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Unbelief Comes from Pride: St. Silouan the Athonite on Knowing God
The post quotes St. Silouan the Athonite on the origin of unbelief and the way God is known. According to the quote, unbelief comes from pride. The proud person claims he will know everything through his mind and through science, but the knowledge of God remains unreachable for him, because God is known only through the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord reveals Himself to humble souls. To them He shows His works, which are incomprehensible to our mind. With our natural mind we can know only earthly things, and even these partially, while God and all heavenly things are known through the Holy Spirit. The post presents this teaching as a single short passage attributed to the saint, without further commentary or discussion.
It sets pride against humility, and natural human knowledge against knowledge given by the Holy Spirit, and names humility as the condition in which God reveals Himself.
Main points
- St. Silouan the Athonite teaches that unbelief comes from pride.
- The proud person claims he will know everything by his mind and by science, but the knowledge of God stays unreachable for him.
- God is known only through the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
- The Lord reveals Himself to humble souls and shows them His works, which the mind cannot grasp.
- The natural mind knows only earthly things, and partially, while God and all heavenly things are known through the Holy Spirit.