Religious Language: Analogy and Symbol

Define Via Negativa

Explaining the nature of something by explaining what it is not.

What did Pseudo-Dionyisus argue about God’s existence?

Pseudo-Dionyisus was a philosopher who believed God was unknowable and to try brings us further from God. He can only be described via negativa.

What example does Pseudo-Dionyisus use to illustrate his point?

Describes Moses receiving the 10 commandments as him renouncing all knowledge in order to reach God.

What is the main strength of via negativa?

Compatibility with the otherness suggested by classical theism. Otto calls God “wholly other”, for example.

2 main argument against via negativa?

• The Bible often refers to God with positive terms, i.e., having a ‘face’ or ‘walking’ suggesting he has a level of form, or “God is love” and “God is spirit”

• Speaking in negation fails to say anything meaningful

Outline Maimonides’ ship analogy for via negativa?

If you gave ten people descriptions of what a ship is not (i.e., not round, not soft) eventually the 10th person would understand best what a ship is through knowing what it is not.

Outline Davies’ criticism of Maimonides

There’s more than two options for what God is so process of elimination doesn’t help us.

Outline a strength for Christians of via negativa?

Avoids the danger of a Christian anthropomorphising God.

What is Aquinas’ criticism of via negativa?

Via negativa is not how believers intend to discuss God when they talk about Him, nor is it consistent with the Bible referring to God using positive terminology.

What does Pseudo-Dionysius think will happen if we use via negativa?

We will achieve spiritual unity with God though he wasn’t entirely clear it what he meant by that.

What is Aquinas’ theory of analogy?

Aquinas thought we could only think about God positively (cataphatically) if we used analogies.

How does Aquinas argue typical cataphatic approaches fail?

Typically they use univocal language containing one meaning and attempting to encompass God within it, but God is different yet similar to us as we are in His image, or equivocal which have multiple meanings and confuse us. His answer was analogical language.

Define univocal language

Words with only one possible meaning.

Define equivocal language

Words having multiple meanings.

2 criticisms of univocal language

• Possibility of anthropomorphising God through referring to Him how we refer to humans.

• Words differ based on context. There is a difference between food being good and a person being good, right?

Aquinas’ 2 kinds of analogy

• Analogy of attribution

• Analogy of proportion

Explain analogy of attribution

By seeing certain qualities in the product of a creator we can assume those qualities in the creator Himself.

Explain analogy of proportion

The greater the being, the greater their quality in proportion. God is the greatest being so good qualities must be greater in proportion to Him.

What is analogical language

Conveys similarities between two things without them meaning the same thing.