Apophasis

Definition: Besides what is revealed to us, the truest way of knowing God is by saying what he is not. Humanity cannot comprehend God in his essence, we know in shadow and part (1 Corinthians 13.9–12).¹

Even in words we use to describe God as positives in English are often negatives in the original language:

• Infinite: without limits
• Immortal: deathless
  etc.

And our positive attributes of God, love, wisdom, power must not be thought of as such on a human scale, but our concepts might approach what God is. Additionally, God does not posses love, wisdom, power, justice, but rather is love, is wisdom, etc.

And so how do we approach God? By participating in his works (energies). As the Prayer of the Hours states:

Sanctify our souls… Compass us round with thy holy angels, that…we may obtain unto the unity of the faith² and the knowledge of thine unapproachable glory.

Alternative terms: Via negativa, negative theology.

Christian Thinkers:

• St Dionysius/Denys the Aerogapite (Psudeo-Dionysius); origin in his Divine Names and Mystical Theology
• St Gregory of Nyssa
• The author of The Cloud of Unknowning
• St Gregory Palamas energy/essence distinction

See Also

Essence/Energy

Footnotes

1. So what does this mean for when we know as we are known? I’m not sure we can know on this earth. (1 Corinthians 2.9, Isaiah 64.4 LXX, The revelation of Christ revealed things that are unfathomable before and his Second Glorious Appearing will do so more. 1 Corinthians) ↩

2. Faith in the Orthodox Church is not divorced from faithfulness. And knowledge involves more than the head. ↩