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The Praise of Glory: Apophatic Theology as Transformational Mysticism

Smith, Ethan D.
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3813-3944
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1502133638523313

Abstract Details

2017, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, Theology.
Patristic apophatic theologies were typically written as commentaries on the church’s liturgy and/or as guides to the ascetic struggle for holiness. As such, apophatic theology was Christocentric, Scriptural, liturgical, and experientially mystical. Modern negative theology, by contrast, is often written as philosophical reflections on the limits of language and/or thought. It begins with the doctrine of creation, instead of Christology, and proceeds inferentially, rather than experientially, to determine that language and/or thought necessarily cannot comprehend the Creator. I argue two things about this kind of modern negative theology. First, I use the philosophical logic of Ludwig Wittgenstein to argue that the very idea of showing the transcendence of God by means of a demonstration of the limits of language or thought is fundamentally confused. Second, by contextualizing Patristic apophatic theology with ancient Jewish merkava mysticism I argue that modern negative theology functions as a way for theologians to look away from the revelation of divine transcendence in Christ as the crucified Lord of Glory
Brad Kallenberg, Dr. (Committee Chair)
276 p.
Philosophy; Theology
Dionysius the Areopagite, apophatic theology, negative theology, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Jewish mysticism

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Smith, E. D. (2017). The Praise of Glory: Apophatic Theology as Transformational Mysticism [Doctoral dissertation, University of Dayton]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1502133638523313

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Smith, Ethan. The Praise of Glory: Apophatic Theology as Transformational Mysticism. 2017. University of Dayton, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1502133638523313.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Smith, Ethan. "The Praise of Glory: Apophatic Theology as Transformational Mysticism." Doctoral dissertation, University of Dayton, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1502133638523313

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

dayton1502133638523313
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This open access ETD is published by University of Dayton and OhioLINK.