四、各民族对独一上帝本性的认识差异及其原因
11# 至于这位独一上帝的本性，各民族、各邦国之所以认识各异、分歧众多，实出于多重原因。
首要原因在于：对上帝的认识，以及由之生发的对上帝的承认，离了启示便无从获得。而对主的认识与承认 —— 就是祂里面丰丰富富居住着一切神性的真理 —— 除了从作为启示之冠的圣经之外，也无从获得。人借着所赐的启示得以迎见上帝、领受流注，从而从属世的生命进入属灵的生命。最初的启示曾遍传全地，却被属世之人以种种方式扭曲，由此便生出了宗教上的分歧、争论、异端与分裂。
第二个原因在于：属世之人无法感知关乎上帝的事，只能感知关乎世界的事，并且惯于以属世的尺度度量一切。因此，基督教会的既定教义之一便是：属世之人与属灵之人彼此为敌、互相争战。也正因此，那些虽从圣经或其他启示得知上帝存在的人，对于上帝的本性与独一性的内涵，仍生出了各样不同的见解与分歧。
【2】正是基于这一认知局限，那些心智的视线完全系于身体感官、却仍想要窥见上帝的人，便为自己打造金、银、石、木的偶像，借着这些可见的对象来敬拜上帝。另一些人虽因宗教信仰弃绝了偶像，却仍凭私意构想上帝的形像 —— 取材于日月星辰与地上万物。至于那些自以为比常人更有智慧、实则仍属世的人，则从上帝创世的无限性与无所不在性出发衍生出各样偏差：有人将自然本身等同于上帝 —— 或以为上帝居于自然的至内在，或以为居于自然的至外在；还有人为了将上帝与自然区分开，便构想出一个最普遍的存在，称之为 “宇宙的本源”。可他们对上帝一无所知，这个所谓的 “本源” 在他们那里不过是一个空洞的理性概念 —— 实质上就是虚无。
【3】有谁不明白，对上帝的真认识就是映照上帝的明镜？那些对上帝一无所知的人，无法在正面朝向他们的明镜中看见上帝，只能在翻转过来、背对着他们的镜面中寻索 —— 那镜面被水银或黑胶覆盖，不仅不反射形像，反而将光吞没。
对上帝的信靠是经由前路进入人心 —— 就是从灵魂注入理智的上层；对上帝的认识则是经由后路进入 —— 它源于启示的圣经，借着理智、通过身体感官被人领受。这两股路径在理智的中层相遇，就在此处，那仅止于头脑说服的属世信仰，转变为真正认同的属灵信仰。因此，人的理智就好比一个兑换银钱的柜台，属世与属灵的信仰在此完成交割。
11# （4）至于这一位神是什么，或祂的性质，由于种种原因，各个民族和人民一直存在分歧，现在仍存在分歧。第一个原因是，没有启示，关于神的知识，因而对神的承认是不可能的；关于主的知识，因而对“神本性一切的丰盛，都有形有体地居住在祂里面”的承认，只能来自圣言，圣言是启示的王冠。因为人通过赐给他的启示能靠近神，接受流注，由此从属世的变成属灵的。远古的启示遍及全世界，却被属世人以多种方式扭曲了，这是宗教争端、纷争、异端和分裂的根源。第二个原因是，属世人不能形成对神的任何感知，并使这种感知适应自己，只能形成对世界的感知，并使它适应自己。因此，在基督教会的教义中，有这样一条教义：属世人反对属灵人，它们彼此争战。这也解释了为何那些从圣言或其它启示中获知有一位神的人，在神的性质和一体性方面一直存在分歧，现在仍存在分歧。
因此，那些精神视觉依赖于肉体感官、却仍渴望看到神的人为自己制作了金、银、石、木的形像，从而以这些可见物体的形式来敬拜神。而弃绝这种敬拜形式，或说出于其宗教而抛弃偶像的其他人，则在日月星辰，以及地上的各样物体中为自己找到神的代表，或形成他们对神的观念。但那些认为自己比普通人智慧，却依旧属世的人，因神在创造世界时的浩瀚无垠和无所不在而承认自然为神；其中一些人在自然的至内层或内在运作中认识祂，一些人在自然的最外层或外在显现中认识祂；而另一方面，一些人为了将神和自然区分开，就想出某种极端普遍原则，或某种最普遍事物的概念，他们称之为宇宙的存在（Being of the universe）。然而，由于这些人对神没有进一步的认识，所以对他们来说，这种存在就成了毫无意义的纯理性抽象。
谁都能看到，人对神的认识或概念就是他对神的一面镜子，那些对神一无所知的人不是对着镜子看神，而对着镜子背面看祂；而镜子的背面涂上了水银或某种黑色涂料，所以不仅不能反映任何形像，反而会熄灭它。对神的信仰通过一种在先或内在途径进入人，即从灵魂进入理解力的高层部分；而关于神的知识通过一种在后或外在途径进入，因为它们是由理解力通过身体感官从圣言的启示中吸收的。这两种流注的形式在理解力的中途相遇；在那里，属世的信仰，即纯粹的说服，变成了属灵的信仰，即真正的承认。因此，人类的理解力就像一个在其中实现这种变化的精炼器皿或交换的地方。
11. 4. For various reasons, different nations and peoples have had and still have a diversity of opinions on the nature of that one God. The first reason for this is that knowledge about God and therefore acknowledgment of God is not possible without revelation; and knowledge of the Lord and therefore acknowledgment that all the fullness of divinity dwells physically in him is not possible without the Word, which is a garland of revelations. From the revelation they have been given, people are able to meet God, receive an inflow, and thus be made spiritual instead of earthly.
