The Holy Fathers reckoned that the pagan world was not excluded by the design of God from the circle of divine care. Although not having supernatural Revelation, the pagan world was not deprived of *natural revelation*. With the correct use of the natural abilities of his spirit, man can have definite knowledge of God, of the world, and of himself. In addition, having an innate idea of God in his mind and an inborn knowledge of the Divine Will in his conscience, man was capable of realizing the limits of his knowledge and, by a spiritual renunciation, was capable of looking for aid from above. However, paganism did not utilize all the possibilities of *natural religious development*. Pagan religion could have been considerably higher and purer than it was in fact.

Therefore, the Apostle Paul regards as answerable before the countenance of divine truth not only the Hebrews, who had the law given through supernatural revelation, but also the pagans, who, while not having the same revelation, were not left without *natural means of knowing God*.

Revelation was accomplished gradually. The Lord did not reveal Himself and His will at once. In the beginning, through miraculous and wonderful phenomena of nature and its laws, He gave the so-called *natural revelation*. Then He gave the supernatural revelation by means of spiritual prophets and through miraculous events in man's history, and, finally, He gave the full Revelation of good tidings in the Son, the God-Man, Christ.