Knowing God

Ναὶ μὴν ὁ δυσμεταχειριστοταος περὶ Θεοῦ λόγος, οὖτος ἐστιν. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἀρχὴ παντὸς πράγματος δυσεύρετος, πάντως που ἡ πρώτη καὶ πρεσβυτάτη ἀρχὴ δύσδεικτος, ἥτις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἂπασιν αἰτία τοῠ γενέσθαι καὶ γενομένους εἶναι. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν εἴη ῥητὸν, ὅ μήτε γένος ἐστὶ, μήτε διαφορὰ, μήτε εἴδος, μήτε ἀριθμός· ἀλλὰ μήτε συμβωβηκός τι, μηδὲ ᾧ συμβεβηκέ τι; Οὐκ ἂν δὲ ὅλον εἴποι τος αὐτὸν ὀρθῶς· ἐπι μεγέθει γὰρ τάττεται τὸ ὅλον, καὶ ἔστι τῶν ὅλων πατήρ. Οὐδὲ μὴν μέρη τινὰ αὐτοῦ λεκτέον· ἀδιαίρετον γὰρ τὸ ἔν· διὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἄπεριον, οὐ κατὰ τὸ ἀδιεξήτητον νοούμενον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ ἀδιάστατον, καὶ μὴ ἔχον πέρας. Καὶ τοίνυν ἀσχημάτιστον, καὶ ἀνωνόμαστον. Κἂν ὀνομάζωμεν αὐτό ποτε οὐ κυρίως· καλοῦντες ἤτοι ἔν, ἢ τὰγαθον, ἢ νοῦν, ἢ αὐτὸ τὸ ὂν, ἢ Πατέρα, ἢ Θεὸν, ἢ Δημιουργὸν, ἢ Κύριον, οὐχ ὡς ὄνομα αὐτοῦ προφερόμενοι λέγομεν, ὑπὸ δὲ ἀπορίας ὀνόμασι καλοῐς προσχρώμεθα, ἵν' ἔχῃ ἡ διάνοια, μὴ περὶ ἄλλα πλανωμένη, ἐπερείδεσθαι τούτοις· οὐ γὰρ τὸ καθ' ἔκαστον μηνυτικὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ ἀθρόως ἄπαντα ἐνδεικτικὰ τῆς τοῦ παντοκράτορος δυνάμεως. Τὰ γὰρ λεγόμενα ἢ ἐκ τῶν προσόντων αὐτοῖς ῥητά ἐστιν, ἢ ἐκ τῆς πρὸς ἄλληλα σχέσεως· οὐδὲν δὲ τούτων λαβεῖν οἶόν τε περὶ τοῠ Θεοῦ. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐπιστήμῃ λαμβάνεται τῇ ἀποδεικτικῇ· αὔτη γὰρ ἐκ προτέρων καὶ γνωριμωτέρων συνίσταται τοῦ δὲ ἀγεννήτου οὐδὲν προυπάρχει. Λείπεται δὴ θείᾳ χάριτι καὶ μόνῳ τῷ παρ' αὐτοῦ Λόγῳ τὸ ἄγνωστον νοεῖν· καθὸ καὶ ὁ Λουκᾰς ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀπομνημονεύει τὸν Παῠλον λέγοντα· Ἄνδρες  Ἄθηναῖοι, κατὰ πάντα ὡς δεισδαιμονεστέρους ὑμᾶς θεωρῶ. Περιερχόμενος γὰρ καὶ ἀναθεωρῶν τὰ σεβάσματα ὑμῶν, εὕρον καὶ βωμὸν ἐν ᾦ ἐπεγέγραπτο, Ἀγνωστῳ Θεῳ. Ὄν οὖν ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε, τοῦτον ἐγὼ καταγγέλλω ὑμῖν. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Πέμπτος, Κεφ ΙΒ'

A most difficult discourse to grasp about God this is. For since the first principle of everything is difficult to discover, the absolutely first and oldest principle, which is the cause of all other things being and having been, is difficult to show. For how may it be expressed which is neither genus, nor difference, nor species, , nor number, and is indeed neither event, nor that to which an event happens? No one can rightly express Him wholly, for on account of His greatness He is ranked as the All, and is the Father of all things. Nor are any parts to be claimed of Him, for the One is indivisible and by this infinite, not by thought of indescribability, but because of a lack of dimensions and not having a limit. And therefore we have no form and name. And if we do use a name, we do not do so properly, speaking either of the One, or the Good, or Mind, or Being Itself, or Father, or God, or Creator, or Lord, not speaking as giving the required name, but for lack of it employing good names in order that the mind may have these as support so as not to err in other things, for each one does not express God but all together show the power of the Omnipotent. For predicates are expressed either from what are of things themselves, or from their mutual relation, but nothing of this obtains with God. Nor is He grasped by the method of demonstration, for that depends on primary and better known principles and there is nothing antecedent to the Unbegotten. It remains that we understand the Unknown by Divine Grace and by the Word alone that proceeds from Him, as Luke in the Acts of the Apostles relates that Paul said, 'Men of Athens, I see that in all things you are too superstitious. For in walking about and observing the things of your worship, I found an altar on which was inscribed, 'To the Unknown God.'  This One, then, you ignorantly worship, Him I declare to you.' 1 Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 5, Ch 12. 1 Acts 17. 22-23