Apr. 20: Book II par. 161-170

[Nemo]

Incomprehensibility of God

163. ... This is the true knowledge of what is sought; this is the seeing that consists in not seeing, because that which is sought transcends all knowledge, being separated on all sides by incomprehensibility as by a kind of darkness. Wherefore John the sublime, who penetrated into the luminous darkness, says, No one has ever seen God, thus asserting that knowledge of the divine essence is unattainable not only by men but also by every intelligent creature.
165. ... The divine word at the beginning forbids that the Divine be likened to any of the things known by men, since every concept which comes from some comprehensible image by an approximate understanding and by guessing at the divine nature constitutes an idol of God and does not proclaim God.

[Rex]

"It is said, Not all are apostles, nor all prophets, but this is not now heeded in many of the churches. For many, still in need of being purified from the way they have lived, unwashed and full of spots in their life's garment and protecting themselves only with their irrational senses, make an assault on the divine mountain. So it happens that they are stoned by their own reasonings, for heretical opinions are in effect stones which crush the inventor of evil doctrines." (2.161)

Obviously, such advice can be taken too far in the other direction, but I would say this problem has become endemic to most forms of Protestantism, nor is unique to us.

[Nemo]

Rex wrote: ""It is said, Not all are apostles, nor all prophets, but this is not now heeded in many of the churches. For many, still in need of being purified from the way they have lived, unwashed and full of..."

I thought the same when I read that paragraph. But then the issue for each individual and institution becomes: How can I/we identify “heretical opinions”. if not “by our own reasonings”?

[Rex]

That is an important question, but I see this paragraph as simply good counsel for the soul, not to become puffed up and eager to probe mysteries at the expense of pursuing holiness before God. It is not unusual for people to hold erroneous or immature opinions; it can become heresy when wedded to pride.

[Nemo]

Yes, I agree with Gregory’s (and your) point about pride.

What I have in mind is the current situation where self-proclaimed Christians have different opinions about what Christianity is or supposed to be. What would Gregory say?

[Nemo]

Gregory Nazianzen also writes in his Theological Orations:

Not to every one, my friends, does it belong to philosophize about God; not to every one; the Subject is not so cheap and low;
Not to all men, because it is permitted only to those who have been examined, and are passed masters in meditation [study], and who have been previously purified in soul and body, or at the very least are being purified. For the impure to touch the pure is, we may safely say, not safe, just as it is unsafe to fix weak eyes upon the sun’s rays.