Mystical Theology of Dionysius: Transcendental God-Talk. Conclusion. Part Eight

Last updated on: January 7, 2019 at 4:04 am by Henry Karlson

Mystical Theology of Dionysius: Transcendental God-Talk. Conclusion. Part Eight 2019-01-07T04:04:18-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The truth is something which is revealed, and not something which we create or establish through our intellectual pursuits. This does not mean such pursuits are worthless. They are to be used to help us understand what has been revealed. What we can establish is a derivative representation of the truth, but such a representation is true so long as we do not hold it as absolute: we must let it participate in and unite with the absolute truth itself if we want it to have some form of the truth within. This is why debates over the truth are superfluous. We can debate the truth, and fight one another for it, looking for fame and glory as we think we can reason our way to the absolute truth. We cannot, and so long as we try to do so, we will cut ourselves off from the absolute truth, making even our relative representation of the truth a phantasmal representation of the truth which is as honest a representation of the truth as a counterfeit coin. This, then, is why Dionysius in his seventh letter said that he would not debate Greeks or anyone else on the nature of the truth:

I, at any rate, am not conscious, when speaking in reply to Greeks or others, of fancying to assist good men, in case they should be able to know and speak the very truth, as it really is in itself. For, when this is correctly demonstrated in its essential nature, according to a law of truth, and has been established without flaw, everything which is otherwise, and simulates the truth, will be convicted of being other than the reality, and dissimilar, and that which is seeming rather than real.[1]

On the one hand, Dionysius explained that those who are good natured, who truly desire the truth, will receive it when it is properly demonstrated. Far from needing debate or conflict for the truth to be revealed, such conflict pits people against each other, turning them away from the promotion of the truth as they try to defend their own particular ideological opinions. It is hubris to think we can establish the truth through our reason alone, and likewise, that we can argue with others, making them to see what we see, and think what we think. For someone to receive the truth, they need experience with it; that is, they need to experience reality as it is, and not look for and follow some fanciful representation of it, as Dionysius further said:

It is superfluous then, that the expounder of truth should contend with these or those. For each affirms himself to have the royal coin, and perchance has some deceptive image of a certain portion of the true. And, if you refute this, first the one, and then the other, will contend concerning the same. But, when the true statement itself has been correctly laid down, and has remained unrefuted by all the rest, everything which is not so in every respect is cast down of itself, by the impregnable stability of the really true. Having then as I think well understood this, I have not been over zealous to speak in reply to Greeks or to others; but it is sufficient for me (and may God grant this), first to know about truth, then, having known, to speak as it is fitting to speak.[2]

Those who speak of the truth should do so in relation to the truth itself, and not merely being in contention against what others have said about it. Apophaticism is not nihilism. As we free ourselves from our attempts to map out and establish the truth, from the various images of the truth which we think we can establish through reason alone, we must be careful and not fall into the error which we had before and think we establish the truth through our negations. We cannot establish the truth. Our abstractions only open the way for the truth to be revealed: the expounder of the truth must have a revelation of the truth itself and work with and expound upon that truth in such a skillful way that they can reveal to others that truth to others, keeping in mind whatever they say will merely be a derivative form of that the truth so that their talk about the truth does not become confused as the absolute truth.

It is easy to get caught up in conflict with others, and in doing so, ending up believing one is the holder of the absolute truth which judges all others. This is the danger of such debates. The truth does not need to contend with what is not true, for it upholds itself, and so it does not need us to define it. Likewise, those who pursue the truth do not need to engage others, debating the truth, seeking to establish it through such debate. Everyone will come out and claim their own truth. Like a hydra, every untruth which is shown to be untrue will result in many more untruths coming forward, trying to convince us that they represent the truth. The meaningless pursuit of such conflict will result in various arguments which lead nowhere but confusion, which is how and why many philosophers even became skeptical in regards the truth because they know the result of such debates. Instead, as Dionysius indicated, we must negate falsehoods, to be sure, and silence ourselves, disengaging ourselves from such conflicts, so that we can truly let the truth reveal itself to us (in whatever fashion it finds is best to reach us). We can expound upon our understanding of it when asked, but when we do so, we need to do so with humility and charity. We must not seek conflict, because in such conflict, we rarely find those ready for and open to the truth. This is why Dionysius said he did not seek fame in debate like Greek philosophers did. He thought it was superfluous, and led people astray. What he found important is to hold a real love for truth and to do what is necessary in order to welcome it. What we apprehend of the truth can be and should be used to establish a relative presentation of the truth to help those who we can through our guidance: we are to speak when it is fitting to speak, and be silent when it is fitting to be silent. Pursuit of philosophical or theological glory through contention leaves mere contention; this is why such contention must not be confused as the kind of denial Dionysius intended with his use of apophatic theology.

[IMG=Luke presenting painting of Mary with Child by Guercino [Public domain] via WikimediaCommons]

[1] Dionysius, “Letter Seven” in The Works of Dionysius the Areopigate. Trans. James Parker (London: James Parker and Co,, 1897), 145-6.

[2] Dionysius, “Letter Seven,” 146.

Previous Post

January 5, 2019

The Theophany and the Cleansing of the Earth

Next Post

January 8, 2019 Love is the Answer

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz