Knowledge Will Pass Away

Τί οὖν ἐστιν ὅ φησιν ὁ Παῦλος, καὶ περὶ τίνος, ὅτι Ἡ γνῶσις καταργηθήσεται; Οὐ περὶ τῆς παντελοῦς, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς μερικῆς τοῦτο γνῶσι, κατάργησιν τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον πρόοδον λέγων, ὡς τὴν μερικὴν καταργουμένην μηκέτι εἶναι μερικὴν, ἀλλὰ τελείαν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡ ἡλικία τοῦ παιδίου καταργεῖται, οὐκ ἀφανιζομένης τῆς οὐσίας, ἀλλ' αὐξανομένης τῆς ἡλικίας, καὶ εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον ἰκβαινούσης· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γνώσεως γίνεται. Ἡ μικρὰ, φησιν, αὔτη οὐκέτι ἂν εἴη μικρὰ, διὰ τῶν ἐξῆς γενομένη μεγάλη· τοῦτο ἔστι τὸ, καταργεῖται· καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τῶν ἐξῆς σαφέστερον ἡμῖν ἐδήλωσεν. Ἵνα γὰρ ἀκούσας ὅτι καταργεῖται, μὴ κατάλυσιν παντελῆ νομίσῃς εἶναι, ἀλλ ὰὔξησίν τινα καὶ πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον ἐπίδοσιν, εἰπὼν καταργεῖτα, ἐπήγαγεν· ' Ἐκ μέρους γὰρ γινώσκομεν, καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύομεν· ὅταν δὲ ἐλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τότε τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται· ὡς μηκέτι εἶναι αὐτὸ ἐκ μέρους, ἀλλὰ τέλειον. Ὥωτε τὸ ἀτελὲς αὐτοῦ καταργεῖται, ὡς μηκέτι εἶναι ἀτελὲς, ἀλλὰ τέλειον. Ἡ τοίνυν κατάργησις αὔτη πλήρωσις ἐστι, καὶ πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον ἐπίδοσις.    Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος Περὶ Ἀκαταληπτου

What, then, is this which Paul says, and about what, when he says, 'Knowledge will pass away?' 1 This is not about complete but about partial knowledge; and he says that the passing away is an advance to something better, that is, when the partial knowledge by passing away is no longer partial but perfect. For as the age of childhood passes away but the essence does not disappear, so that with increase of age there is attainment of the perfect man, so it is with knowledge. This little knowledge, he says, would no longer be little when it has become great through growth; this is the meaning of 'passes away,' and this he wisely clarifies for us in what follows. For having heard that 'it passes away' you should not think of this as an utter dissolution but as a growth and an advancement to something better, and so saying, 'It passes away' he went on to add, 'Our knowledge is imperfect and our speaking about God is imperfect. When the perfect comes, then the imperfect will pass away;' 2 so there is no longer something partial but something perfect. Thus the imperfect thing passes away and the imperfect no longer is, but the perfect is. The passing away, then, is a fulfillment and advancement to what is better.  Saint John Chrysostom, On The Incomprehensible 1 1 Cor 13.8 2 1 Cor 13. 9-10