Having established the limits of the Canon of Holy Scripture, we are now ready to see what the record of God's revelation of Himself to man says about God. There are positive assertions about God in Holy Scripture and there are negative assertions about God in it. Whenever we define God in terms of who He is, we are using cataphatic theology. When we define God in terms of what He is not, we are using apophatic theology.
There are many positive assertions about God in Holy Scripture. God is a spirit. (St. John 4:24) God is holy. (Lev. 20:26) God is love. (I John 4:8,16) God is truth. (I Esdras 4:41; St. John 1:1; 8:58; 10:30-33; 14:6-9) God is just. (Job 34:17, LXX; St. John 10:30-33; Acts 3:14; I John 1:9) God is righteous. (Psalm 10:7, LXX) God is merciful. (St. Luke 6:36) God is kind. (Titus 3:4) God is meek. (St. Matt. 11:29; St. John 10:30-33) God is good. (St. Mark 10:18) God is wisdom. (I Cor. 1:24; St. John 10:30-33) God is all-knowing. (Dan. 1:42, LXX; Susannah 42, Protestant Apocrypha) God is all-powerful. (Job 10:13, LXX; 42:2, LXX; St. Mark 10:27; I Esdras 4:35,38; St. John 14:6-9) God is omnipresent. (Psalm 138:7-12, LXX) God is the Creator. (II Macc. 7:28; St. John 1:1-4; Gen. 1)
There are also many negative assertions about God. God is not a liar. (Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18) God is not fully comprehensible. (Rom. 11:33) God is not a creature. (Acts 17:29; Wisdom 13:1-5; II Macc. 7:28; St. John 1:1-4; Gen. 1) God is not visible. (St. John 1:18; I Tim. 6:16)
There are some people who have written books on systematic theology. Systematic theologians try to systematically analyze and explain God. What a biologist does to a frog, they try to do with God. They try to break Him down into parts and analyze how God works and thinks.
The Orthodox Church has no such thing as a systematic theology. God is the Creator. He creates entire galaxies. Actually, He is responsible for creating billions of them. Each galaxy contains billions of stars with several planets revolving around them. The universe is vast. It is so vast that we cannot even begin to map it out in its entirety. If we cannot map out the entire universe that God has created out of nothing (II Macc. 7:28), then how can we map out the mind of God? We cannot do that! God is far bigger than we are. "His ways are past finding out." (Rom. 11:33) So, "who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him?" (I Cor. 2:16) "The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." (I Cor. 2:11) Systematic theologians are wasting their time trying to do the impossible — that is, explain God in minute detail!
In the Orthodox Church, we have a dogmatic theology and a mystical theology, but we do not have any such thing as a systematic theology. There is much about God than remains a mystery. What we know for a fact to be true about God is classified as a dogma of the Church. Those dogmas we believe.
Steve
There are many positive assertions about God in Holy Scripture. God is a spirit. (St. John 4:24) God is holy. (Lev. 20:26) God is love. (I John 4:8,16) God is truth. (I Esdras 4:41; St. John 1:1; 8:58; 10:30-33; 14:6-9) God is just. (Job 34:17, LXX; St. John 10:30-33; Acts 3:14; I John 1:9) God is righteous. (Psalm 10:7, LXX) God is merciful. (St. Luke 6:36) God is kind. (Titus 3:4) God is meek. (St. Matt. 11:29; St. John 10:30-33) God is good. (St. Mark 10:18) God is wisdom. (I Cor. 1:24; St. John 10:30-33) God is all-knowing. (Dan. 1:42, LXX; Susannah 42, Protestant Apocrypha) God is all-powerful. (Job 10:13, LXX; 42:2, LXX; St. Mark 10:27; I Esdras 4:35,38; St. John 14:6-9) God is omnipresent. (Psalm 138:7-12, LXX) God is the Creator. (II Macc. 7:28; St. John 1:1-4; Gen. 1)
There are also many negative assertions about God. God is not a liar. (Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18) God is not fully comprehensible. (Rom. 11:33) God is not a creature. (Acts 17:29; Wisdom 13:1-5; II Macc. 7:28; St. John 1:1-4; Gen. 1) God is not visible. (St. John 1:18; I Tim. 6:16)
There are some people who have written books on systematic theology. Systematic theologians try to systematically analyze and explain God. What a biologist does to a frog, they try to do with God. They try to break Him down into parts and analyze how God works and thinks.
The Orthodox Church has no such thing as a systematic theology. God is the Creator. He creates entire galaxies. Actually, He is responsible for creating billions of them. Each galaxy contains billions of stars with several planets revolving around them. The universe is vast. It is so vast that we cannot even begin to map it out in its entirety. If we cannot map out the entire universe that God has created out of nothing (II Macc. 7:28), then how can we map out the mind of God? We cannot do that! God is far bigger than we are. "His ways are past finding out." (Rom. 11:33) So, "who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him?" (I Cor. 2:16) "The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." (I Cor. 2:11) Systematic theologians are wasting their time trying to do the impossible — that is, explain God in minute detail!
In the Orthodox Church, we have a dogmatic theology and a mystical theology, but we do not have any such thing as a systematic theology. There is much about God than remains a mystery. What we know for a fact to be true about God is classified as a dogma of the Church. Those dogmas we believe.
Steve
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