Examine the via negativa
Uploaded by sharmaine on Mar 19, 2007
Examine the via negativa as an approach to understanding the nature of God.
Another word for via negativa is the apophatic way. It comes from the Greek word ‘apophasis’, which means negation. It argues that God cannot be known in terms of human categories. God is beyond all signs and languages. The great Jewish scholar Maimonides wrote that we come nearer to knowledge of God through negative attributes, for example God is not evil, or God is not limited. Arguably, speaking about God in negative terms avoids the problem of misrepresenting God.
Problems in gaining knowledge about the attributions of God do not necessarily imply God does not exist, nor do they support the possibility of Gods existence. People talking about God do not normally want to talk about God in terms of negation. Believers describe God in positive terms and in personal terms, rejecting the via negativa.
Since it is impossible for humans o use human language of God and of humans without confusion, then to speak of God in terms of what he is not may lead us to a full adequate understanding of the nature of God by avoiding serious pitfalls. Peter Cole argues that ‘by denying all descriptions of God you get an insight and experience of God rather than unbelief and a scepticism.’ This full understanding of God leads to true belief and faith in God. Via negativa relies on a common method of the negative way. One moves beyond words and concepts by denying them. Leading them not to a level where one cannot understand, but to a level of understanding whereby we realise that God is beyond all words. The via negativa theory is an important step to understanding religious language and thus the nature of God.
Via negativa has been adopted by many scholars to gain an understanding of God and the nature of God. A central tenet of Don Cupits early theology was via negativa. ‘I try to show the restless character of belief in God which continually strives after intelligible content, and yet must be by its own inner dialect always negate any proposed specific content.’ However, when used on itself via negativa cannot distinguish an adequate difference between atheism and theism, since to say that God can only be spoken of in negative terms it effectively denies God altogether. This can be shown when looking at John Wisdoms parable of the gardener...