Kataphatic and apophatic ways

• Kataphatic language- all positive terms about God

  • Words which describe God
  • Asking for things
  • Words of praise
• Western tradition

  • Emphasis placed on expressing word about God- kataphatic theology
• Examples of kataphatic theology

  • The Creed
  • The Lord's Prayer
  • Prayer in general
  • Songs of worship
• Strengths of kataphatic language

  • Avoids unequivocal language, which leads to agnosticism
  • Allows people to express their beliefs
  • Describes God in visual terms- similar to Jesus
  • Allows theology and philosophy by Aquinas's standards
• Weaknesses about kataphatic language

  • Will be interpreted differently by everyone
  • Words describing God must be univocal first, this stretches the meaning of words
• "It is not always easy to know how far the meaning has been stretched" - Richard Swinburne
• Some think that there are no words suitable for God and that prayer should be a time to be infused with God
• Otto and Stace saw God as utterly transcendent and ineffable- there are no words to describe God
• Pseudo-Dionysius

  • Believed to have converted to Christianity under the teaching of Apostle Paul
  • Mentioned in the Bible- Acts 17:34
• "God is nameless, and yet, has the names of everything that is" - pseudo-Dionysius
• Pseudo-Dionysius developed the Via Negativa
• In Eastern Christianity, there is a greater emphasis placed on God being beyond all description
• Maimonides

  • 1135-1204
  • Jewish philosopher, astronomer and physician
  • Known as 'the great eagle'
  • Expert in Jewish oral tradition
• Maimonides warned that all statements describing God must be negative to ensure we are not being improper or disrespectful
• God is not comparable to anything else, comparison reduces God
• Strengths of apophatic language

  • Avoids the problems of positive language
  • Avoids anthropomorphising God
  • Focuses on God's transcendence
• Weaknesses of apophatic language

  • Parable of the Gardener is an example of apophatic language
  • Mystical experiences cannot support apophatic language as they are supposedly ineffable
  • Not helpful in spreading the word of God through missions (both internal and external)
• Kataphatic language= via positiva
• Apophatic language = via negativa