Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 1 · Section 3 · Subsection 59
Quest. 59. v. 21. How the Gentiles are said to hauehave knowne God, and yet glorified him not as God.
1. Some thinke that in Scripture, that ignorance, which is caused by a mans owne fault when he may hauehave knowledge, if he will himselfe, it is called by the name of science and knowledge in Scripture, as Ioh. 7.28. Christ saith to the Iewes, ye both know me and whence I am: because they might hauehave knowne if they would: Iustin. resp. 140. ad 44. Gentium: so also Photius and Sedulius. But this is not the Apostles meaning here: for he saith not, when they might hauehave knowne God, but when they knewe God, they therefore had some knowledge of him.
2. Some thinke that they had the true knowledge of God, but they against this knowledge malitiously, and against their owne conscience, worshipped other gods: so Ambrose, Anselm. But 1. it cannot be shewed, that any of the Philosophers, no not they which come nearest vntounto the truth, had the true knowledge of God, for euen Socrates, Plato, Seneca, allowed the worship of the heathen gods, and practised it, as is before shewed, qu. 57. and if any of them thought, that the images were no gods, yet those which they worshipped, were either deuils or Angels, as Athanas. sheweth, orat. cont. idol. 2. the Apostle here saith that they became vaine in their imaginations, which sheweth, that they were without the true knowledge of God: Anselm answereth, that they had once the true knowledge of God and afterward lost it: But the Apostle saith otherwise, that they did withhold the truth in vnrighteousnesse, v. 18. they lost not that knowledge of the truth which they had, but suppressed it and kept it vnderunder, with their vaine imaginations.
3. Origen seemeth to thinke, that they were vtterly voide of all true knowledge of God, dum formas & imagines requirunt in Des, in semetipsis imaginem Dei perdiderunt, while they imagined formes and images to be in God, they lost in themselues the image of God: for there were some Philosophers which held God to be a spirit without any forme or image.
4. Some, whereas it is said, Ioh. 1. the world knewe him not, and yet here the Apostle saith, when they knewe God, &c. giuegive this solution, that the world knewe, the onelyonly God, but not the Sonne, Gorrham. But the Apostle speaketh here onelyonly of such knowledge of God, as naturally may be attained vntounto: but the knowledge of the Trinitie exceedeth the strength of nature.
5. Wherefore, the Apostle is thus to be vnderstood, that they knewe the true God in part, but not perfectly: they held some truths concerning the diuine nature, but they mingled many vntruthes and falsities therewith: they acknowledged a God, but they either denied his prouidence, and power, or they communicated the duine honour vntounto others which were not gods: and thus they knewe him, and yet knew him not: In this sense Christ said to his Apostles, Ioh. 14.4. Whether I goe, ye knowe, and the way ye knowe, and yet Thomas saith immediately, Lord, we knowe not whether thou goest, how then can we knowe the way? So they knewe Christ, because they sawe him, and he was among them: but yet they knewe him not perfectly, his power they as yet did not fully vnderstand: So the Gentiles knew God in some sort, but such an one as he was, they did not knowe.
Augustine to this purpose giueth instance in one of their chiefe Philosophers, Hermes Trismigestus, how he confesseth many things of the true God the maker of the world: tamen obscuritate cordis ad ista delabitur, &c, yet by the darkenesse of his heart he falleth to say, that he would hauehave men subiect vntounto those gods, which are made by men: Beda ex Augustin. so they kept the truth as the same Augustin. saith, in doctrina multis falsitatibus permixta, in doctrine mingled with many falshoods.
And though some among the heathen did hold certaine true principles of God, yet there were others more grosse and foolish, and were vtterly ignorant of the diuine nature: taking the fire, wind, starres, and such like to be gouernours of the world: as it is in the booke of wisdome, c. 13.1, 2. see before of this matter, quest. 52.