Religious Language: negative, analogical or symbolic

Question 1

via negativa or apophatic way

Answer 1

in order to say things that are literally true of god it is important to use only negative terms

using positive terms make god look too small

Question 2

pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite

Answer 2

6th Century

people need to go beyond the need for understanding and enter a ‘cloud of unknowing’

Question 3

via positiva or cataphatic way

Answer 3

two ways;

analogy

symbol

Question 4

Aquinas

Answer 4

we use analogy when speaking about god whether we mean to or not

recognising we are using analogy avoids making god look small

two kinds of analogy;

attribution an proportionality

Question 5

attribution

Answer 5

casual relationship between two things being described

when we speak of gods love we need to remember he is the cause of love

Question 6

proportionality

Answer 6

when analogy relates two things that are different in proportion

Question 7

symbol

Answer 7

bible uses symbolic of god

Tillich: theology of correlation:

all religious language is symbolic

Question 8

univocal

Answer 8

words are used in exactly the same way

Question 9

equivocal

Answer 9

words have completely different meanings