducing a mystical experience. It’s quite an interesting document and worth the read.
I enjoy his use of Negative Theology to discuss the potential for God’s unknowable infinity as the Absolute Form (“Maximum” as he describes in “Learned Ignorance”) and his awe-filled (not “awful,” pardon the pun!) diction as he was clearly in the midst of an ecstatic experience while realizing the truths he was describing in his book. Thus, along with the icon he included to the Benedictine community for which he wrote this book, it can be read like a manual for inducing a mystical experience. It’s quite an interesting document and worth the read.
August 11, 2025
One may make the experience while reading and re-reading a text of philosophy that it is infinite in the sense that what appeared to obscurities, imperfections or plain incompleteness turns out to be merely the limits of one's own knowledge brought into one's reading of such a text.
Nicolaus de Cusa's de visione Dei is a text that is both very demanding of its readers and also rich in what it provides. It also appears to have been retroactively enriched by recent debates in phenomenology or perhaps phenomenology was never all that far from the mind of the theologian
Nicolaus de Cusa does not or not merely aim to articulate a merely theoretical position in de visione Dei. Rather, he wishes to communicate the accessibility of a certain strand of mystical theology to the Benedictines of Tegernsee. In order to explicate the experience of such a mystical theology, he must, however, ensure the intelligibility and rationality of it and its accessibility. Mere affect would not suffice. In this way Nicolaus de Cusa follows Denys the Areopagite. Since Denys rises above the law of non-contradiction, (most) philosophers would have a hard time following such a path as they would need to such a principle in reasoning as Aristotle did. Nicolaus de Cusa must therefore explicate how irrationalism is avoided.
The mystical theology will then have to contradict the principle of non-contradiction out of sheer rational necessity: Where God is concerned opposites coincide and what is impossible is necessary.
De visione Dei aims to elucidate how such an experience may pass beyond reason as (most of) the philosophers understand it and how we, the readers, may be opened up to such an experience. He proceeds to so just so through a praxis that is supposed to produce some further thing but to modify those who partake in such a praxis: We are supposed to contemplate the image of someone who sees all. An image whose gaze is universal in such a way that whomsoever may gaze upon it will have the impression that its gaze has been on her all along regardless of her position.
Cusanus sent a painting to Tegernsee that accompanied his treatise. It, together with the treatise, was meant to unlock just such an experience of the universal gaze of God. This opens up an interesting distinction between the image-as-put-in-the-painting and the icon with its universal gaze. The icon is a face not made by human hands but the face of Christ who sees all universally and simultaneously each person and everything individually. The point would be to experience Christ himself as all-seeing and all-knowing and not merely to experience just any all-seeing figure. In this way De visione Dei refers to the very vision of God as experienced through the practice of the encounter with the iconic gaze.
"Non potest oculus mentis satiari videndo te Ihesum, quia es complementum omnis mentalis pulchritudinis; et in hac eicona conicio mirabilem valde ac stupidum visum tuum, Ihesu superbenedicte." (De visione Dei, XXII)
Nicolaus de Cusa's de visione Dei is a text that is both very demanding of its readers and also rich in what it provides. It also appears to have been retroactively enriched by recent debates in phenomenology or perhaps phenomenology was never all that far from the mind of the theologian
Nicolaus de Cusa does not or not merely aim to articulate a merely theoretical position in de visione Dei. Rather, he wishes to communicate the accessibility of a certain strand of mystical theology to the Benedictines of Tegernsee. In order to explicate the experience of such a mystical theology, he must, however, ensure the intelligibility and rationality of it and its accessibility. Mere affect would not suffice. In this way Nicolaus de Cusa follows Denys the Areopagite. Since Denys rises above the law of non-contradiction, (most) philosophers would have a hard time following such a path as they would need to such a principle in reasoning as Aristotle did. Nicolaus de Cusa must therefore explicate how irrationalism is avoided.
The mystical theology will then have to contradict the principle of non-contradiction out of sheer rational necessity: Where God is concerned opposites coincide and what is impossible is necessary.
De visione Dei aims to elucidate how such an experience may pass beyond reason as (most of) the philosophers understand it and how we, the readers, may be opened up to such an experience. He proceeds to so just so through a praxis that is supposed to produce some further thing but to modify those who partake in such a praxis: We are supposed to contemplate the image of someone who sees all. An image whose gaze is universal in such a way that whomsoever may gaze upon it will have the impression that its gaze has been on her all along regardless of her position.
Cusanus sent a painting to Tegernsee that accompanied his treatise. It, together with the treatise, was meant to unlock just such an experience of the universal gaze of God. This opens up an interesting distinction between the image-as-put-in-the-painting and the icon with its universal gaze. The icon is a face not made by human hands but the face of Christ who sees all universally and simultaneously each person and everything individually. The point would be to experience Christ himself as all-seeing and all-knowing and not merely to experience just any all-seeing figure. In this way De visione Dei refers to the very vision of God as experienced through the practice of the encounter with the iconic gaze.
