Doubting Understanding

Ὁρᾷς εὐγνωμοσύνην οἰκέτου; Εὐχαριστῶ σοι, φησί, διὰ τοῦτο ὅτι ἀκατάληπτον ἔχω ∆εσπότην, οὐ περὶ οὐσίας ἐνταῦθα λέγων· ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ ὡς ὡμολογημένον ἀκατάληπτον εἶναι παρῆκε· περὶ δὲ τοῦ πανταχοῦ παρεῖναι τὸν Θεὸν ταῦτά φησι δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐδὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο οἶδε, πῶς πανταχοῦ πάρεστιν. Ὅτι γὰρ περὶ τούτων φησίν, ἄκουε τῶν ἑξῆς· Ἐὰν ἀναβῶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, σὺ ἐκεῖ εἶ· ἐὰν καταβῶ εἰς τὸν ᾅδην, πάρει. Εἶδες πῶς πανταχοῦ πάρεστιν; Ἀλλ' ὁ προφήτης οὐκ οἶδεν, ἀλλ' ἰλιγγιᾷ καὶ διαπορεῖ καὶ θορυβεῖται μόνον εἰς νοῦν αὐτὸ λαβών; Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας τοὺς τοσοῦτον ἀπέχοντας τῆς ἐκείνου χάριτος αὐτὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πολυπραγμονεῖν τὴν οὐσίαν; Καίτοι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ προφήτης ὁ λέγων· Τὰ ἄδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σοφίας σου ἐδήλωσάς μοι. Ἀλλ' ὅμως τὰ ἄδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ μαθών, περὶ αὐτῆς φησι ταύτης ὅτι ἀπρόσιτός ἐστι καὶ ἀκατάληπτος· Μέγας γὰρ Κύριος, φησί, καὶ μεγάλη ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς συνέσεως αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός, τοῦτ' ἔστι οὐκ ἔστι κατάληψις. Τί λέγεις; ἡ σοφία ἀκατάληπτος τῷ προφήτῃ καὶ ἡ οὐσία ἡμῖν καταληπτή; ἆρα οὐ φανερὰ αὕτη ἡ μανία; ἡ μεγαλωσύνη αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔχει πέρας καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτοῦ περιγράφεις; Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος Περὶ Ἀκαταληπτου, Λόγος Πρῶτος Source: Migne PG 48.705

Do you see how prudent the servant is? He says, 'I give thanks to you because of this, that I have a Lord I cannot comprehend.' He is not speaking of God's essence here, for he passes over the incomprehensibility of His essence as something everyone admits, but what he is speaking of here is the omnipresence of God, and he is showing that this is the very thing he does not understand, that is, how He is present everywhere. That he is speaking of this, listen to what follows: 'If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to hell you are present.' 1 Do you see how He is present everywhere? The prophet does not know how this is but he shudders, he is at a loss, he groans when he tries to grasp it with his mind. How, then, is it not utter mindlessness that men who are so far interior to the prophet in grace are busy about the essence of God? And this is the same prophet who says, 'You have shown me the secret and hidden things of your wisdom.' 2 But even so, after learning the secret and hidden things of God's wisdom, he says that it is inaccessible and incomprehensible. 'The Lord is great and mighty in power, and there is no end to His wisdom.' 3 That is, there is no grasping it. And what are you saying? Is that wisdom beyond the grasp of the prophet and yet we comprehend His essence? Is this not patent madness? His greatness has no limit, and you are defining His essence? Saint John Chrysostom, On The Incomprehensible Nature Of God, from the First Homily 1 Ps 138.8 2 Ps 50.8 3 Ps 146.5