[Editor’s Note: Gary is translating the Ante-Nicene Fathers works, beginning with Origin’s work. It is meant to update the British English of Roberts and Donaldson. What follows is part of that translation]
We’ve done our best to refute any idea that God is physical and has some kind of body. The uncompromising truth is that God cannot be fully understood. He cannot be measured by any human metric or tool. We might be able to understand some small aspect of him through our primary senses or through deep thought. In light of everything we’ve said, though, it only makes sense that he’s orders of magnitude more than anything our limited senses can understand. Here’s an illustration of what we’re trying to communicate: Let’s say someone can barely tolerate the light from a candle. Anything brighter than that would be too much for them to handle. If we wanted to tell them all about the sun, we’d have to warn them about how much brighter it is than a little candle. How do you even explain the difference in brightness between the two to someone like that? Humanity is no different. Because of the limitations of our bodies, it’s nearly impossible to comprehend God’s nature (which is a comparison even greater than the candle vs. sun illustration).
The Preacher Pollard Blog 