But then, will God, having absolute knowledge, have a knowledge of human
things?

Why not?

Because, Socrates, said Parmenides, we have admitted that the ideas are not
valid in relation to human things; nor human things in relation to them;
the relations of either are limited to their respective spheres.

Yes, that has been admitted.

And if God has this perfect authority, and perfect knowledge, his authority
cannot rule us, nor his knowledge know us, or any human thing; just as our
authority does not extend to the gods, nor our knowledge know anything
which is divine, so by parity of reason they, being gods, are not our
masters, neither do they know the things of men.

Yet, surely, said Socrates, to deprive God of knowledge is monstrous.

These, Socrates, said Parmenides, are a few, and only a few of the
difficulties in which we are involved if ideas really are and we determine
each one of them to be an absolute unity. He who hears what may be said
against them will deny the very existence of them--and even if they do
exist, he will say that they must of necessity be unknown to man; and he
will seem to have reason on his side, and as we were remarking just now,
will be very difficult to convince; a man must be gifted with very
considerable ability before he can learn that everything has a class and an
absolute essence; and still more remarkable will he be who discovers all
these things for himself, and having thoroughly investigated them is able