Apophasis, Abnegation, and Liturgy

Abstract

Apophatic theology is normally housed in the epistemological wing of the academy, and is treated as a via negativa that negates the assertion just made. This apophaticism feels like a wave that washes away every cataphatic sand castle we build. In this essay, I would like to change the street address of apophaticism to the house of liturgy. There, apophatic theology is a liturgical reaction to the sovereignty of God. It is a posture of latria. However, such a liturgical posture depends, in turn, upon abnegation. The infinity of God (apophasis) reveals our nothingness (abnegation), and our nothingness makes us rejoice (liturgy) in God’s infinity. Worse than idolatry is worship of ourselves: auto-latria. Apophatic theology is a liturgical reaction to the sovereignty of God, which, in turn, causes a state of abnegation, which I therefore call liturgical abnegation because it means forsaking autolatry.