Knowledge and Folly

Apostolus sciens naturae humanae imperfectam cogitationem hoc solum putare in veri ratione esse quod saperet, ait non in sermone se sapientiae praedicare, ne praedicationis suae inanis esset assertio. Ac ne stultitiae esse praedicator existimaretur, adjecit, verbum crucis stultitiam esse percuntibus: quia eam solam infideles prudentiam crederent esse, quam saperent; et cum nihil nisi intra infirmitatis suae saperent naturam, eam, quae sola Dei perfecta sapientia est, putarent esse stultitiam; per quod in ea ipsa infirmis sapientiae suae opinione desiperent. Ergo quidquid pereuntibus stultitia est, hoc iis qui salvantur Dei virtus est: quia nihil naturalis sensus sui infirmitate moderantur, sed divinae potestatis efficientiam secundum infinitatem coelestis virtus expendunt. Et idcirco sapientiam sapientium, et intelligentiam intelligentium Deus improbat, quia per opinionem stultitiae humanae credentibus salus tribuitur: dum et infideles, quae extra sensum suum sunt, stulta esse decernunt, et fideles potestati ac virtuti Dei omnia largiendae sibi salutis suae sacramenta permittunt. Non erga sunt stulta quae Dei sunt; sed humanae naturae insipiens prudentia est, quae a Deo suo aut signa aut sapientiam ad fidem postulet. Et Judaeorum quidem est postulare signa; quia in Dei nomine per legis familiaritatem non admodum rudes, crucis scandalo commoventur. Graecorum autem est sapientiam poscere, quia gentili ineptia humanaquae prudentia rationem sublati in crucem Dei quaerant. Quae quia secundum sensum naturae infirmis occulta in sacramento sit; fit stultia infidelis: cum quod naturaliter mens imperfecta non concipit, id extra prudentiae causam esse decernat. De Trinitate, Liber II, Sanctus Hilarius Episcopus Pictaviensis

The Apostle, knowing the imperfect nature of human cognition, that it thinks only what it knows in its reason to be truth, says that he does not preach in the language of knowledge, lest his preaching should be in vain. But to save himself from being judged a preacher of foolishness he adds that the word of the cross is foolishness to the inquisitive because the unbelievers believed knowledge to be only what they knew, and since they knew nothing unless it was within the scope of their infirm nature, that perfect knowledge, which alone is of God, they thought to be foolish, by which they themselves became foolish in the very opinion of their own imperfect knowledge. Thus whatever is foolish to them who perish is the power of God to them who are saved; for the latter do not use as a measure the infirmity of their own natural sense, but weigh the activity of the Divine power according to the infinite heavenly excellence. And so God rejects the wisdom of the wise and the understanding of the prudent, because by judging human foolishness salvation is granted to the believer. While unbelievers determine that everything beyond their own senses is foolishness, believers allow to the power and excellence of God the mysteries by which their own salvation is gifted. There is no foolishness in the things of God but rather folly is in that wisdom of human nature which demands from God, for sake of faith, signs and wisdom. It is of the Jews to demand signs, for they have a long acquaintance through the law with the Name of God, but the scandal of the cross distresses them. It is of the Greeks to demand wisdom, because with Gentile ineptitude and human philosophy they seek the reason why God was lifted up on the cross. Which things, in accordance with the infirmity of our natural intelligence, have been hidden in mystery, and this turns foolishness into unbelief; for that which an imperfect mind does not understand they denounce as being beyond grounds for reasonable credence. On the Trinity, Book 2, St Hilary of Poitiers