- Apophatic theology as a dimension of deepening in Judaism and opening up to religious pluralism

Abstract

The article proposes a reflection on apophatic (or negative) theology in the Jewish context, discussing its historical development, from its roots in Neoplatonism and elaborations in the thought of Philon of Alexandria and Maimonides, to its manifestations in modern times. Apophatic theology consists of a way of thinking about God through the negation of any attributes imputable to him, that is, in terms only of what cannot be said about his ineffable nature. Operating through a logic of overcoming metaphysics, apophatic theology points to a knowledge that cannot be accessed through rational discourse, but which can be shown by its collapse. The paper argues that this theological approach offers a deepening of what constitutes the core meaning of Judaism, by way of criticizing the objectification of God and valuing the ethical commitment of human beings. Furthermore, by avoiding the absolutization of particular conceptions of the divine and favoring epistemological humility in recognizing the limits of human intellect and language, apophatic theology presents itself as an important path for openness and dialogue between different conceptions of reality in a pluralistic context.