God, by His very nature
exceeds human intellect, for God Himself is beyond the power of the intellect. St.
Thomas affirms this in the question one of the Prima Pars of his Summa Theologiae, saying that no created intellect can see the essence of God. The reason being that the created intellect knows only existing things. For what falls first under the apprehension of the intellect is being. Now God is not something existing; but He is rather super-existence. Therefore, God is not intelligible; but above all intellect, this provides reason why human intellect cannot know God's
essence.[1]
St. Thomas explaining why human intellect cannot lead us to full knowledge of
God teaches that if men are left to find God that:
ü Many will not find him;
ü Some will find a caricature god
ü Some will find him only after a very long time.
Some will even find him but will not know him.
St. Augustine also has something to say about
man's limitations in attainment of knowledge of God. In the Book II, Chapter 2
of his classic work: City of God, Augustine
states that it is rare thing for a man, after he has contemplated the whole
creation, to understand the nature of God; for to know God is beyond our human
comprehension.[2] Similarly, in The Confession, Book 13; St. Augustine teaching about eternal
truth says that, the Divine Truth is not given through the senses but it comes
from divine light. Thus in order for man to know eternal truth, man needs
divine illumination. Everything apprehends the truth according to the mode of
the being. Human beings are rule by reason, they are limited beings, and
therefore cannot apprehend the immensity.[3]
The result being that there is a limit to power of reason, where reason stops,
revelation takes over, since we need God to know God. Reason's grasp of divine
truth is based on revelation of God about himself. Even when revelation is
present the knowledge of God cannot be said to be certain to be used in
understanding God Himself who is the giver of divine revelation.
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