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Questions & Answers

Darkness

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Spiritual Life › Darkness

The question

St. Gregory of Nyssa interprets darkness as part of the hidden aspects of God’s nature that are not revealed to us. "...while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was" (Exodus 20:21). Usually darkness signifies sin, evil, and Satan. What is your opinion on that?

The answer

God as being surrounded with darkness is mentioned several times in the Holy Bible. "He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies" (Psalm 18:11).

"Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne"(Psalm 97:2).

In each of these verses darkness refers to the impenetrable obscurity around God that cannot be comprehended by the feeble, limited cognitive power of man. God cannot be completely understood by those whom He has created.

On the other hand, in other verses, it is acceptable to take the word dark as denoting sin and the absence of God’s light, based on the context. There is nothing wrong with that. After all, in English as in all the languages in the world, a word can have more than one meaning.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 468 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.