Kataphatic and apophatic ways of knowing book

Kataphatic prayer is praying with the eyes open and apohpatic prayer is praying with the eyes closed. It is great to see both being validated and encouraged for practice. One of st teresas ways of explaining prayer, again in the kataphatic tradition, is in terms of the four ways of drawing water. There is nothing so much like god as silence, meister eckhart dared to say. The tok ways of knowing are how we acquire knowledge about the world around us, and figure out our relationship with it. However, the nous is, as far as i understand the concept, a realm that includes being and nonbeing and is thus, i would argue, kataphatic. Towards a reclaimed framework of knowing in spirituality and education for the promotion of holistic learning and wellbeing kataphatic and apophatic ways of knowing. The kataphatic drift of kellers cloud cloud of the. The cloud is paradigmatically a method of apophatic contemplation. Rethorical questions such as the one found in the book of the prophet.

Introduction to apophatic theology vladimir lossky pt 1. First, there is his own franciscan piety and devotion, which place at the centre of christian thought and practice the human nature of christ, but very particularly the passion of christ. For those that dont know, cataphatic theology is when we talk about what god is, e. Towards a reclaimed framework of knowing in spirituality and. Cataphatic theology theology through positive assertion about who god is sometimes spelled kataphatic is the easiest of the two to address, being theology that says things about who god is. They had different savoir, ways of knowing how to proceed. Theological discourse is too easily cast into two opposing methods. Whats the difference between kataphatic or apophatic prayer. If one assumes they can know god, they are not actually knowing true being but rather a false being nonbeing.

As long as this knowledge is part of an overall relationship that is in the. In the book of privy counseling, the author recognizes and faces the issue of how to judge whether an ecstatic experience is truly authentic. It is a way of coming to an understanding of who god is which has played a. Apophatic knowing is the empty space around the words, allowing god to fill in all the gaps in an unspeakable way. Jan 02, 2011 this is the only place i suggest caution, not because apophatic prayer is valuelessone can imagine the benefits of approaching god without an agenda, however difficult that may bebut because it is dangerous. Horizontal axis apophatic mystery kataphatic imaging apophatic means negative. The apophatic way of knowing was largely lost to the west by the time of the reformation in the 16 th century, and western christianity has suffered because of it. When you are with a master who knows the art of apophatic language and a master cannot be a master without knowing the use of apophatic language. Mar 17, 2019 it is not my own ideas, its from a history of christian spirituality urban t.

A full orbed spirituality ideally contains a balance of all four ways of knowing god, as represented by the circle in the centre of the chart. This book contains a careful, thorough, and where necessary skeptical as regards doubtful evidence especially in the case of plato and the old academy of the beginnings in european thought of the negative or apophatic way of. Tok identifies 8 different ways of knowing, each one involving a different method of gaining knowledge, but just like with the areas of knowledge, they are often intertwined and dependent on each other. The later asserts that there is far more that we cannot say about god and we must therefore be. Jan 19, 2020 in bonaventures itinerarium mentis in deum5 we find a complex interweaving of at least three strands of theological tradition. Kataphatic tradition is wonderful, however it is only part of the spiritual life.

Nyssa, 115 coming to the knowledge of being and knowing the truth of god is best done through the apophatic attitude which is underscored by reverence, faith. Apophatic and kataphatic prayer the prophetic years. Many ways of knowing are routinely neglected in the primary, secondary and. Pseudo dionysius describes the kataphatic or affirmative way to the divine as. The one where they show eggs frying and equate it with your brain on drugs. Thought it might be fun to have foks share their views on the place of either apophatic or kataphatic approaches or perhaps the dance between them in their spirituality. First, there is his own franciscan piety and devotion, which place at the centre of christian thought and practice the human. The apophatic way part 2 of the anaphatic way until. Spirituality is the way in which a person, with his or her unique faith history, perceives and responds to what is beyond their. Janet williams has written a book on apophatic spirituality that is helpful, timely, and.

Apophatic definition of apophatic by merriamwebster. Carl jung and thomas merton apophatic and kataphatic. Cataphatic theology or kataphatic theology is theology that uses positive terminology to. I think what the op is asking is whether women whose spirituality is distinctly spousal tend more toward kataphatic or apophatic prayer. So there are really three ways of knowing mental knowledge, the renunciation of mental knowledge and then the third which is better left unnamed but whose name we can only whisper. Apophatic being of course the via negativapath of unknowing and kataphatic the via positivapath of attributes do we hear a bell ring without it being empty within. Neither is to be considered in general as superior and more efficacious.