"Non potest oculus mentis satiari videndo te Ihesum, quia es complementum omnis mentalis pulchritudinis; et in hac eicona conicio mirabilem valde ac stupidum visum tuum, Ihesu superbenedicte." (De visione Dei, XXII)
November 9, 2022
Building upon the Augustine-template, a christian-philosophical treatise on the most valuable of all the senses, namely sight. It opens with the famous ocular experiment in which the direct gaze from someone in a portrait, in casu the icon Veronica, always seems to be directed towards the onlooker regardless of the angle.
There is more mysticism in here than actual christianity, which is noteworthy because his production took place in the waning of the Middle Ages and the rewritings of the works of the ancient Greek philosophers into Christian-friendly philosophies was completed by that time, for example by said Augustine.
Though Cusanus was among other things a mathematician, this barely shows however, beyond the esoterical points made regarding infinity (infinitely small, infinitely large), singularity, coincidences and so on.
For historical purposes only.
There is more mysticism in here than actual christianity, which is noteworthy because his production took place in the waning of the Middle Ages and the rewritings of the works of the ancient Greek philosophers into Christian-friendly philosophies was completed by that time, for example by said Augustine.
Though Cusanus was among other things a mathematician, this barely shows however, beyond the esoterical points made regarding infinity (infinitely small, infinitely large), singularity, coincidences and so on.
For historical purposes only.
May 6, 2025
Caution: Not for the grammatically challenged or for the faint of heart.
Cardinal Nicholas writes with extensive vocabulary and philosophical jargon, but he does define his phrasings with layers and layers of proofs, building his arguments and metaphors on top of the chapters before.
This is a volume that will need to be read many times to fully grasp and appreciate the realities set forth therein.
But such glorious realities! We don't get this kind of teaching anymore, this kind of passionate adoration of the Most High. Seeing his path of meditation on scripture and the nature of God makes me feel keenly that I lack understanding and practice in how to think in the same manner. How simplistic an existence I lead, compared to this. It stirs both regret and inspiration.
Cardinal Nicholas writes with extensive vocabulary and philosophical jargon, but he does define his phrasings with layers and layers of proofs, building his arguments and metaphors on top of the chapters before.
This is a volume that will need to be read many times to fully grasp and appreciate the realities set forth therein.
But such glorious realities! We don't get this kind of teaching anymore, this kind of passionate adoration of the Most High. Seeing his path of meditation on scripture and the nature of God makes me feel keenly that I lack understanding and practice in how to think in the same manner. How simplistic an existence I lead, compared to this. It stirs both regret and inspiration.
December 19, 2021
A Profound and deeply authentic work on his struggle and journey towards god. You dont have toi be Christian to be moved by this work and I could imagine William Blake taking inspiration from Nicholas as we all should.
"This is the w all of paradise, and it is there in paradise
that you reside. The wall’s gate is guarded by the highest
spirit of reason, and unless it is overpowered, the way in
will not lie open.”
"This is the w all of paradise, and it is there in paradise
that you reside. The wall’s gate is guarded by the highest
spirit of reason, and unless it is overpowered, the way in
will not lie open.”
November 19, 2025
An excellent book that is worth wrestling with. Cusa works through a lot of the logical conclusions of what it means for God to be Simple. His writing is full of paradoxes, but if you can understand his Coincidence of Opposites, his ideas become fruitful.
This book, while being very philosophical, is also quite devotional. I love how Cusa seamlessly transitions from rigorous thinking to prayer on a number of occasions.
I will no doubt be reading more Cusa in the future.
This book, while being very philosophical, is also quite devotional. I love how Cusa seamlessly transitions from rigorous thinking to prayer on a number of occasions.
I will no doubt be reading more Cusa in the future.
April 22, 2024
A great book. It is written in very old english which added to the beauty of the prose and ideas that are discussed in the book. Spanning from theological arguments to moments of pure worship, I found this book of the mystic tradition both moving and compelling.
September 16, 2021
Christian Platonism offers the deepest devotional literature.
June 30, 2025
A timeless meditation on the ways that Christ brings together the universal and particular, written as a letter to the monks at Tegernsee.
July 2, 2025
Um livro para reflexão sobre a natureza de Deus, a filosofia e a espiritualidade. Encontramos lindas metáforas nesta espécie de oração.
November 20, 2025
It is a curious read. The first half is surely more interesting than the latter. Very closely resembles reading St. Augustine’s Confessions
November 9, 2012
There some interesting thoughts here, such as Nicholas of Cusa's idea of 'learned ignorance', which emphasises the ultimate futility of the intellect alone to see God. His leitmotif of seeking to 'see' God (seeing being something of a metaphor for fully experiencing God in the most mystical sense) is useful. His work clearly illustrates the glories of being able to penetrate beyond 'the wall' separating humans from the observable glories of God, but provides rather little guidance as to how one may do so.
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August 21, 2019An awesome work, the only to date, comparative work on this very treatise.
August 22, 2024
See and be seen.
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January 3, 2018The via negativa and Cusanus' text is so important for all who have found God in the midst of their suffering and not during times of joy or after their suffering had passed. This book speaks to my own experience and to many of my favorite Christian poets' viewpoints. I love it, but I am biased.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews