Listening out for God’s Breath – a Negative Hermeneutical Approach to Mysticism

A negative hermeneutics—one that begins with gaps, failures, and limits—offers a productive framework for studying mysticism. The concept of 'travail of the negative' highlights how mystical expressions continuously 'unsay' and 'subvert' traditional faith and religious practice. This approach connects practical and theoretical negativity in mystical theology, urging theology to take negation seriously as a fundamental characteristic. The essay argues that such a perspective enriches broader theological discourse by centering the dynamic of negation rather than positive affirmations.

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Abstract

Abstract This essay argues that a negative hermeneutics, i.e., a hermeneutics that takes its starting point from the experience of gaps, failures, and limits, is a suitable lens for the study of mysticism. It uses the concept of travail of the negative, which focuses on dynamics of a continuous ‘unsaying’ and ‘subverting’ of traditional expressions of faith and religious practice, to explore the connection between aspects of practical and theoretical negativity in mystical expressions. It suggests that this approach to mystical theology makes an important contribution to the wider theological discourse and encourages theology to take the fundamental character of negation seriously.