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Apophatic Theology As Transformational Mysticism

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Apophatic Theology As Transformational Mysticism THE PRAISE OF GLORY: APOPHATIC THEOLOGY AS TRANSFORMATIONAL MYSTICISM Dissertation Submitted to The College of Arts and Sciences of the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology By Ethan D. Smith, M.A. UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON Dayton, Ohio August 2017 THE PRAISE OF GLORY: APOPHATIC THEOLOGY AS TRANSFORMATIONAL MYSTICISM Name: Smith, Ethan D. APPROVED BY: ____________________________________ Brad Kallenberg, Ph.D. Committee Chair Professor of Theology; Department of Religious Studies, University of Dayton ____________________________________ William Portier, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor Mary Ann Spearin Chair of Catholic Theology; Department of Religious Studies, University of Dayton ____________________________________ Sandra Yocum, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor Associate Professor; Department of Religious Studies, University of Dayton ____________________________________ Silviu Bunta, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor Associate Professor; Department of Religious Studies, University of Dayton ____________________________________ Anthony Godzieba, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor Professor; Department of Theology, Villanova University ____________________________________ Daniel Speed Thompson Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, University of Dayton ii © Copyright by Ethan D. Smith All rights reserved 2017 iii ABSTRACT THE PRAISE OF GLORY: APOPHATIC THEOLOGY AS TRANSFORMATIONAL MYSTICISM Name: Smith, Ethan D. University of Dayton Advisor: Dr. Brad Kallenberg Patristic apophatic theologies were ty pically written as commentaries on the church’s liturgy and/or as guides to the ascetic struggle for holiness. As such, apophatic theology was Christocentric, Scriptural, liturgical, and experientially mystical. Modern negative theology, by contrast, is often written as philosophical reflections on the limits of language and/or thought. It begins with the doctrine of creation, instead of Christology, and proceeds inferentially, rather than experientially, to determine that language and/or thought necessarily cannot comprehend the Creator. I argue two things about this kind of modern negative theology. First, I use the philosophical logic of Ludwig Wittgenstein to argue that the very idea of showing the transcendence of God by means of a demonstration of the limits of language or thought is fundamentally confused. Second, by contextualizing Patristic apophatic theology with ancient Jewish merkava mysticism I argue that modern negative theology functions as a way for theologians to look away from the revelation of divine transcendence in Christ as the crucified Lord of Glory. iv Dedicated to my parents, David and Shirley Smith v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My special thanks are in order to Dr. Brad Kallenberg, my advisor, for his time, patience, insight, and wisdom directing this dissertation. I would also like to think the current and former faculty members who have been especially influential over my thinking and intellectual development: Dr. Silviu Bunta, Dr. Sandra Yocum, Dr. William Portier, Dr. Anthony Godzieba, Dr. Kelly Johnson, Dr. John Inglis, the late Dr. Maureen Tilly, and Dr. Terry Tilley. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION .....................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. vi INTRODUCTION - TWO THEOLOGICAL PICTURES .................................................1 Two Theological Pictures ........................................................................................4 The Absolute Qualitative Distinction ..........................................................6 Transformational Mysticism ......................................................................10 Transformational Mysticism in the Scriptures ...........................................13 Transformational Mysticism in the Dionysian Corpus ..............................25 Praise, Revelation, and Silence ..................................................................28 The Priority of Apophatic Christology ..................................................................31 Chapter Summaries ................................................................................................33 Concluding Note ....................................................................................................40 CHAPTER I - FANTASIES OF TRANSCENDENCE I: SOVEREIGNTY, LOGIC, AND EQUIVOCATION ..................................................................................................41 Psychologism .........................................................................................................47 Contingent Necessity .................................................................................49 The “Science” of Logic ..............................................................................49 Meaning as Psychological Fact ..................................................................53 Excursus: Versions of Anti-Psychologism ............................................................54 Wittgenstein’s Anti-psychologism ........................................................................56 Context Principle .......................................................................................59 Logic is Not a Science ...............................................................................63 vii Beyond the “Limits of Thought” ...............................................................75 Kant’s Irresolute Anti-Psychologism .....................................................................78 Excursus on the Philosophy of James Conant. .....................................................81 Conclusion. ...........................................................................................................82 CHAPTER II - FANTASIES OF TRANSCENDENCE II: AGAINST THE PSYCHOLOGISMS OF NEGATIVE THEOLOGY .......................................................86 Negative Theologies and Psychologism ................................................................90 Eric Perl’s Dionysius ................................................................................90 Denys Turner’s Negative Theology of Difference ...................................98 David Burrell’s Thomist Negative Theology ..........................................108 Conclusion: ..........................................................................................................121 CHAPTER III - THE GAZE OF HUMILITY I: THE INNER HIDDENNESS AND ITS HIDING ...........................................................................................................................129 Diamond’s and Cavell’s Analyses of Hiddenness ...............................................133 The Standard View ..................................................................................133 Criteria and Symptoms ............................................................................136 The Hidden and the Open to View ..........................................................147 Cavell and Separation .........................................................................................156 The Existential Charge .............................................................................156 Endless Separation ...................................................................................163 Appearance and Obligation......................................................................168 Encounter and Fantasy .............................................................................170 Conclusion. .........................................................................................................172 CHAPTER IV - THE GAZE OF HUMILITY II: THE SEVEN EYES OF THE CRUCIFIED ....................................................................................................................177 An Apophatic Theology of the Humble Gaze .....................................................179 The Essence/Processions Distinction. .....................................................179 An Apophatic Theology of Processions ..................................................181 The “Theandric Energy” of Jesus ...........................................................195 The Humble Gaze ....................................................................................201 viii Negative Theology and Evading the Gaze...........................................................213 Pride .........................................................................................................213 Fear and Grasping ....................................................................................215 Shame and Hiding ....................................................................................216 Negative Theology in the Garden ............................................................217 Conclusion. .........................................................................................................218 CHAPTER V - IDOLATROUS UNION: HENOSIS BEYOND IDENTITY AND DIFFERENCE ................................................................................................................222 Intimacy beyond Separation ................................................................................227 Inner Lives and Expressive
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