ion to
material things.

Reply Obj. 3: The human soul understands itself through its own act
of understanding, which is proper to it, showing perfectly its power
and nature. But the power and nature of immaterial substances cannot
be perfectly known through such act, nor through any other material
thing, because there is no proportion between the latter and the
power of the former.

Reply Obj. 4: Created immaterial substances are not in the same
natural genus as material substances, for they do not agree in power
or in matter; but they belong to the same logical genus, because even
immaterial substances are in the predicament of substance, as their
essence is distinct from their existence. But God has no connection
with material things, as regards either natural genus or logical
genus; because God is in no genus, as stated above (Q. 3, A. 5).
Hence through the likeness derived from material things we can know
something positive concerning the angels, according to some common
notion, though not according to the specific nature; whereas we
cannot acquire any such knowledge at all about God.
_______________________

THIRD ARTICLE [I, Q. 88, Art. 3]

Whether God Is the First Object Known by the Human Mind?

Objection 1: It would seem that God is the first object known by the
human mind. For that object in which all others are known, and by
which we judge others, is the first thing known to us; as light is to
the eye, and first principles to the intellect. But we know all things
in the light of the first truth, and thereby judge of all things, as
Augustine says (De Trin. xii, 2; De Vera Relig. xxxi); [*Confess. xii,
25]. Therefore God is the first object known to us.

Obj. 2: Further, whatever causes a thing to be such is more so. But
God is the cause of all our knowledge; for He is "the true light
which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world" (John 1:9).
Therefore God is our first and most known object.

Obj. 3: Further, what is first known in the image is the exemplar to
which it is made. But in our mind is the image of God, as Augustine
says (De Trin. xii, 4,7). Therefore God is the first object known to
our mind.

_On the contrary,_ "No man hath seen God at any time" (John 1:18).

_I answer that,_ Since the human intellect in the present state of
life cannot understand even immaterial created substances (A. 1),
much less can it understand the essence of the uncreated substance.
Hence it must be s