Early revelation spread throughout the whole world, and the earthly self distorted it in many different ways, giving rise to divergences, disagreements, heresies, and schisms among religions.
The second reason [for the diversity of opinions on God] is that the earthly self cannot comprehend anything about God; it can comprehend only the world, and conform it to itself. This is why it is among the axioms of the Christian church that the earthly self is against the spiritual self, and that they battle each other. People then have come to acknowledge from the Word [or] from some other revelation that there is a God, and yet in both the past and the present they have had a diversity of opinions on the nature and the oneness of God.
[2] Therefore people whose mental sight was dependent on their physical senses and who nevertheless wished to see God made idols for themselves out of gold, silver, stone, and wood. They intended to adore God in those forms as objects of sight. Others with the same desires but with religious principles that forbade idols pictured the sun and moon, the stars, and various things on earth as images of God. Those who believed themselves to be wiser than most but who remained earthly were led by the immensity and omnipresence God displayed in creating the world to acknowledge nature as God, in some cases in its innermost, in others in its outermost aspects. And some who wished to see God as separate from nature thought up some thing that was as all-encompassing as possible and that they called the Entity of All; but because they know nothing more of God than this, this "Entity of All" turns out to be an entity of their minds alone, utterly without any real meaning.
[3] As anyone can see, concepts of God are mirrors of God, and people who know nothing about God do not see God in a mirror facing their eyes, but in a mirror that is facing the wrong way, the back of which is covered with quicksilver or some black, sticky substance that absorbs rather than reflects the light.
Faith in God enters us on a pathway that comes down from above, from the soul into the higher reaches of the intellect. Concepts of God enter us on a pathway that comes up from below, because the intellect takes them in from the revealed Word through our bodily senses. In mid-intellect the different inflows come together. There an earthly faith, which is mere belief, becomes a spiritual faith, which is actual acknowledgment. The human intellect, then, is a kind of trading floor on which exchanges occur.
11. (iv) THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY NATIONS AND PEOPLES HAVE FORMED VARYING IDEAS OF THE NATURE OF THAT ONE GOD, AND CONTINUE TO DO SO.
The first reason is that knowledge about God, and consequently acknowledgment of God, is impossible without revelation, and that knowledge about the Lord and consequently the acknowledgment that 'in Him all the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily' can only come from the Word, which is the crown of revelations. Because revelation has been granted, a person is able to go to meet God and be acted upon by Him, and so from being natural become spiritual. The revelation of early ages spread throughout the world, and was perverted by natural men in many ways. This is the origin of the divisions, dissensions, heresies and schisms which have affected religions.
The second reason is that a natural man cannot form and apply to himself any perception of God, but only of the world. This is why it is one of the principles of the Christian Church that the natural man is opposed to the spiritual and they fight each other. This too is why those who have learned the existence of God from the Word [or] another revelation have differed and still do concerning the nature of God and His oneness.
