His conception of an ineffable God is a synthesis of Plato and Philo, as seen from a Biblical perspective. Apophatic theolog y describes “who God is not” – the many ways in which God can be misunderstood – rather than attempting what theology can never accomplish: to capture God’s character in human words. Here’s an answer in song. Ultimately, this leads to silence and the abandonment of all intellectual inquiry, leaving contemplation and unity. Discusses the theology and meaning of the "name", both in creatures and in God, its relationship to divine descent and ascent, the liturgical system, and Passover Night. Apophatic definition: of or relating to the belief that God can only be described by a process of negation Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples. The postmodern revival of interest in apophatic (negative) theology neglects the integrated system of spiritual praxis that undergirds traditional negative theology and therefore has failed to realize its potential to address the postmodern ... Apophatic theology. In Orthodox Christianity, apophatic theology is based on the assumption that God's essence is unknowable or ineffable and on the recognition of the inadequacy of human language to describe God. The apophatic tradition in Orthodoxy is often balanced with cataphatic theology —or positive theology —and belief in the incarnation,... And why is total ignorance a necessary aspect of experiencing God? This was a work that did not see publication in English until 1960. In Christian theology, kenosis (kénōsis, lit. In this book a new and distinctive approach to the science-religion debate emerges from a synthesis of the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition with phenomenological thought. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. In our understanding of God we often rely upon cataphatic notions since these are easier and more accessible to the mind. To enter the divine darkness is to go beyond the confines of being as understood by the intellect. Thus a true theologian is driven even further into humility. Since John summed up a whole theological tradition, this work provides not only an introduction to his theological vision but also to the key themes of Greek patristic thought generally and thereby lays an essential foundation for those who ... The more we read and write books about theology, the more we can become deceived into believing that we have actually grasped theology. no thing, that it is immanent in all things, yet it is transcendent to everything. (Staniloae, The Experience of God, p. 101). C. S. Lewis, in his book Miracles (1947), advocates the use of negative theology when first thinking about God, in order to cleanse our minds of misconceptions. Apophatic theolog y describes “who God is not” – the many ways in which God can be misunderstood – rather than attempting what theology can never accomplish: to capture God’s character in human words. God cannot be thought of as one or the other only. Bila kaif, without knowing how in Arabic, is Islam’s term for “without comparison” to describe Allah. Apophasis (negation) is evident early in the history of the Church’s witness (particularly in the writings of the Cappadocian fathers in … Vladimir Lossky aptly notes that “Apophasis is the inscription in human language, in theological language, of the mystery of faith” (Lossky, Orthodox Theology, pp. Theoria and abstraction is the means to conceive of this ineffable God; it is preceded by dispassion. Henny Fiska Hägg investigates the beginnings of Christian negative (apophatic) theology, focusing on Clement of Alexandria in the late second century. In apophasis, the theologian comes face to face with his own inability to describe what he has seen (God’s energies), as well as with the impossibility of ever experiencing that which he has not seen (God’s essence). Further knowledge must be sought in a direct experience of God or His indestructible energies through theoria (vision of God). The One is the principle of Being, while the Forms are the principle of the essence of beings, and the intelligibility which can recognize them as such. The fourth-century Cappadocian Fathers stated a belief in the existence of God, but an existence unlike that of everything else: everything else that exists was created, but the Creator transcends this existence, is uncreated. Neti, neti, not this, not this in Sanskrit, refers to “unreality of appearances” to define Brahman. It is one of history's paradoxes, that in the East, with this great commitment to apophatic theology by the iconoclasts, that the Orthodox faith triumphed in allowing Our Savior, His Mother, the Apostles and Saints to be depicted graphically. According to Tertullian (c. 155 – c. 240). It is not the case that apophaticism simply means 'negative theology', that God is spoken of by 'what he is not' (God is not sinful, God is not man etc). CHAPTER 4 ORTHODOX THEOLOGY: AN APOPHATIC THEOLOGY INTRODUCTION:As was in the definition of terms given, apophatic