Editing Apophatic theology (section)

== Etymology and definition ==
"Apophatic", {{langx|grc|ἀπόφασις}} ([[noun]]); from ἀπόφημι ''apophēmi'', meaning 'to deny'. From ''[[Online Etymology Dictionary]]'': 
{{blockquote|apophatic (adj.) "involving a mention of something one feigns to deny; involving knowledge obtained by negation", 1850, from Latinized form of Greek ''apophatikos'', from apophasis "denial, negation", from apophanai "to speak off," from apo "off, away from" (see apo-) + phanai "to speak," related to pheme "voice," from PIE root *bha- (2) "to speak, tell, say."{{r|OED|group=web}}}}

{{Lang|la|Via negativa}} or {{lang|la|via negationis}} ([[Latin]]), 'negative way' or 'by way of denial'.{{sfn|McCombs|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_cbuGVI_UNAC&dq=%22negative+theology%22%22apophatic+theology%22%22via+negativa%22%22via+negationis%22&pg=PA84 84]}} The negative way forms a pair together with the ''[[kataphatic]]'' or positive way. According to Deirdre Carabine,
{{blockquote|Pseudo Dionysius describes the kataphatic or affirmative way to the divine as the "way of speech": that we can come to some understanding of the Transcendent by attributing all the perfections of the created order to God as its source. In this sense, we can say "God is Love", "God is Beauty", "God is Good". 
<br>The apophatic or negative way stresses God's absolute transcendence and unknowability in such a way that we cannot say anything about the divine essence because God is so totally beyond being. The dual concept of the immanence and transcendence of God can help us to understand the simultaneous truth of both "ways" to God: at the same time as God is immanent, God is also transcendent. At the same time as God is knowable, God is also unknowable. God cannot be thought of as one or the other only.{{r|DC_interview|group=web}}}}