5. Religious Language 1

Learners will study different views about the understanding of religious teachings, and compare the significant ideas presented in works of two key scholars

5. Religious Language 1: List

Via Negativa and Via Positiva

Negative, Analogical or Symbolic

Content

the apophatic way – the via negativa
cataphatic way – the via positiva
symbol

Key Knowledge

the argument that theological language is best approached by negation
the understanding of religious language in terms of analogy, with reference to:
- Aquinas’s analogy of attribution and analogy of proper proportion
understanding of the language of religious expression in terms of symbol, with reference to:
- Tillich’s view of theological language as almost entirely symbolic
the extent to which human free will reasonably coexists with these attributes
the above should be studied with reference to alternative possibilities presented by Boethius, Anselm and Swinburne

5. Religious Language 1: CV