What is apophatic theology?

Answer

Apophatic theology (also known as negative theology) is an attempt to describe God by what cannot be said of Him. Many of the terms used to describe God’s attributes have an apophatic quality. For example, when we say God is infinite, we’re also saying that God is not finite (i.e., not limited). Another example would be describing God as a spiritual being, which is just another way of saying that God is not a physical being.

In church history, the apophatic method was popular among theologians such as Tertullian, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, and the Cappadocian Fathers. The most influential proponent of apophatic theology was Pseudo-Dionysius (who was quoted many times in the Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas). Apophatic theology is also prevalent in Eastern Orthodox Christianity and is considered superior to positive (or cataphatic) theology. Due to God’s transcendence, it is believed that further knowledge of God must come from a direct experience of Him. This leads to mystical approaches to gaining knowledge of God.

Much of this appears to stem from the discussion on God’s immanence and transcendence. God’s immanence views God as closely involved with His creation and showing a keen interest in people’s lives. To prevent an excessive focus on God’s immanence, some emphasize God’s transcendence, His “wholly otherness.” However, the truth in this matter is not an “either/or” scenario but a “both/and” situation. God is both immanent and transcendent. In His transcendence, it is appropriate to talk about what God is not (apophatic theology). We must also remember that Christianity is a revealed faith and that, despite God’s transcendence, God chose to reveal Himself to humanity. Therefore, we can make affirmative statements about God—that He is loving, gracious, and merciful. Such statements should be understood analogically. In essence, we can understand.

Understanding the concepts of goodness, love, and mercy is common, but when referring to God, they are perceived as being manifested flawlessly, meaning they are applied analogically, from the inferior (us) to the superior (God).