Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 279

Chap.

OF THEOLOGY

I]

255

portant, and without loss of truth could be exchanged for

every other confession or placed on a line with it. ^Meanwhile we should guard against anthropomorphism in our representations of this archetypal knowledge of God. As

human

beings,

of our

lives

of our

own

,

know ourselves at the beginning we obtain a certain consciousness and we frame a certain representation of

we do

not

gradually

person,

our personal existence and of

And

ourselves to others.

In in-

our inner being.

we can impart

timate intercourse

in this

this

way

representation of it

is

also possible

and ectypal knowledge of were applied similarly to God, we

to speak of a certain archetypal

our person.

But

would incur

a very serious error.

if

this

We

cannot conceive of

a gradually increasing self-consciousness in God,

and con-

God that preceded His conGod covers His entire existence,

sequently of an existence of sciousness.

Consciousness in

and the word " eternal " is predicable of both in an intensive Hence with God there can be no self-knowledge sense. which has been formed in a human way by observation, analysis, inference, etc. generis.,

sion of this

The self-knowledge

and therefore Divine. all anthropomorphism

mode

of representation

If this

in

God

is

sui

condemns the admis-

in the archetypal knowledge,

is

equally inadmissible in our

communication of this knowledge to man. When we communicate something concerning ourselves to another, it is man who imparts something to man, and thereby deals with analogies that are mutually present, and with similar representations which render the understanding of our communications possible. All this, however, falls away when God approaches man. Then it is not God revealing knowledge of Himself to a God, but God imparting His self-knowledge to man. Moreover, in our communications with others concerning ourselves, we are bound to the form of thought, and must take the capacity for knowledge as it is but there is no such limitation with God, who Himself created the creature to whom He has determined to impart this self-knowledge, and thus was able to adapt this capacity for knowledge to His revelation. And, finally, it should be ;

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