Theological Epistemology and Apophasis

Mystical theology is not a search for extraordinary experiences but a disciplined formation of language and subjectivity. Examining intellectualist thinkers from Pseudo-Dionysius to Meister Eckhart and affective theologians from Bernard of Clairvaux to Bonaventure, the chapter shows how both traditions require protocols for speaking of God as both beyond naming and genuinely experienceable. These epistemological disciplines—regimes of discourse and practice—shape a self capable of a more intense relation with God, distinguishing mystical theology from William James's concept of 'peak' experiences.

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Abstract

This chapter examines the epistemology of mystical theology. It begins with the ‘intellectualist’ line of thinking from Pseudo-Dionysius to Meister Eckhart, paying close attention both to the ‘protocols’ which are required to speak of God both as the ground of our language, beyond naming, and as one who can really be experienced. These epistemological protocols can also be identified in Augustine, and later in the more ‘affective’ line of mystical theology from Bernard of Clairvaux to Bonaventure, though in a rather different form. This renders mystical theology quite different from a quest for Jamesian ‘peak’ experiences and knowledge of them; rather, it entails disciplines of formation, involving regimes of discourse and practice, to learn a language and a subjectivity enabling a more intense relation with God.