CONTRA FATUM

“ Knowing, then, how widely the Divine nature differs from our own, let us quietly remain within our proper limits.” (Gregory NPNF p. 260, GNO, 95)

"But if His essence is prior to His works, and we understand His works by our senses, and express them in words as we are best able, why should we be afraid of calling things by words of later origin than themselves? For if we stay to interpret any of the attributes of God till we understand them, and we understand them only by what His works teach us, and if His power precedes its exercise, and depends on the will of God, while His will resides in the spontaneity of the Divine nature, are we not clearly taught that the words which represent things are of later origin than the things themselves, and that the words which are framed to express the operations of things are reflections of the things themselves?" (CE 2, GNO 150)

"For we explain not what God is but candidly confess that we have not exact knowledge concerning Him. For in what concerns God to confess our ignorance is the best knowledge." ( Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem (c. 335), "Catechetical Homilies, VI §2" , in Schaff, Philip , Nicene and Ante-Nicene Fathers (2nd Series) , VII , Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1994, p. 33)

“That which is infinite is known only to itself. This it is which gives some notion of God, while yet beyond all our conceptions—our very incapacity of fully grasping Him affords us the idea of what He really is. He is presented to our minds in His transcendent greatness, as at once known and unknown.” (Tertullian, Apologeticus, § 17)