Cataphatic and apophatic are two paths or methods of theology. Apophatic theology, also known as negative theology, is a form of theological thinking and religious practice which attempts to approach god, the divine, by negation, to speak only in terms of what may not be said about the perfect goodness that is god. Introduction to apophatic theology vladimir lossky pt. I cant see why there would be a correlation, though, unless one wants to argue that spousal spirituality is uniquely receptive, and so such women incline more towards apophatic receptive prayer. Religious education lateral thinking bantam book holistic education spiritual journey. Kataphatic is the other side of this coin, referring to description by positives, e. For the ancient greeks, knowledge of the gods was essential for proper. Cataphatic and apophatic theology apologetics index. This chapter explores a relatively unknown framework of knowing in. Apophatic theology is when we talk about what god is not, e. Jan 25, 2012 vladimir lossky, author of the mystical theology of the eastern church wrote a short chapter on these very questions that can provide us with an introduction to the basic contours of two ways of speaking about god. We wanted to match the new rationalism with what felt like. Spiritual types among emerging adults in higher education.

In bonaventures itinerarium mentis in deum5 we find a complex interweaving of at least three strands of theological tradition. Jan 23, 2015 and of course, keller dives deep into the christian mystical tradition, oscillating between apophatic and kataphatic theological statements throughout the text. In orthodox christianity, apophatic theology is based on the assumption that gods essence is unknowable or ineffable and on the recognition of the. Somehow all this profound wisdom reminds me of a old commercial. It means emptying the mind of words and ideas and simply resting in the presence of god. The apophatic seeks to understand and relate to god through silence, going beyond images and words to mystical union. The cloud of unknowing, introduction robbins library. The apophatic tradition is a way of prayer, of being present with god. The former suggests there is much we can and must say about god. Kataphatic, negative and apophatic theology, litideas at freelists.

Barbara carper 1978 identified four fundamental patterns of knowing that form the conceptual and syntactical structure of nursing knowledge. Apr 05, 2014 mark passio explains how rights are most easily understood when they are considered though apophatic inquiry. All masters are via negativa, neti neti, neither this nor that. All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small. Pdf carl jung and thomas merton apophatic and kataphatic. Apophatic paths from europe to china reading religion. It is a language that rejoices in creation and ascribes positive attributes to godbeauty, goodness, mercy, justice, love, compassion, grace. But apophatic nonhumanism again, following apophatic reason, the via negativa or path of the negative, the path of unknowing does the reverse. Apophaticism in gregory of nyssas the life of moses. Apophatic theology project gutenberg selfpublishing. Kataphatic things which grab our attention or which we grab.

Apophatic theologyalso known as negative theologyis a theology that attempts to describe god by negation, to speak of god only in absolutely certain terms and to avoid what may not be said. This path is expressed in positive statements about god that affirms what or how or who god is. It offers a method by which the suitably disposed reader may practice an advanced and even austere form of contemplation the divesting of the mind of all images and concepts through an encounter with a nothing and a nowhere that. The topic for our time together was mysticism and contemplation.

This process helps us to understand what a right actually is by understanding which. Apophatic nonhumanism follows a logic of insufficiency. The first describes techniques of spiritual growth, while the. Knowing that we dont know center for action and contemplation. Hillary kelleher offers us the words of aquinas in the preface to his summa theologiae, we. Janet williams carries deep learning with grace and style. Many ways of knowing are routinely neglected in the primary, secondary and tertiary environments, not only in religious education but in many other subject areas and disciplines.

Apophatic kataphatic are two terms that are widely used and equally misunderstood. That this is so should not be in the least surprising. But in his prose writing he is notably harsh in satirising and rejecting the materialistic, consumerist, dualistic side of religion. The apophatic way part 2 of the anaphatic way until i.

During the first talk of the weekend, i offered the participants five ways of thinking about mysticism. A kataphaticapophatic scale, and a speculativeaffective scale. Well dont panic, eugene peterson explains it all for us. Benners book is a good as an introduction to spirituality and its overlap with mental health, but its not very in depth. He did this in the second book of his platonic theology, arguing that plato.

Pdf the future of knowledge and the ways of doing theology. Carl jung and thomas merton apophatic and kataphatic traditions in the 20th century article pdf available in studies in spirituality. He links darkness not to fear but to an apophatic suspension of ordinary ways of knowing, a transition or tunnel that will eventually lead us out into the blinding light of love. A purely negative, or apophatic theologythe only one applicable to the essence of god in the orthodox viewdoes not lead to agnosticism, however, because god reveals himself personallyas father, son, and holy spiritand also in his acts, or energies. Jun 10, 2005 in many ways i believe it is a dance but not a line dance, perhaps more of a square dance. Ways of knowing and unknowing scientific and medical network. Being what you want problematic kataphatic identity vs. The final chapter on silent prayer is the only place in the book where williams suggests some practical techniques. I expressed serious concerns about the way apophatic theology has. This is knowing by affirming or knowing by the positive. The classical ways of doing theology, the apophatic and the cataphatic will face a. At the other end of the horizontal axis is the apophatic way, a type of spirituality that describes the mystery of god. It is not enough to know that prayer is communication with god now you should know the difference between apophatic and kataphatic prayer.

