St Ephrem on God and human concepts about God
"The divine cannot be named. . . .
For no one has ever breathed the whole air, nor has any mind located, or
language contained, the Being of God completely. But sketching God’s inward
self from outward characteristics, we may assemble an inadequate, weak, and
partial picture. And the one who makes the best theologian is not the one who
knows the whole truth . . . [b]ut the one who creates the best
picture, who assembles more of truth’s image or shadow."
(Commentary on the Diatessaron 1.18–19; quoted by S. Brock, The Luminous Eye, 50–51)
"Let us give thanks to God, who clothed Himself in the names of the body’s various parts: Scripture refers to His “ears,” to teach us that He listens to us; it speaks of His “eyes,” to show that He sees us. It was just the names of such things that He put on, and, although in His true Being there is not wrath or regret, yet He put on these names too because of our weakness.
Refrain; Blessed be He who has appeared to our human race under so many metaphors.
We should realize that, had He not put on the names of such things, it would not have been possible for Him to speak with us humans. By means of what belongs to us did He draw close to us: He clothed Himself in our language, so that He might clothe us in His mode of life. He asked for our form and put this on, and then, as a father with His children, He spoke with our childish state.
It is our metaphors that He put on—though He did not literally do so; He then took them off—without actually doing so: when wearing them, He was at the same time stripped of them. He puts one on when it is beneficial, then strips it off in exchange for another; the fact that He strips off and puts on all sorts of metaphors tells us that the metaphor does not apply to His true Being: because that Being is hidden, He has depicted it by means of what is visible . . .
A person who is teaching a parrot to speak hides behind a mirror and teaches it in this way: when the bird turns in the direction of the voice which is speaking it finds in front of its eyes its own resemblance reflected; it imagines that it is another parrot, conversing with itself. The man puts the bird’s image in front of it, so that thereby it might learn how to speak. This bird is a fellow creature with the man, but although this relationship exists, the man beguiles and teaches the parrot something alien to itself by means of itself; in this way he speaks with it.
The Divine Being that in all things is exalted above all things. in His love bent down from on high and acquired from us our own habits: He laboured by every means so as to turn all to Himself."
(Faith 31; as quoted in S. Brock, The Luminous Eye, 60–62)
(Commentary on the Diatessaron 1.18–19; quoted by S. Brock, The Luminous Eye, 50–51)
"Let us give thanks to God, who clothed Himself in the names of the body’s various parts: Scripture refers to His “ears,” to teach us that He listens to us; it speaks of His “eyes,” to show that He sees us. It was just the names of such things that He put on, and, although in His true Being there is not wrath or regret, yet He put on these names too because of our weakness.
Refrain; Blessed be He who has appeared to our human race under so many metaphors.
We should realize that, had He not put on the names of such things, it would not have been possible for Him to speak with us humans. By means of what belongs to us did He draw close to us: He clothed Himself in our language, so that He might clothe us in His mode of life. He asked for our form and put this on, and then, as a father with His children, He spoke with our childish state.
It is our metaphors that He put on—though He did not literally do so; He then took them off—without actually doing so: when wearing them, He was at the same time stripped of them. He puts one on when it is beneficial, then strips it off in exchange for another; the fact that He strips off and puts on all sorts of metaphors tells us that the metaphor does not apply to His true Being: because that Being is hidden, He has depicted it by means of what is visible . . .
A person who is teaching a parrot to speak hides behind a mirror and teaches it in this way: when the bird turns in the direction of the voice which is speaking it finds in front of its eyes its own resemblance reflected; it imagines that it is another parrot, conversing with itself. The man puts the bird’s image in front of it, so that thereby it might learn how to speak. This bird is a fellow creature with the man, but although this relationship exists, the man beguiles and teaches the parrot something alien to itself by means of itself; in this way he speaks with it.
The Divine Being that in all things is exalted above all things. in His love bent down from on high and acquired from us our own habits: He laboured by every means so as to turn all to Himself."
(Faith 31; as quoted in S. Brock, The Luminous Eye, 60–62)
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