The Ancients on God’s Omniscience

What is God’s omniscience? God’s omniscience is a way of speaking about God’s knowledge. The biblical authors describe God’s knowledge as exhaustive. He knows everything that can be known, everything there is to know. This knowledge is a comfort to the biblical authors and to those who commented on Scripture in the first centuries of the church. Let’s see how they reflect on God’s omniscience with the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture.

Overview of Psalm 139:1–6

O LORD, you have searched me and known me!

You know when I sit down and when I rise up; and you discern my thoughts from afar.

You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.

You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

Psalms 139:1-6

We can better understand the depth of God’s wisdom by observing the marvelous nature and functions of our physical constitution. Although it is more difficult for people to know themselves than the world around them, yet there is no better resource for understanding the greatness of God than the constitution of our nature. Divine providence is marvelous, provides wonderful and magnificent resources to humanity and motivates us to praise our divine Benefactor. No matter what language a people speaks, they receive the proclamation of God and praise his wonderful knowledge.

Every living creature is surrounded by the power and presence of God. God is truly infinite, incomprehensible, omnipresent, and omniscient. Since God is omnipresent and possesses omniscience, we cannot hide our sins from him and therefore should be ashamed to sin in his sight. The omnipresence of Father and Son supports their personal equality in the godhead. If God is present everywhere, then his wisdom and Spirit are also omnipresent. While everyone is in the presence of God, only the blessed are truly with him.

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God’s Omniscience

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

Psalms 139:6

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BODILY FUNCTIONS WITNESS THE WISDOM OF GOD – Basil the Great

Basil the Great (b. c. 330; fl. 357–379). One of the Cappadocian fathers, bishop of Caesarea and champion of the teaching on the Trinity propounded at Nicaea in 325. He was a great administrator and founded a monastic rule.

And so, when you have gone over all these points with suitable reflections on each, when you have, in addition, studied the process of breathing, the manner in which the heart conserves its warmth, the organs of digestion and the veins, you will discern in all of these wonders the inscrutable wisdom of the Creator; so that you will be able to say with the prophet: “Your knowledge is become wonderful” from the study of myself. “Give heed, therefore, to yourself,” that you may give heed to God, to whom be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

HOMILY ON THE WORDS “GIVE HEED TO THYSELF”

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE HUMAN BODY REVEALS THE WISDOM OF GOD – Basil the Great

In truth, to know oneself seems to be the hardest of all things. Not only our eye, which observes external objects, does not use the sense of sight on itself, but even our mind, which contemplates intently another’s sin, is slow in the recognition of its own defects. Therefore, even at present our speech, after eagerly investigating matters pertaining to others, is slow and hesitant in the examination of our own nature. Yet, it is not possible for one, intelligently examining himself, to learn to know God better from the heavens and earth than from our own constitution, as the prophet says, “Your knowledge is become wonderful from myself”; that is, having carefully observed myself, I have understood the superabundance of wisdom in you.

HOMILIES ON THE HEXAEMERON 9.6

GOD’S KNOWLEDGE IS SUBLIME – Augustine

Augustine of Hippo (354–430). Bishop of Hippo and a voluminous writer on philosophical, exegetical, theological and ecclesiological topics. He formulated the Western doctrines of predestination and original sin in his writings against the Pelagians.

Do we, whose minds are so feeble, believe that we can comprehend whether God’s foresight is the same as his memory and understanding, who do not behold individual things by thought but embraces all that he knows in one eternal, unchangeable and ineffable vision? In this difficulty and distress, therefore, we may indeed cry aloud to the living God, “Your knowledge is become wonderful to me; it is sublime, and I cannot reach it.” For I understand from myself how wonderful and how incomprehensible your knowledge is, by which you have made me, when I consider that I cannot even comprehend myself whom you have made; and yet in my meditation a fire flames out, “so that I seek your face evermore.”

ON THE TRINITY 15.7.13

THE MARVEL OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE – Theodoret of Cyr

Theodoret of Cyr (c. 393–466). Bishop of Cyr (Cyrrhus), he was an opponent of Cyril who commented extensively on Old Testament texts as a lucid exponent of Antiochene exegesis.

Since water does not support horses, donkeys, mules, the tracks of wheels and the marks of wagons and chariots, which are all unmistakable guides to travelers by land, the Maker of the universe has given to the broad seas the disposition of the stars like road tracks on land.

Praise the wonders of divine providence! Oh! Ineffable love! Oh! unspeakable wisdom!

Who could marvel enough at the goodness of divine providence, at its power, its nobility in difficulties, its ease in managing awkward situations, its magnificence, its resourcefulness? Truly your knowledge was wonderful to me: “I was overwhelmed and could not reach to it.” That is my exclamation, too. If you listen to me, you too will recite these words with me, praise the Benefactor with all your might and render grateful words of thanks for his countless blessings.

DISCOURSE 1.39

GOD’S KNOWLEDGE IS WONDERFUL – Theodoret of Cyr

And so loud is their proclamation that the whole human race hears their voice, “There are no speeches or utterances where their voices are not heard.” For every race and every tongue hears the proclamations of day and night. Tongue differs from tongue, but nature is one and derives the same lesson from day and night. Thus the same author, singing the praises of the Creator in another psalm, says, “Your knowledge was wonderful to me; I was overwhelmed, and I could not reach to it.”

DISCOURSE 4.4

GOD’S OMNISCIENCE AND OMNIPRESENCE IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE – Chrysostom

John Chrysostom (344/354–407; fl. 386–407). Bishop of Constantinople who was noted for his orthodoxy, his eloquence and his attacks on Christian laxity in high places.

Let us listen to what the prophet says: “Your knowledge is too wonderful for me.” But let us see what he says further on: “I will give you thanks, for you are fearful and wonderful.” Why “fearful”? We wonder at the beauty of columns, mural art, the physical bloom of youth. Again, we wonder at the open sea and its limitless depth, but we wonder fearfully when we stoop down and see how deep it is. It was in this way that the prophet stooped down and looked at the limitless and yawning sea of God’s wisdom. And he was struck with shuddering. He was deeply frightened, he drew back, and he said in a loud voice, “I will give you thanks for you are fearfully wondrous; wondrous are your works.” And again, “Your knowledge is too wondrous for me; it is too lofty and I cannot attain to it.”

Do you see how prudent the servant is and how grateful is his heart? What he is saying is this: “I thank you that I have a Master whom I cannot comprehend.” And he is not now speaking of God’s essence. He passes over the incomprehensibility of his essence as if it is something on which everybody is agreed. What he is speaking of here is God’s omnipresence and omniscience; and he is showing that this is the very thing that he does not understand, namely, how God is present everywhere and knows everything.

AGAINST THE ANOMOEANS 1.24–25

Read the Ancients with the Ancient Christian Commentary

The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture is a commentary on the entire Bible (and Apocrypha). The commentary is taken from the writings of the early church fathers who lived during the first several centuries of the church. Add this commentary to your collection and start learning from the ancients!