(Un)knowable Essence focuses on the epistemological debate on the object of the beatific vision in its doctrinal and historical context. This subject appeared to have been settled since the issuance of the bull Benedictus Deus (1336) by Pope Benedict XII. In the bull, it was established that the blessed “see the divine essence immediately, plainly, clearly, and openly, and in this vision, they enjoy the divine essence”. It also prohibited anyone from asserting, preaching, teaching, or defending contrary to this definition.
In the reflection on the object of the beatific vision, two main perspectives can be observed: the Latin perspective, heavily influenced by Augustine, which affirms the eschatological knowledge of the essence of God, and the perspective of the Greek Fathers, which emphasizes the impossibility of knowing the essence of God, even in patria.
(Un)knowable Essence argues that the debate on the Beatific Vision saw a resurgence in the sixteenth century for two primary reasons. First, scholars in the Latin West revisited the ancient Greek patristic tradition, focusing on figures such as Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Theodoret of Cyrus, and John Damascene. Second, new ideas from what Gabriel Vazquez designates as the “recent Greeks” (recentes Graeci)—who were aligned with the metaphysical views of Gregory Palamas—began to circulate, thereby rekindling interest in the topic.
Throughout the entire Scholastic period, the opposition between the Latin and Greek perspectives was “peacefully” acknowledged. Latin theologians made efforts to explain the passages where the beatific vision seemed to be in question in a positive manner. They relied on the distinction between “simple knowledge” and “full knowledge,” or “clear vision” and “comprehension”.
However, in the sixteenth century, the Spanish Jesuit Gabriel Vazquez (+1604) openly accused the Greek Fathers of heresy due to their denial of the vision of the essence of God. This immediately sparked a number of replies and commentaries by other important scholastics of the time, both within and outside the Society of Jesus.
(Un)knowable Essence explores the development of this debate within the global context of Spain, France, and the Low Countries until the 1650s when “positive” theologians such as Denis Pétau and Louis Thomassin presented these arguments to a broader audience. This constitutes the immediate background of Nicolas Malebranche’s famous doctrine of the “vision in God”.
(Un)knowable Essence thoroughly analyzes the metaphysical, epistemological, and anthropological theories of the soul and mind that emerged from the debate on the vision of God, considering the reaction to the Greek tradition.
The project is being implemented at the Institut supérieur de philosophie (ISP) of the Université Catholique de Louvain and has been awarded an FSR Fellowship.
* Image: MS. Yates Thompson MS 36, fol. 179r. Courtesy of the British Library Board
De visione beatifica 