Apophatic and Kataphatic Theology from the Viewpoint of Eckhart

Any discussion of apophatic and kataphatic theologies as two opposite trends which have, throughout the history of philosophical though on God, attracted great thinkers, sheds light on one of the most important aspects of God-human epistemological relation. The present paper investigates Meister Eckhart’s viewpoint on these two approaches to theology. First, his definitions of apophasis and kataphasis are studied. Then, some suggestions are made to narrow the gap between the two definitions. Later in the paper, the two definitions are recognized as proper and discussed in detail. The paper ends with a study of Eckhart’s intellectual fount which aroused his interest in the two opposing trends of apophasis and kataphasis.