John Ruysbroeck, in The Little Book of Enlightenment by Bernard McGinn in The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism
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The love of God is not only to be considered as flowing out with all good and drawing in into unity, but it is also above all distinction in essential enjoyment according to the bare essence of the Divinity. And for this reason enlightened people have found within themselves an essential inward gazing above reason and without reason, and an enjoyable inclination surpassing all modes (methods or systems) and all essence, sinking away from themselves into a modeless abyss of fathomless beatitude, where the Trinity of the divine Persons possess their nature in essential unity.

— John Ruysbroeck on Essence

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The love of God is not only to be considered as flowing out with all good and drawing in into unity, but it is also above all distinction in essential enjoyment according to the bare essence of the Divinity. And for this reason enlightened people have found within themselves an essential inward gazing above reason and without reason, and an enjoyable inclination surpassing all modes (methods or systems) and all essence, sinking away from themselves into a modeless abyss of fathomless beatitude, where the Trinity of the divine Persons possess their nature in essential unity." in the context of "John Ruysbroeck, in The Little Book of Enlightenment by Bernard McGinn in The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Essence" (R) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
John Ruysbroeck

About John Ruysbroeck

The Blessed John of Ruysbroeck (1293 or 1294 – 2 December 1381), "the Admirable" also known as John Ruusbroec, Jan van Ruusbroec or Jan van Ruysbroeck, was one of the Flemish mystics of the medieval Catholic Church.