The ideas we have about God are not God. Any idea, thought, or concept never was and never will be God. They may be helpful symbols that point to God, metaphors, analogies, allegories, images, but they are not God as God is. They will inevitably conflict with one another and be fallible, as every symbol eventually fails at actually being the thing it is supposed to represent. The symbol is never the thing-in-itself.
Tag: knowledge
Joannes Stobaeus’ “First Vision” Account
Joannes Stobaeus was a 5th-century AD compiler of Greek texts in Stobi, Macedonia. He likely read widely, and recorded many of the most interesting passages he came across from Greek authors, including poets and prose writers. The following seems to be a reference to the ancient Mysteries, religious rites, secret ceremonies and initiations, and what took place in them, perhaps a reference to the Eleusinian Mysteries
2 Timothy 3:7 BHT, Knowledge doesn’t reveal the Truth
An addition to the BHT, about the limits of knowledge.
“A Thousand Sweet Breaths of Silence” by Rumi
Deep within me a thousand sweet breaths of Silence cover my lips and say— "Be Still."
The Limits of Intellectual Thought & Knowledge
I recently read three different articles that all had a very similar message. It was essentially this: there is a limit to knowledge and intellectual thought, and some answers may not be found that way. I've written about this before, but there is always more to say. We'll see why, below.
1 Corinthians 3 BHT, Who Teaches the Truth?
An addition to the BHT, where Paul addresses the people in Corinth about who teaches the truth about God. (The painting above is "Conversion on the Way to Damascus," by Caravaggio, c. 1600-1601.)
Walt Whitman’s “First Vision” Accounts
Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was a noted poet, essayist, and journalist, perhaps best known for his collection of poems titled Leaves of Grass. He wrote of divine experiences on several occasions in his poems.
Nancy Clark’s “First Vision” Accounts
In 1979 she had an experience while giving a eulogy at the funeral of a friend that forever changed her life. She later called it a "near-death-like" experience, being similar to many NDEs (including one she had earlier in life), but she was not near death at all. She describes it in one place this way...
John 7:17 BHT, How to “Know” if this is from God?
An addition to the BHT, concerning how we can know for ourselves if these things are really from God, or if they are from Bryce's own deranged mind.
Emerson's Poem, Gnothi Seauton (Know Thyself)
The poem was an anthem to Emerson's belief that to 'know thyself' meant knowing the God which Emerson felt existed within each person.