Published: 2022-12-29

Mystery and analogy in modern discourse about God

Adam Świeżyński
Seminare. Learned Investigations
Section: Philosophy
https://doi.org/10.21852/sem.2014.1.04

Abstract

The language of theology has always been liable to get to one of two extremes. The first one consists in an assumption that we cannot say anything about God as the Divine Being cannot be expressed in human language. The other extreme assumption is that theological terms can be used unequivocally both in the discourse on God and on man. One way to avoid those two traps is to adopt the method of analogy. A discrepancy between the „theory” regarding God and the experience” of His actions (or lack of action) in one’s life, poses a challenge for modern theology. The use of analogy in statements about God does not in itself prevent the conflict between commonly accepted statements about God and His experience in everyday life. However, metaphorical analogy provides a defined mediation, which may be qualified as an indirect recognition of some states of things by human mind. How does it influence the question of recognition and acknowledgment of God’s existence? Perhaps, we are doomed to everlasting shifts from one analogy to another in order to grasp the fact of His presence and activity.

Keywords:

analogy, metaphor, God, theological language

Download files

Citation rules

Świeżyński, A. (2022). Mystery and analogy in modern discourse about God. Seminare. Learned Investigations, 35(1), 59–69. https://doi.org/10.21852/sem.2014.1.04

Cited by / Share


This website uses cookies for proper operation, in order to use the portal fully you must accept cookies.