The Hiddenness of Divinity

The terms 'divinity' and 'the divine' often imply or refer to gods or deities, but in certain cultural contexts it can mean something different. Below, I offer a quote or two reflective of this fact, and then quotes regarding hiddenness.

From the Wikipedia entry on the divine: "In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a single deity or abstract ideal but was recognized in multiple forms: as a radiant attribute possessed by gods, as a vital force cushioning nature, and even as a quality glimpsed in extraordinary humans, laws, or acts."

The Iblisic narrative is sufficiently flexible in utility and interpretation that it can be read as emblematic or symbolic of our relationship to any one of these possible notions of the divine. Below, however, are a few quotes about its theological context: How and in what sense the divine seems concealed.

"Vere tu es Deus absconditus."

"Truly, you are the hidden God."

- From the Nova Vulgata text of the Catholic Church

کنت کنزاً مخفیاً فأحببت أن أعرف فخلقت الخلق لکی أعرف 

"I was a hidden treasure; I loved to be known. Hence I created the world so that I would be known."

- The Hadith of the Hidden Treasure [a hadith qudsi]

"The words of Scripture suffice; in the face of mystery, I’m content to stay silent."

- The Ballad of Midnight and McRae

This page is a project in progress. I will continue to include quotes.