Apothatic Way (Via Negativa)

Question 1

What does apophatic way (via negativa)

Says how can you speak about God ?

Answer 1

You cannot speak about God in positive terms only negative terms about God

Question 2

apophatic way (via negativa)

Why can’t you speak about God in positive terms according to via negativa

Answer 2

To avoid athromophising God and preserving transcendent God you can only say what God is NOT
E.g cannot say “ God is loving or powerful” because God is beyond our comprehension

Question 3

apophatic way (via negativa)

Why does positive language athromophsomg God

Answer 3

Because we are limited in our language which can never do God justice as he is above and beyond our comprehension and understanding
- we can only articulate what we know in humans mind which would athromphrisng and reducing God to human like figure

Question 4

apophatic way (via negativa)

Why can’t we say “God is all loving”

Answer 4

Only talk about love based on love they’ve encountered and experienced in life

Question 5

Cataphatic way: via positiva

How is this used ?

Answer 5

• Used by religion and make postive claims about God
• say God is love, talk about Gods attributes in a positive way and can something about him

Question 6

Cataphatic way: via positiva

How can we talk about God in a positive way ?

Answer 6

Through analogy

Question 7

Cataphatic way: via positiva

Examples of analogy

Answer 7

• Aquinas analogy of attribution and proper proportion
• Tillich symbolic language

Question 8

Cataphatic way: via positiva

What does Aquinas analogy of proper proportion about positive way of God

Answer 8

Love in proportion to Gods infinite greatness and bigger than scale of humans

Question 9

Philosopher who talks about religious language: apophatic way (via negativa)

Answer 9

Maimonides and pseudo-Dionysius

Question 10

Apophatic way: (via negativa)

What does this philosopher link to

Answer 10

To Ancient Greece philosopher: plata and Aristotle
Plato : form of good
Aristotle: prime mover

Question 11

Apophatic way: (via negativa)

How does he link to Plato and Aristotle ?

Answer 11

• Because beyond human comprehension and limited sense, souls as source of limitations and endless troubles as souls kept as prisoners in bodies but want to return to realm of forms
• humans cannot describe form of good as perfect as human imperfect bodies = decieve, no truth

Question 12

Apophatic way: (via negativa)

How does Plato link to apophatic way ?

Answer 12

Limited falliable human beings can no ever comprehend or describe perfect diety who created the world and unlimited source of goodness as limitations of humans with infinite transcendence of God

Question 13

Apophatic way: (via negativa)

What example is used for apophatic way

Answer 13

“Cloud of unknowing”

Question 14

Apophatic way: (via negativa)

What is “cloud of unknowning” ?

Answer 14

• Belief/faith is about having blind faith and leap of faith despite not having empirical observation description and having faith even if cannot positively describe him
• God is wholly other- outside time and space and understanding so cannot be spoken about with OUR language

Question 15

Apophatic way: Moses Maimonides (via negativa)

What does he argue about stamenent of God

Answer 15

Only positive statements CAN be made about God is that he exist but everything else must be negative so not improper or disrespectful

Question 16

Apophatic way: Maimonides (via negativa)

What example does Maimonides use for only postive stamenent that can be used for God is that he exists ?

Answer 16

Of a ship

Question 17

Apophatic way: Maimonides (via negativa)

What is this ship analogy used by Maimonides?

Answer 17

Ship is NOT a mineral, plant or natural body but gain knowledge of shop based on what it’s NOT

Question 18

Apophatic way: (via negativa)

What does Dionysius argue about religious language?

Answer 18

• Cannot say anything at all only negative
• God is beyond assertion, human senses and language is limited
• need to preserve Gods transcendence

Question 19

Weakness of apophatic way

Answer 19

1. If you can’t say a thing positive about God, then why do we believe in God as no point and lose connection
2. W.R Inge says that leads to annihilation of God so what the point of speaking on God if you cannot talk about him positively
3. All religion speak about God in positive way e.g bible, nature and attributes
4. Maimonides example of ship gives limited knowledge as not sufficient knowledge

Question 20

Strengths of aphothatic way

Answer 20

1. More respectful to God as stops from
   Mislabelling God and preserve otherness and transcendent
2. Links to William James four characteristics in religious language : ineffiable, cannot use human language to describe God as ineffiable
3. Avoids mistakes about God