Anthropology
The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology February 25, 2020 Philip Sheldrake
Theological anthropology examines Christian views of human identity, and in mystical theology it takes three forms. Kataphatic anthropology affirms positive dimensions of human identity, illustrated by Julian of Norwich. Apophatic anthropology holds that the human self, like God, is ultimately beyond definition, referencing Julian, Meister Eckhart, and The Cloud of Unknowing. Liberationist anthropology, emerging in the late twentieth century, draws on Christian mysticism and emphasizes a collective understanding of human identity, along with a socially critical approach to how dominant cultural or political forces shape human existence.