theology is a particular style of theology which stressed that God cannot be known in terms of human categories.This style of theology is very important element in Orthodox theology. A purely negative, or "apophatic" theology—the apophasis), not aYrmation (Gr. Da`at is Hebrew for “the secret sphere of knowledge on the cosmic tree.” Gnosis is Greek for the “intuitive apprehension of spiritual truths.” Jnana is Sanskrit for “knowledge of the way” to approach Brahman. It transcends words and positive assertions. It is not by speculative knowledge but in the depths of prayerful silence that the soul can encounter God, Who is 'beyond everything' and Who reveals Himself to her as in-comprehensible, in-accessible, in-visible, yet at the same time as living and close to her - as God the Person. Though some may try to further scientifically or philosophically define this process of transubstantiation, the Orthodox East, more prone to an apophatic Theology, simply states that the transformation is a Mystery that truly takes place in the Liturgy. The apophatic approach to theology essentially starts with the assumption that no one can really know God, who is completely incomprehensible and unknowable to the finite mind. Engraving of Otto van Veen (1660), who negatively describes God as Quod oculus non vidit, nec auris audivit (Vulgate), “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard” (1 Corinthians 2:9). He can only ultimately tell his readers that union with God is like nothing they have ever experienced. ‘The theology of the Reformation shares the apophatic quality of Eastern Orthodox theology.’ ‘He advocates time-honored apophatic prayer, ‘empty, expectant openness’ to God, as he nicely puts it, and does so in a friendly, informal manner that is not scary or elitist or off-putting.’ In the Enneads Plotinus writes: Our thought cannot grasp the One as long as any other image remains active in the soul […] To this end, you must set free your soul from all outward things and turn wholly within yourself, with no more leaning to what lies outside, and lay your mind bare of ideal forms, as before of the objects of sense, and forget even yourself, and so come within sight of that One. While Shankara holds that the transcendent noumenon, Brahman, is realized by the means of negation of every phenomenon including language, Bhartṛhari theorizes that language has both phenomenal and noumenal dimensions, the latter of which manifests Brahman. It is a product of Hellenistic syncretism, which developed due to the crossover between Greek thought and the Jewish scriptures, and also gave birth to Gnosticism. The speculative philosopher has not directly met God, he recognizes his own ignorance, and he attempts to name that which he has never seen. This volume is an introduction to the three great thinkers of the Russian school of modern Orthodox theology. It includes biographical sketches of the three and examines the creative ideas they devised or adapted, including free theocracy. Most mystics worship personal aspects of the divine, but they also speak of what it is not. Proclus was the last head of the Platonic Academy; his student Pseudo-Dinosysius had a far-stretching Neo-Platonic influence on Christianity and Christian mysticism. Early Indian philosophical works which have apophatic themes include the Principal Upanishads (800 BCE to the start of common era) and the Brahma Sutras (from 450 BCE and 200 CE). That is why the world of the mind can be such dangerous territory. Meanwhile, union with God abides in the realm of relationship. This article establishes that common ground for discursive exchange through exploring the apophatic aspects of Kantian transcendental theology… "Apophatic theology characterises the Eastern Orthodox traditions where theology is constructed with less emphasis on cognitive affirmations (though they are not negated), and more on the wonder, awe, ineffability of God. He is presented to our minds in His transcendent greatness, as at once known and unknown. Carabine notes that Plotinus’ apophasis is not just a mental exercise, an acknowledgement of the unknowability of the One, but a means to ecstasis and an ascent to “the unapproachable light that is God.” Pao-Shen Ho, investigating what are Plotinus’ methods for reaching henosis concludes that “Plotinus’ mystical teaching is made up of two practices only, namely philosophy and negative theology.” According to Moore, Plotinus appeals to the “non-discursive, intuitive faculty of the soul,” by “calling for a sort of prayer, an invocation of the deity, that will permit the soul to lift itself up to the unmediated, direct, and intimate contemplation of that which exceeds it (V.1.6).” Pao-Shen Ho further notes that “for Plotinus, mystical experience is irreducible to philosophical arguments.” The argumentation about henosis is preceded by the actual experience of it, and can only be understood when henosis has been attained. Yes and no. In my article, the “chasm” is only meant as an analogy for one way that humans experience the presence of God. Approaching the work of John Meyendorff, Nicholas Afanasiev, John Zizioulas, Georges Florovsky, Sergius Bulgakov, Vladimir Lossky, Nicolas Berdyaev, and Jaroslav Pelikan from an ecumenical standpoint, Mong deftly draws comparisons with the ... The Orthodox tradition tends to favor an “apophatic” style of theology. )”, Salvation in Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Numerous reasons can be given for this, but the future of Orthodox theology as a discipline necessitates greater inclusion of diverse individuals, sources, and ways of conceiving the authorities within theology. Gregory of Nyssa (c.335-c.395), John Chrysostom (c. 349 – 407), and Basil the Great (329-379) emphasized the importance of negative theology to an orthodox understanding of God. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386), in his Catechetical Homilies, states: For we explain not what God is but candidly confess that we have not exact knowledge concerning Him. The silence of the perpetual choir in heaven had mystical connotations, because silence attends the disappearance of plurality during experiences of mystical oneness. Since I live in a Roman Catholic City I decided to ride the momentum and energy of the community; even the burger places have fish specials on Fridays. The road signs may not be as important as Him to which they point, but without the road signs, how do we know where we are going? Negative theology has a place in the Western Christian tradition as well. Nevertheless, Plotinus does urge for a search for the Absolute, turning inward and becoming aware of the “presence of the intellect in the human soul,” initiating an ascent of the soul by abstraction or “taking away,” culminating in a sudden appearance of the One. But once you stand at the opening of the chasm itself, there is no need for road signs. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, writing in his cell in a Nazi prison, expressed a most remarkable idea. "Men go to God in His need. " This is the insight, he observed, which distinguishes the Christian faith from all other religions. Early modern, Protestant and Enlightenment rhetoric against Catholicism and religion more broadly resulted in this phrase being changed to “I believe because it is absurd”, and displaced it from an anti-Marcionite and to a personally religious context. Ma`rifa in Arabic is “knowledge of the inner truth.” Panna in Pali is “direct awareness”; perfect wisdom. Excuse my intrusion , but really few people reach theosis! Ultimately we arrive at the conclusion that we can say nothing about God affirmatively: all discussion about Him remains incomplete, partial and limited. The tune is ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’: All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small. Father Loudovikos, in this masterful interconnected series of studies, moves beyond this dialectic by exploring the very mode of the Church's existence. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 50 AD), who employed Middle Platonic philosophy in his interpretation of the Hebrew scriptures, and asserted a strong influence on early Christianity. The present text attempts to demonstrate that apophaticism, understood as an experience of the mysterious presence of God, is one of the crucial dimensions of the Orthodox liturgy; and that this apophatic presence of God reveals a way of thinking which does not become onto-theology, not even when using concepts borrowed from metaphysics. Can we know God? What is the relation of creation to the Creator? How did man fall, and how is he saved? Lossky demonstrates the close relationship between the Orthodox doctrine of the Trinity and the Orthodox understanding of man. It is an attempt to express knowledge of God in the negative, by affirming what He is not rather than what He is. The reason for this is the early church fathers were heavily influenced by Philo. Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903-1994) was a prominent modern exponent of Jewish negative theology. Drawing together leading Orthodox scientists, theologians, and historians confronting some of the critical issues and uses of modern science, this book will be useful for students, academics and clergy who want to develop a greater ... He goes on to say we must then refill our minds with the truth about God, untainted by mythology, bad analogies or false mind-pictures. In Orthodox Christianity, apophatic theology is based on the assumption that God’s essence is unknowable or ineffable and on the recognition of the inadequacy of human language to describe God. From Online Etymology Dictionary: apophatic (adj.) The key distinction between the two approaches is that rational negations start from the basis of speculative philosophy alone, whereas true apophatic theology begins with a personal experience of the Triune God. Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 – c. 215) was an early proponent of apophatic theology. This is the approach of rational negations, and it is helpful as far as it goes. Metropolitan Kallistos Ware talks about Saint Gregory Palamas, Apophatic Theology, and the Essence vs. Energies Distinction Apophatic Theology Audio: St. Gregory Palamas - 2 nd Sunday of Lent, by Fr. Copyright © 2011-2012, Diocese of Sourozh. [the act of emptying]) is the ‘self-emptying’ of Jesus’ own will and becoming entirely receptive to God’s divine will. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. This book, one of the earliest by Christos Yannaras, was first published in 1967 and has become a contemporary classic. It is too easy to forget that all our words, all our books, and all our knowledge, are only road signs pointing to Him whom we cannot intellectually grasp. . Middle Platonism proposed a hierarchy of being, with God as its first principle at its top, identifying it with Plato’s Form of the Good. This set of volumes uncovers the rich and diverse cognitive and experiential dimensions of religious belief and practice, pushing the field of philosophy of religion in bold new directions. His argument culminates in the Allegory of the Cave, in which he argues that humans are like prisoners in a cave, who can only see shadows of the Real, the Form of the Good. Theologians like Meister Eckhart and John of the Cross (San Juan de la Cruz) exemplify some aspects of or tendencies towards the apophatic tradition in the West. If we limit ourselves to cataphatic theology (ie, that which we know about God), then sooner or later "god" will have become an idol in our own minds, circumscribed by what we know, … When discussing the names of God, we inevitably conclude that not one of them can give us a complete idea of who He is. The 9th-century theologian John Scotus Erigena wrote: We do not know what God is. According to R.A. Baker, in Clement’s writings the term theoria develops further from a mere intellectual “seeing” toward a spiritual form of contemplation. As Fr. Cook notes that Parmenides poem is a religious account of a mystical journey, akin to the mystery cults, giving a philosophical form to a religious outlook. This book examines the trajectory of Yannaras' thought from his initial encounter with Heidegger's philosophy to his formulation (via the tradition of the Greek Fathers) of a modern critical ontology. ( Log Out /  One has to begin with an acknowledgement of utter ignorance. Divine. In Orthodox theology, apophatic theology is taught as superior to cataphatic theology. “God or the Divine is” without being able to attribute qualities about “what He is” would be the prerequisite of positive theology in negative theology that distinguishes theism from atheism. Russian Bibles Are Totally Different from American Ones. A purely negative, or “apophatic” theology—the only one applicable to the essence of God in the Orthodox view—does not lead to agnosticism, however, because God reveals himself personally—as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and also in his acts, or “energies.”. The traditional image of Moses ascending Mount Sinai to God, surrounded in darkness, inspired both St Gregory of Nyssa and Dionysius the Areopagite to speak about the divine darkness as a symbol of God's incomprehensibility. In apophatic theology, the negation of theisms in the via negativa also requires the negation of their correlative atheisms if the dialectical method it employs is to maintain integrity. To speak of the attributes of God is to discover that their sum total is not God. ‘The theology of the Reformation shares the apophatic quality of Eastern Orthodox theology.’ ‘He advocates time-honored apophatic prayer, ‘empty, expectant openness’ to God, as he nicely puts it, and does so in a friendly, informal manner that is not scary or elitist or off-putting.’ Negative theology. Philo and Plotinus influenced the Christian apophatic tradition, which is founds in the works of Gregory of Nyssa and Pseudo-Dionysus the Areopagite. In order to participate in apophatic theology, why are holiness and purity of heart needed? The foremost Roman Catholic theologian of the middle ages, Thomas Aquinas, was hugely popular in the last days of the Orthodox Byzantine Empire, in contrast to his largely negative reception by later Orthodox commentators.This book is the ... known as “apophatic”1 theology. Staniloae has described the situation: We can say that there are two kinds of apophaticism: the apophaticism of what is experienced but cannot be defined; and the apophaticism of that which cannot even be experienced. Other articles where Apophatic theology is discussed: Christianity: Eastern Christianity: …and hence on the “ Apophatic … He explains that apophatic theology uses the method of negation—stressing what God is not. Was born ten years later ( 1225-1274 ) and, therefore, defining. Of denial ” have ever experienced known as “ apophatic ” style of theology nous is a! As Tertullian, St. Cyril of Jerusalem and the same Google account absolutely! 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