Does God know himself perfectly, as well as everything he can do?

Good morning, dear Father Angelo Bellon,

My name is Biagio. For a few years now, thank God, I have been drawn to the Catholic faith, and in my free time, I like to self-study a bit of theology from Catholic websites I find online. For a few months, I’ve been following your wonderful theology website, Dominican Friends, where, thanks to you, dear Father Angelo Bellon, I’ve learned truly enlightening things through the column “A Priest Answers,” which is a true blessing from the Lord.

Father Angelo, this is my question: we know that God is infinite and his greatness is infinite, so I was wondering: does God have total self-knowledge? Does he fully know everything he is and can do?

Does God know within himself all of his infinite and total divinity?

I apologize in advance if my questions may seem difficult to answer, since God is transcendent and superior to our knowledge of him, but I would like to know at least what the Church and theologians think on this topic.

Thank you and I wish you a good and peaceful day.

Priest’s Response

Dear Biagio,

1. Your question isn’t difficult to answer if we keep in mind that God lacks nothing.

He isn’t in a state of becoming, as we are, projected toward so many things we don’t yet know and possess.

As the ancient Aristotle said, God is pure act. God not only knows himself perfectly, but is knowledge. And He is a knowledge that lacks nothing.

2. Here is what St. Thomas, the prince of theologians, says on this subject: “Since therefore God has nothing in Him of potentiality, but is pure act, His intellect and its object are altogether the same; so that He neither is without the intelligible species, as is the case with our intellect when it understands potentially; nor does the intelligible species differ from the substance of the divine intellect, as it differs in our intellect when it understands actually; but the intelligible species itself is the divine intellect itself, and thus God understands Himself through Himself” (Summa Theologiae, I, 14, 2).

3. St. Thomas adds: ” God perfectly comprehends Himself, as can be thus proved. A thing is said to be comprehended when the end of the knowledge of it is attained, and this is accomplished when it is known as perfectly as it is knowable.  (…).

Now it is manifest that God knows Himself as perfectly as He is perfectly knowable. For everything is knowable according to the mode of its own actuality (…). Whence it is manifest that He knows Himself as much as He is knowable; and for that reason He perfectly comprehends Himself” (Ibid., I, 14, 3).

4. God knows all things and everything he can do without first thinking of this and then that. He knows them all at once because he is the actual knowledge of everything knowable.

He knows not only everything his creatures do, but also what they could do but never will because they have made different choices. Theologians call these realities “the futurity.”

Thus, God actually knows not only all that is future but also all that is futurity.

And He knows without variation, because what St. James says: “with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.” (James 1:17) also applies to His knowledge.

5. Moving forward with regard to the knowledge of God, we can say that while God knows Himself, He generates Himself. Therefore, the concept God has of Himself is as great as God is great.

This concept or conception is the Son.

So the Son is the knowledge of God, the Wisdom of God. He is as great as God is great, as immense as God is immense.

While I rejoice in your desire to know the One who created you and the One toward whom you are directed, I wish you to know and love Him ever more.

For this I bless you and remember you in prayer.

Father Angelo

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