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apophatic theology
apophatic theology, or negative theology. A way of approaching God by denying that any of our concepts can be properly affirmed of Him. It is contrasted with affirmative and symbolic theology. The soul rejects all ideas and images of God and enters the ‘darkness that is beyond understanding’, where it is ‘wholly united with the Ineffable’ (Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite). The roots of apophatic theology may be seen in the ban on images in parts of the OT and a similar rejection of anthropomorphism by Greek philosophers. In the W. Church apophatic theology tends to be seen as an affirmation of the inadequacy of human understanding in matters Divine. In the E. Church it is seen as an affirmation that the essence of God is unknowable, though He makes Himself known to us through His energies.
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "apophatic theology." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "apophatic theology." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-apophatictheology.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "apophatic theology." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-apophatictheology.html |
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Apophatic theology
Apophatic theology. Another name for ‘theology by way of negation’, according to which God is known by negating concepts that might be applied to him, stressing the inadequacy of human language and concepts to say anything of God. It is characteristic of mystical theology and Eastern Orthodoxy, and shows parallels with Indian Advaita Vedānta: see e.g. NETI, NETI.
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JOHN BOWKER. "Apophatic theology." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Apophatic theology." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Apophatictheology.html JOHN BOWKER. "Apophatic theology." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Apophatictheology.html |
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