Man cannot know the divine truth, that is, he cannot know the essence of God, but only knows the uncreated actions of God, that is, His effects. However, the Church tradition and the Holy Bible speak of specific appearances of God, the most important of which was His appearance to Abraham in the form of three angels. The Church Fathers say that this event is the first appearance of the Holy Trinity in the Old Testament.

ينبغي أن نميّز إذاً بين جوهر الله وبين أفعاله الإلهية. فالإنسان لا يستطيع أن يعرف جوهر الله، إنما بإمكانه أن يعرف أفعاله أو قدراته التي لا تنفصل عن جوهره. ولهذا شبّهها الآباء بشعاع الشمس الذي يعمل خارج نطاقها (الشمس) مع انه غير منفصل عنها