Religious Language Via Negativa, Via Positiva Amd Cataphatic Way Flashcards
Apophatic way
-Also known as the via negativa.
-We cannot speak positively about God - we can only speak negatively (say what God is NOT).
-God is beyond our comprehension and our human language.
-Trying to make positive statements (say things) about God risks anthropomorphism.
-“God is beyond all meaning and intelligence, and he alone possesses immortality….no creature can comprehend” (John Scotus Eriugena)
Cataphatic way
-Also known as the via positiva.
-We can speak positively about God - we can talk about God’s attributes in a positive sense.
-Analogy - Comparison between two things in order to help us understand the less familiar thing.
-Aquinas: Analogy of attribution
-Aquinas: Analogy of proper proportion
-Tillich: Symbolic Language
“God is love” (Gospel of John)
Apophatic Way - Dionysius
-5th century Pseudo-Dionysius believed that God was beyond assertion.
-Human senses and language are limited. To make positive statements about God would risk anthropomorphism.
-Only negative terms can be used to preserve the mystery and ‘otherness’ of God.
-Human language cannot do God justice. It is inadequate when it comes to omnipotent, transcendent God. It cannot be used.
-The Apophatic Way is based on the belief that humans cannot know or comprehend
God.
-Belief is about faith not empirical, observation-based descriptions. God is wholly other.
Apophatic Way - Maimonides
-Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides believed that the only positive statement that can be made about God is that He exists.
-All other descriptions must be negative so as to ensure that we are not being improper or disrespectful.
-Maimonides uses the example of a ship to illustrate that the apophatic way can lead us to SOME knowledge and understanding of God.
A ship is NOT…a mineral, a plant, a natural body etc.
We gain some knowledge of what a ship is by saying what it is not.
Apophatic Way
STRENGTHS
-Avoids anthropomorphism.
-More respectful in its approach.
-Fits with religious experiences - William James: Ineffability.
-Avoids making mistakes about
God. Emphasises transcendence.
Apophatic Way
WEAKNESSES
-W.R Inge: Leads to the annihilation of God.
-Maimonides example still only gives very limited knowledge.
-Separates God from the world - loss of personal connection.
-All religions DO speak about God in positive terms!
Univocal language
Aquinas
Words when applied to God have the same meaning that they have in their normal context.
Risks making
God sound human.
Equivocal language
Aquinas
Words when applied to God have a completely different meaning from their normal use.
-Results in no knowledge of
God.
Cataphatic Way - St Thomas Aquinas: Analogy
What are the two types of analogy
Thomas Aquinas argues that language applied to God is not literal but is analogical. He proposes two types of analogy:
- The analogy of attribution
- The analogy of proper proportion
Analogy of attribution
-The words that we apply to human beings are related to how words are applied to God because there is a causal relationship between the two sets of qualities.
Our qualities such as ‘love’ and ‘wisdom’ are reflections of those qualities of God.
Aquinas uses the example of a bull and its urine to illustrate this. In medieval times, it was believed that if a creature’s urine was healthy then the creature that produced the urine must also be healthy.
‘If the urine is good, then the bull is good’.
The bull, after all, is the cause of the urine.
Likewise, by examining human love, wisdom or power, we may see a pale reflection of those divine attributes, which are their ultimate origin.
Goodness in the world reflects the goodness of God.
Analogy of proper proportion
-When we say that humans are ‘good’ we are speaking of finite beings. When we are describing God, we are speaking of an infinite being, so the ‘goodness’ is in proportion to that.
-The extent to which a being can be said to have certain properties is in proportion to the type of being we are describing.
-To say that a 10-year-old is a ‘good footballer’ is different to saying that an England international is a ‘good footballer’.
John Hick develops Aquinas’ example of proper proportion by using the example of the term ‘faithfulness’.
-Just as we might see a dog’s faithfulness as smaller than human faithfulness, our faithfulness is vastly smaller than the faithfulness of God.
Cataphatic Way: Analogy
STRENGTHS
-Avoids the two extremes / errors of univocal / equivocal - it is a middle ground.
-Means that we say something about God, which is important for theists. Avoids annihilation!
-Helps humans understand God whilst emphasising differences.
Cataphatic Way: Analogy
WEAKNESSES
-Still only provides a limited understanding of God.
-Different people will interpret analogies differently.
-Not easy to know how far meaning is stretched.
-Brummer: Analogy only gives the appearance of knowledge.
Cataphatic Way - Paul Tillich:
Signs vs Symbols
For Tillich, there is a difference between signs and symbols.
-A sign points to something (e.g. a red traffic light points you to stop).
-However, a symbol goes further and actively participates in what is points towards.
For example, a flag does not merely act as a sign
for many people, it represents the nation.
The poppy doesn’t just point out the people who lost their lives, it is part of Remembrance Day adds to its meaning.
Cataphatic Way - Paul Tillich: Symbol
-Symbols ‘OPEN UP’ levels of reality that would not otherwise be available to us.
They unlock ‘hidden depths of our own being’.
-Symbols can have a life span -the word we use to describe God can change over time, as symbols / word pictures become more helpful or unhelpful.
-Symbols function on an unconscious level, as well as a conscious level.
Tillich believes that we cannot speak literally of God.
God is not part of the empirical world and thus can’t represented by literal language.
The only statement that can be used of God is that he is…
GOD IS THE GROUND OF ALL BEING.
God is ‘Being itself’ - the source of everything.
Therefore, language about God cannot be literal, as human language is insufficient for Him.