[2] For this reason those whose mental vision has been dependent upon the bodily senses, and have none the less wished to see God, have made for themselves images of gold, silver, stone and wood, so that in these forms as visible objects they could worship God. This is why also others whose religion led them to reject such images, made themselves images of God out of the sun, the moon and the stars and various terrestrial objects. But those who thought their intelligence above the common herd, yet remained natural men, were led by the immensity of God and His omnipresence in creating the world to acknowledge nature as God, in some cases in its inmost, in others in its outermost forms. Some, in order to maintain a distinction between God and nature, thought up some extremely universal principle, which they called 'the Being of the Universe'; and because they know nothing more about God, this Being becomes for them a mere concept, which is meaningless.
[3] Is there anyone who cannot grasp that things known about God are mirrors held up to God? Those who know nothing of God see Him not in a mirror held up to their eyes, but in a mirror turned back to front, which is covered with quicksilver or a black composition that does not reflect an image but blots it out. Belief in God comes into man by the front door, that is, from the soul into the higher regions of the understanding. But knowledge about God comes in by the back door, because it is absorbed by the understanding from the revelation of the Word by means of the bodily senses. The two paths leading in meet in the midst of the understanding; there, natural belief, which is merely a strongly held opinion, becomes spiritual, that is to say, a real acknowledgment. So the human understanding is like an exchange where currencies are changed.
11. (4) Respecting what the one God is, nations and peoples have differed and still differ, from many causes. The first cause is that knowledge and consequent acknowledgment of God are not possible without revelation; nor are a knowledge of the Lord, and a consequent acknowledgment that "in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" possible except from the Word, which is the crown of revelations; for it is by the revelation given to man that he is able to approach God and to receive influx, and thereby from being natural to become spiritual. The primeval revelation extended throughout the world; but it was perverted by the natural man in many ways, which was the origin of religious disputes, dissensions, heresies, and schisms. The second cause is that the natural man is not capable of any perception of God, but only of the world and adapting this to himself. Consequently it is among the canons of the Christian Church that the natural man is opposed to the spiritual, and that they contend against each other. This explains why those who have learned from the Word or other revelation that there is a God have differed and still differ respecting the nature and the unity of God.
[2] For this reason those whose mental sight depended on the bodily senses, but who nevertheless had a desire to see God, formed for themselves images of gold, silver, stone, and wood, under which as visible objects they might worship God; while others who discarded idols from their religion found for themselves representations of God in the sun and moon, in the stars, and in various objects on the earth. But those who thought themselves wiser than the common people, and yet remained natural, from the immensity and omnipresence of God in creating the world acknowledged nature as God, some of them nature in its inmosts, some in its outmosts; while others, that they might separate God from nature, conceived an idea of something most universal, which they called the Being of the universe [Ens universi]; and because such have no further knowledge of God this Being becomes to them mere rational abstraction [ens rationis] which has no meaning.
[3] Everyone can see that a man's knowledge of God is his mirror of God, and that those who know nothing about God do not see God in a mirror with its face toward them, but in a mirror with its back toward them; and as this is covered with quicksilver, or some dark paste, it does not reflect the image but extinguishes it. Faith in God enters into man through a prior way, which is from the soul into the higher parts of the understanding; while knowledges about God enter through a posterior way, because they are drawn from the revealed Word by the understanding, through the bodily senses; and these inflowings meet midway in the understanding; and there natural faith, which is merely persuasion, becomes spiritual, which is real acknowledgment. Thus the human understanding is like a refining vessel, in which this transmutation is effected.
11. (4) AS TO THE NATURE OF THIS ONE GOD, NATIONS AND PEOPLES HAVE DIFFERED AND STILL DIFFER, FROM SEVERAL CAUSES.
The first cause is that a rational conception of God, and a consequent acknowledgment of Him, are not attainable without revelation. Such a conception, with the consequent acknowledgment that "in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," is not attainable, except from the Word, which is the crown of revelations. For by the revelation there given man can approach God and receive influx from Him, and thereby, from being natural can become spiritual. In the earliest ages of the world revelation existed everywhere, but natural men perverted it in many ways, with the result that there arose disputes, dissensions, heresies and schisms in religion.
The second cause is that the natural man cannot perceive and apply to himself the things of God, but only the things of the world. It is therefore one of the doctrines of the Christian Church that the natural man is opposed to the spiritual, and that they war against each other. Hence it is that those who have learned from the Word, or other revelation, that there is a God, have differed and still differ, concerning His nature and unity.
