The knowledge of God emerges as an astonishing combination of an analytical approach and profoundly personal experience, where intellectual inquiry provides the foundation for meeting the Divine, and the spirit and heart infuse this process with vibrant energy and true transformation.

The Harmonious Quest for Divine Encounter

The knowledge of God emerges as an astonishing combination of an analytical approach and profoundly personal experience, where intellectual inquiry provides the foundation for meeting the Divine, and the spirit and heart infuse this process with vibrant energy and true transformation. The beginning of this path is founded on a person’s ability to analyze the surrounding world, comparing facts and recognizing in nature’s design an inherent wisdom that raises questions about order, harmony, and the intentionality of creation. It is this rational approach that prepares the mind for a subtler perception of higher truths.

As one delves deeper into the path of knowledge, the emphasis shifts: the heart and emotions become the conduits for direct communication with the Divine. At the stage when love and personal experience begin to play a leading role, dry intellectual knowledge transforms into a lively, emotionally charged, and transformative reality. It is this personal experience, based on intimate relationship and sensory union, that offers the opportunity to comprehend God in all His depth. In this way, reason and feeling do not compete with each other – they perfectly complement, turning the traditional quest for truth into a dynamic, multifaceted journey.

In conclusion, true knowledge of God is impossible without the harmonious unification of rational analysis and sensory experience. This approach fully reveals the essence of the Divine: first through contemplation and mental preparation, and then through an experience that fills life with meaning and energy. The genuine path to the Divine is open to anyone ready to seek, analyze, and feel simultaneously, allowing the mind and heart to walk hand in hand.

How do traditional pursuits of knowledge about God relate to the personal experience of direct communion with the Divine?

Traditional pursuits of knowledge about God and the personal experience of direct communion with the Divine in the presented sources do not contradict each other; on the contrary, they represent two complementary aspects of the journey toward the Divine. On one hand, intellectual, rational knowledge of God begins with “comparing facts” and systematic contemplation of the surrounding world. For example, one excerpt states:
"At every level of scientific education, our mind is capable of comparing known facts, which perhaps normally go unnoticed. This allows one to ask oneself: why is nature… arranged so intelligently, so thoughtfully, almost deliberately for the support of life and for the benefit of man? … From the accumulation of sensory data, he looked directly to God. This is the first, the lowest level of theodicy. How wonderful it is to at least reach that stage! …" (source: link txt)

Thus, the traditional quest for knowledge begins with an analytical perception of reality, which prepares the mind for an encounter with the Divine. However, as this path deepens, intellectual efforts move into the realm of the heart and spirit. Another source outlines three conditional stages of knowing God: "God begins to be known predominantly by the mind, and faith is born in man. The heart also takes part in the knowledge of God…, and then love for God ignites into a flame and becomes the leading principle of life; only then does the soul truly partake in (the knowledge of God) divine communion" (source: link txt). Here it is clear that after rational contemplation comes a stage of personal experience, in which a sensory and emotional union with the Divine becomes decisive.

Moreover, several quotations emphasize that the very nature of Divinity cannot be fully grasped without the participation of personal relation, which goes beyond detached intellectual knowledge. In one excerpt it is noted:
"If we now turn to this relationship, we easily discover that… one can experientially possess the Divinity independent of its relation to me. … This relationship is not only the only path by which I can reach the Divinity, draw near to it, …" (source: link txt)

Thus, the personal experience of direct communion with the Divine is seen as an indispensable part of knowing God, without which intellectual knowledge would be incomplete. The study and pursuit in the realm of the mind prepare a person for the profound personal encounter with the Divine, and the experience itself, embodied through feeling, love, and transformational life change, gives this knowledge its vitality and authenticity.

Supporting citation(s):
"At every level of scientific education, our mind is capable of comparing known facts… From the accumulation of sensory data, he looked directly to God. This is the first, the lowest level of theodicy. …" (source: link txt)

"For both there are several paths and many (more precisely, an infinite number of) levels of knowledge and resemblance. Let us conditionally divide this knowledge into three parts. 1. God begins to be known predominantly by the mind, and faith is born in man. 2. In the knowledge of God, the human heart also participates. … 3. Finally, love for God ignites into a flame and becomes the leading principle of life; only then does the soul truly partake in (the knowledge of God) divine communion. Let us start with knowing God by the mind." (source: link txt)

"If we now turn to this relationship, we easily discover that… one can experientially possess the Divinity independent of its relation to me. …" (source: link txt)