Published: 2022-12-23

The Cataphatic and Apophatic Nature of the Word of God in the Light of the Mystery of the Incarnation

Sławomir Zatwardnicki
Collectanea Theologica
Section: Articles
https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.2022.92.4.02

Abstract

The contemporary fascination with apophatic theology is accompanied by its incorrect understanding. Apophatic theology becomes a critique of revelation and is reduced to a negative theology that encompasses the relationship between the Creator and creation dialectically. The author of the article first presents Robert Woźniak’s critique of such an understanding of apophatic theology from the perspective of the Chalcedonian approach to the mystery of the Incarnation, and then he develops Robert Woźniak’s views considering the statements of the Third Council of Constantinople. In the second part of the article, the author speculatively reflects the eponymous issue in dialogue with contemporary theological thought and in reference to the work of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. This makes it possible to expose the relationship of the Scriptures with the will of the Logos, as well as the interconnection between biblical words and the presence of the Word. A proposal for a cataphatic and apophatic interpretation of the Holy Scriptures is also presented. The article also shows how the humble form of the word of God serves the cause of the deification of man.

Keywords:

cataphatic theology, apophatic theology, Council of Chalcedon, Third Council of Constantinople, Word of God, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite

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Citation rules

Zatwardnicki, S. (2022). The Cataphatic and Apophatic Nature of the Word of God in the Light of the Mystery of the Incarnation. Collectanea Theologica, 92(4), 39–92. https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.2022.92.4.02

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