Via Negativa
Apophatic Theology (from Ancient Greek : ἀπόφασις , from ἀπόφημι – apophēmi , "to deny")—also known as negative theology , via negativa or via negationis [1] ( Latin for "negative way" or "by way of denial")—is a theology that attempts to describe God , the Divine Good, by negation , to speak only in terms of what may not be said about the perfect goodness that is God . [2] It stands in contrast with cataphatic theology . A startling example can be found with theologian John Scotus Erigena (9th century): " We do not know what God is. God Himself does not know what He is because He is not anything. Literally God is not, because He transcends being. " In brief, negative theology is an attempt to clarify religious experience and language about the Divine Good through discernment, gaining knowledge of what God is not ( apophasis ), rather than by describing what God is. The apophatic tradition is often, though not always, allied with th...