Course XXXI - Teaching 3: Method

A student of Theology should use the knowledge of several philosophies. He prepares himself to know the Truth, or Theology, by reflecting on philosophies, by reasoning, by discrepancy, and by inter-relating his theses.
While the student performs this work, he uses any mental medium within his reach to approach his intended end.
He is “Viator”, that is, a Wayfarer.
A student that perseveres in his study of philosophies and practices sciences derived from the latter, and investigates natural phenomena taught by sciences, receives –by purity of living, constant application and continuous prayer– the Infuse Light that clears his intuition about the Eternal revealed Verities.
He receives the Infuse Light of the Divine Knowledge, or Theology, and through reflection and concepts learnt from Philosophy, he can humanly know the meaning of different revealed points.
He is “Peregrinus”, that is, a Pilgrim.
But an advanced student knows these fundamental points of Theology, and calls them ecstasy or Divine Union.
During this state, a student also understands non-revealed Divine Verities, but just indirectly and in their potential state; that is, if you can understand a Divine Truth, also potentially you know all the rest of verities, even though you cannot express or take them to the mental field.
He is an IHES.
Any student can reach the state of Pilgrim, but very few are those who reach the state of IHES, which belongs to Initiates or to disciples of Initiates in an almost exclusive way.
Knowledge of Theology about the rational study of several points of the Revelation, and understood by intuition, by Infuse Light, is “Theologia ad”. It is a knowledge resulting from an acquired knowledge, united with a personal experience and expressed with clarity in certain way.
Knowledge of Theology acquired by ecstasy is “Theologia sine quod”, which means knowledge acquired looking at God, face to face, in an intimate way.