Opening oneself to emptiness in order to know god is different than entering the void for the voids sake. It means that a person or discipline thinks of god in noncretized ways. Centering prayer is only one form, a form of very intimate communion with god. The apophatic way of knowing was largely lost to the west by the time of. This axis poses the question of how one goes about knowing. The affirmative, or kataphatic, way refers to the various manners a soul. Carl jung and thomas merton apophatic and kataphatic traditions in the 20th century. The cloud of unknowing, a masterpiece of simplicity that distills a complex mystical epistemology and discipline into engagingly readable prose, embodies a paradox. The classical ways of doing theology, the apophatic and the cataphatic. In this essay, i will describe and critically analyze the authors use of apophatic and cataphatic theology in the cloud of unknowing, commenting on the relationship between revelation, reason and mystery apophatic and cataphatic. Find a link to an article by frederick mcleod, sj, that explains. The kataphatic approach brings together kata, meaning to descend and. Apophatic and cataphatic upward call gleanings on the way. As one meditates through the gospel scenes, and makes colloquies with our lord, one comes into deeper union with god.

Cataphatic theology or kataphatic theology is theology that uses positive terminology to describe or refer to the divine specifically, god i. A beginners guide to christian apophatic spirituality by j. In conclusion, kataphatic and apophatic refer to different techniques for evoking faith experiences and occur on different levels of human consciousness. Apophatic quotes quotes tagged as apophatic showing 17 of 7 there is a bench in the back of my garden shaded by virginia creeper, climbing roses, and a white pine where i. To say god is love, or god is truth, or that god is with us would all be kataphatic statements. The apophatic way would be to state that god is not hate although such description can be. Apophatic theology, also known as negative theology, is a form of theological thinking and. Jul 22, 2015 in the worlds mystical texts, two related and intertwined spiritual languages or orientations are distinguished. The apophatic way of knowing was largely lost to western christianity during the time of the reformation in the 16th century, and we have suffered because of it. Apophatic means describing something by negation, e.

With the title apophatic paths from europe to china, and with a geographical axis that allegedly ranges from the west to the rest xvii, william frankes latest monograph resembles a comparative study of apophatic methods in a robust diversity of religiophilosophical traditions. Vladimir lossky, author of the mystical theology of the eastern church wrote a short chapter on these very questions that can provide us with an introduction to the basic contours of two ways of speaking about god. Two traditions of prayer by gerry pierse what is spirituality. As she explains early in the book, her approach is to say differently rather than cleanly erase god 1011. Whats the simplest explanation of apophatic and cataphatic. Apophatic definition is of or relating to apophasis. They represent a concept that attempts to address the questions that inevitably arise for us regarding our capacity to experientially know god. What is significant is the extent and intensity one surrenders to gods loving will in apophatic or kataphatic prayer. Cataphatic theology emphasizes and focuses on what we can know about god. Holmes the explanation is from david benners book psychotherapy and the spiritual quest. Towards a reclaimed framework of knowing in spirituality. This is in contrast with apophatic theology, which generally focuses on what god is not, especially in the sense that. It forms a pair together with cataphatic theology, which approaches god or the divine by affirmations or positive statements about what god is. Recently i was asked about my thoughts on the difference between cataphatic and apophatic theology, and answered as follows.

Boston college a rnold toynbee oncpredictee d that when the historian of a thou jtjl sand years from now comes to write the history of our time, he will. Thus, true knowledge of god always includes three elements. As catholics, we use cataphatic theology much more than apophatic. St ignatius and the spiritual exercises would be an example of kataphatic prayer. Apophatic quotes quotes tagged as apophatic showing 17 of 7 there is a bench in the back of my garden shaded by virginia creeper, climbing roses, and a white pine where i sit early in the morning and watch the action. Another part of the spiritual life is the apophatic tradition. Apophatic knowing allows god to fill in all the gaps in an unspeakable way, beyond words and within the empty spaces between them.

Jul 04, 20 recently i was asked about my thoughts on the difference between cataphatic and apophatic theology, and answered as follows. Two classic works in particular typify the orthodox christian traditions of apophatic and kataphatic theology and practice. Kataphatic and apophatic refer to two classic approaches to meditation. Phil le cheminant apophatic and cataphatic theology in. The apophatic way is one of darkness, emptiness, and the negation of images. In orthodox christianity, apophatic theology is based on the assumption that gods essence is unknowable or ineffable and on the recognition of the inadequacy of human language to describe god. Lets look at how these ways of knowing can assist you in your pursuit of knowledge as a nursing student. And of course, keller dives deep into the christian mystical tradition, oscillating between apophatic and kataphatic theological statements throughout the text.

Learning and wellbeing kataphatic and apophatic ways of knowing. The affirmative, or kataphatic, way refers to the various manners a soul contemplates the holy imprint in creation, ascending through higher and higher affirmations into the divine itself. Mar 08, 2019 not long after the book was published in 2010, i was asked to lead a fridaysaturday retreat at a disciples of christ church near where i live. Bonaventure and the centrality of christ natural theology. Knowing rights through the apophatic inquiry youtube. In christianity, these languages are termed apophatic and kataphatic, derived from greek wordsapophasis, to move away from speech or unsaying. On the apophatic side of the scale, the fourteenthcentury devotional classic the cloud of.