Augustine’s ‘Si comprehendis, non est Deus’ : to what extent is God incomprehensible?
Can God be positively understood? The very respectable tradition of negative theology would claim that this is impossible and that God could only be understood by saying what God is not. There is a saying of Augustine that is often quoted in this context, “If you understand it is not God.” What did Augustine mean by this? Does this dictum not entail a contradiction in that we all understand the meaning of the word God? Did God not also reveal himself in Scripture and creation, thus opening himself to understanding? This study sorts out the meaning and context of this saying in Augustine’s Sermon 117 and argues that an understanding of God and indeed a “touching” of God are possible for Augustine. It also argues against the obsessive, if widespread attempt of some to debase humankind’s capability of understanding.
Augustine Sermon 117 God Comprehensibility Understanding Si enim comprehendis non est Deus Mystical experience Vision of God Spiritual sense Gospel of John