The Vision of God

The Vision of God by Nicholas of Cusa is one of the foundational texts of late medieval Christian mysticism. Known for his negative theology, particularly as displayed in the seminal work De Docta Ignorantia (Of Learned Ignorance), Nicholas shows how accepting the limits of man's rational understanding leads to a fuller experience of the divine. Man, he believed, is capable of comprehending God's inner being, an experience he characterized as a "coincidence of opposites." Unlike his previous works, though, in The Vision of God Nicholas spends little time on a direct discussion of theology or philosophy and instead focuses directly on experience of the divine. Despite growing interest in his life and works, Nicholas of Cusa is often overlooked in discussions of Christian mysticism, yet The Vision of God shows him as a true mystic, theologian, and teacher. It is nearly impossible to read any portion of this book and not yearn for a glimpse of Cusa's vision.