[2] Those whose mental vision depended upon the senses of the body, but who still wished to see God, made for themselves images of gold, silver, stone and wood, in order that under the guise of visible objects they might worship God. Others, rejecting this form of worship, formed their idea of God from the sun, moon and stars and other objects of nature. Others, again, who thought themselves wiser than the common people, but who yet remained natural, from the immensity of God and His omnipresence in creating the world, acknowledged nature as God, some recognizing Him in her inner operation and some in her outer manifestations. Some, on the other hand, in order to distinguish between God and nature, formed a conception of something most universal, which they termed the Being (Ens) of the universe. As, however, they know nothing more of God, this Being is merely a creature of their own reason, and has no meaning at all.
[3] Conceptions of God are like mirrors in which He may be seen. Those who know nothing of God look for Him, as it were, on the back of a mirror; but this, being covered with quicksilver or some black preparation, does not reflect any image. Faith in God enters into a man by an inner way, from the soul into the higher parts of the understanding. Knowledge concerning God, from which are formed conceptions of Him, enters by an outer way, because it is derived from the revealed Word by the understanding through the senses of the body. Both these forms of influx meet midway in the understanding. There natural faith, which is merely persuasion, becomes spiritual faith, which is real acknowledgment: the human understanding therefore, is, as it were, a place of exchange, or a refining vessel, in which the change takes place.
11. IV. QUOD QUALIS ILLE DEUS UNUS EST, GENTES ET POPULI ABIVERINT ET ABEANT IN DIVERSUM, EX PLURIBUS CAUSIS. Causa prima est, quod cognitio de Deo, et inde agnitio Dei, non dabilis sit absque Revelatione, et non cognitio de Domino et inde agnitio, quod in Ipso omnis plenitudo Divinitatis habitet corporaliter, quam ex Verbo, quod est Revelationum Corona; nam homo ex data Revelatione potest obviam ire Deo, et influxum recipere, et sic a naturali fieri spiritualis: et primaeva Revelatio pervagata est universum Orbem, et illam naturalis homo perverterat multis modis, unde divaricationes, dissensus, haereses, et schismata religionum. Secunda causa est, quod Naturalis homo non possit percipere aliquid de Deo, sed solum de Mundo, et hoc applicare ad se, quare inter canones Ecclesiae Christianae est, quod Naturalis homo sit contra Spiritualem, et quod pugnent inter se; inde est, quod illi, qui ex Verbo [aut] ex alia Revelatione 1 cognoverunt quod Deus sit, abiverint et abeant in diversum de Qualitate Dei, et de Unitate Ipsius.
[2] Quapropter illi, quorum mentis visus pependit a sensibus corporis, et tamen voluerunt videre Deum, formaverunt sibi Simulacra ex auro, argento, lapide et ligno, ut sub illis, ut visus objectis, adorarent Deum: et alii, 2 qui simulacra ex religione rejecerunt, sibi de Deo finxerunt 3 Imagines ex Sole et Luna, ex Astris, et ex variis super terra: at illi, qui crediderunt se supra vulgus sapere, et tamen naturales permanserunt, ex Dei immensitate et omnipraesentia in creando Mundum, Naturam, quidam illam in intimis, et quidam illam in ultimis, pro Deo agnoverunt: et quidam ut separarent Deum a natura, excogitaverunt quoddam universalissimum, quod vocaverunt Ens universi; et quia nihil plus de Deo sciunt, fit 4 hoc Ens apud illos ens rationis, quod significat non aliquid.
[3] Quis non comprehendere potest, quod cognitiones de Deo sint specula Dei, et quod illi, qui nihil sciunt de Deo, non videant Deum in aliquo speculo oculis obverso, sed in speculo inverso seu a tergo, quod argentum vivum aut nigrum gluten obtegit, ac imaginem non reflectit, sed suffocat. Fides Dei intrat in hominem per Viam priorem, quae est ab anima in superiora intellectus; at cognitiones de Deo intrant per Viam posteriorem, quia ex revelato Verbo ab Intellectu per sensus corporis hauriuntur, et in medio Intellectu fit conventus influxuum, et ibi naturalis fides, quae modo est persuasio, fit spiritualis, quae est ipsa agnitio; quare Intellectus humanus est sicut cambium, in quo fit permutatio.
Footnotes:
1. ex Verbo [aut] ex alia Revelatione ubi in prima editione ex Verbo ex alia Revelatione; (sic Worcester et Rose.).
2. et alii ubi in prima editione et quod alii; cf. Worcester: et [inde est] quod alii.
3. Prima editio: finxerint.
4. Prima editio: flt.