Theophilus answers questions about seeing and knowing God
About this date: The year is an approximate placement for To Autolycus, not a documented date for a face-to-face conversation.
Theophilus responds to a challenge to show his God by discussing perception, moral formation, and the limits of language. His work presents an early Christian explanation of why God is not simply another visible object.
Historical context
The address to Autolycus belongs to the apologetic literature of the later second century. Arguments about divine knowledge intersect with questions about worship, conduct, and the interpretation of creation.
Key points
- Theophilus compares spiritual understanding with the capacities needed for bodily sight and hearing.
- He links the ability to perceive with the condition of the person seeking knowledge.
- His account of divine attributes emphasizes that ordinary descriptions do not exhaust God's nature.
People
- Theophilus of Antioch
- Autolycus, the work's addressee
Sources and further reading
- To Autolycus, Book I
Discusses the eyes of the soul, divine attributes, and the difference between God and visible works.