In contemporary philosophical and theological discourse, an interesting trend toward reinterpreting the notion of omniscience can be observed.

Divine Expression through Language: Rethinking Omniscience

In contemporary philosophical and theological discourse, an interesting trend toward reinterpreting the notion of omniscience can be observed. Instead of the traditional understanding of God as possessing boundless knowledge, the emphasis is placed on the idea that His essence manifests itself through specific cultural and linguistic contexts. This approach asserts that divine revelation occurs through a chosen language, which becomes a unique channel for conveying His will and essence.

Building on this perspective, it appears that God’s knowledge is not all-encompassing in itself but rather depends on the language in which He chooses to reveal Himself to humanity. For example, if revelation is given in Arabic, it is precisely through this cultural-linguistic filter that the understanding of omniscience is formed. This method allows the tradition to assert that the limitations inherent in the knowledge of a particular language do not diminish divine power; instead, they highlight the intentionality and multifaceted nature of His revelation.

At the heart of this idea is the notion that the names and terms by which God is revealed play a crucial role in shaping religious consciousness. This demonstrates how the divine essence appears in a form that is comprehensible to a specific community, emphasizing cultural and linguistic particularities. Such an approach not only deepens theological understanding but also unveils the connection between the divine and human experience, whereby each revelation acquires its unique hue depending on the chosen means of expression.

In summary, the idea that God’s knowledge coincides with the language of His revelation does not negate His omniscience but rather underscores a unique mode of manifestation directed toward a specific cultural community. This perspective not only preserves the dynamism and relevance of traditional beliefs but also stimulates further reflection on how universal truths can assume different forms depending on historical and cultural contexts.

Why do some believe that God might not know the Russian language, being limited only to Arabic, and what does this imply about the understanding of omniscience in this tradition?

Some proponents of this tradition interpret God's omniscience not as automatic and limitless knowledge of all things, but as the revealing of His essence through a particular cultural and linguistic context. Thus, the notion that God might be “limited” to knowing only Arabic reflects the idea that divine revelation occurs via a specific language chosen to convey His will and essence. Consequently, there emerges the thought that God's knowledge aligns with the language in which He announces Himself to humanity—meaning that if revelation is given in Arabic, the concept of omniscience is understood through that cultural-linguistic filter.

This understanding is well illustrated in one source, which states:
"Thus, to Moses the Creator said: 'I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with the name 'El Shaddai' (God Almighty); but with my name 'Lord' (Yahweh) I did not appear to them" (Exodus 6:3) (source: link txt).

This quotation indicates that the manifestation of divine essence and the knowledge of God are transmitted through names and terms that are familiar to a specific tradition. If, in a certain context, it is acknowledged that God ‘knows’ only Arabic, it implies that the concept of omniscience is interpreted through the prism of His revelation via that particular language. Thus, the limitation to the knowledge of one language (for example, Russian) is not viewed as a deficiency in omniscience, but rather as a characteristic of the way in which God selectively reveals Himself to people within specific cultural and linguistic traditions.

Supporting citation(s):
"Thus, to Moses the Creator said: 'I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with the name 'El Shaddai' (God Almighty); but with my name 'Lord' (Yahweh) I did not appear to them" (source: link txt).

"The term 'Elohim' was also used among the pagans, for it is also the name of the Most High, the Creator and Lord of all the earth..." (source: link txt).

These excerpts demonstrate how, in this tradition, the emphasis is placed on the mode of God's revelation through specific linguistic forms, which in turn explains the view of His 'limited' linguistic knowledge.