Visions of God

Τί λέγεις, εἰπέ μοι, Ἰωάννη; Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε. Τί οὖν ποιήσομεν τοῖς προφήταις λέγουσιν ὅτι εἶδον τὸν Θεόν;  Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἡσαΐας φησίν·Εἶδον τὸν Κύριον καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἐπηρμένου. Ὁ δὲ ∆ανιὴλ πάλιν· Εἶδον ἕως οὗ θρόνοι ἐτέθησαν καὶ ὁ παλαιὸς τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐκάθητο. Ὁ δὲ Μιχαίας· Εἶδον τὸν Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καθήμενον ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἕτερος προφήτης πάλιν· Εἶδον τὸν Κύριον ἑστῶτα ἐπὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου καὶ εἶπέ μοι· πάταξον ἐπὶ τὸ ἱλαστήριον. Καὶ πολλὰς τοιαύτας ἔστι συνάγειν μαρτυρίας. Πῶς οὖν ὁ Ἰωάννης φησὶν ὅτι Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε; Ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τὴν ἀκριβῆ αὐτοῦ κατάληψιν καὶ τὴν τετρανωμένην γνῶσιν λέγει. Ὅτι γὰρ πάντα ἐκεῖνα συγκατάβασις ἦν καὶ ἀκραιφνῆ τὴν οὐσίαν οὐδεὶς εἶδεν ἐκείνων, δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ διαφόρως ἕκαστον ὁρᾶν. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς ἁπλοῦς καὶ ἀσύνθετος καὶ ἀσχημάτιστος· οὗτοι δὲ ἅπαντες σχήματα ἔβλεπον διάφορα. Τοῦτο γοῦν αὐτὸ δι' ἑτέρου προφήτου ἐμφαίνων πάλιν καὶ πείθων αὐτοὺς ὡς οὐκ ἀκριβῆ τὴν οὐσίαν εἶδον, ἔλεγεν· Ἐγὼ ὁράσεις ἐπλήθυνα καὶ ἐν χερσὶ προφητῶν ὡμοιώθην. Οὐκ αὐτὴν τὴν οὐσίαν ἔδειξα τὴν ἐμήν, ἀλλὰ συγκατέβην, φησί, πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὁρώντων ἀσθένειαν.   Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος Περὶ Ἀκαταληπτου, Ὁμιλὶα Δ'

Why do you say, tell me, John, 'No one has ever seen God? 1 What, then, shall we make of the Prophets saying that they saw God? For Isaiah said, 'I saw the Lord sitting on His high and exalted throne .' 2 And again Daniel: 'I saw until the thrones were placed, and the ancient of days sat.'  3 And Micah: 'I saw the God of Israel sitting on his throne,' 4 and again another Prophet: 'I saw the Lord standing on the altar and He said to me: Strike the mercy seat.' 5 And many such things may be gathered to give similar witness. How is it, then, that John says, 'No one has ever seen God?'  That you might learn that he speaks of a clear knowledge and a perfect comprehension of God. All those passage I just gave were instances of God's condescension, and that none of the Prophets saw the pure essence is clear from their different ways of seeing. God is simple, He is not composed of parts or forms, but all these Prophets saw different forms. Enlightenment is given through the mouth of another Prophet and persuasion that those other Prophets did not see the exact essence when he said: 'I have multiplied visions, and by the hand of the Prophets I was represented.' 6 That is, 'I did not show my very essence but I condescended according to the weakness of those who saw.' Saint John Chrysostom, On The Incomprehensible, Fourth Homily 1 1 Jn 4.12 2 Is 6.1 3 Dan 7.9 4 3 Kings 22.19 5 Amos 9.1 6 Hosea 12.10