Editing Apophatic theology (section)

==Origins and development==
According to Fagenblat, "negative theology is as old as philosophy itself:" elements of it can be found in [[Plato's unwritten doctrines]], while it is also present in [[Neo-Platonic]], [[Gnostic]] and early [[Christians|Christian]] writers. A tendency to apophatic thought can also be found in [[Philo of Alexandria]].{{sfn|Fagenblat|2017|p=4}}

According to Carabine, "apophasis proper" in Greek thought starts with Neo-Platonism, with its [[speculation]]s about the nature of the [[One]], culminating in the works of Proclus.{{sfn|Carabine|2015|p=1}} Carabine writes that there are two major points in the development of apophatic [[theology]], namely the fusion of the Jewish tradition with [[Platonic philosophy]] in the writings of [[Philo]], and the works of [[Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite]], who infused Christian thought with Neo-Platonic ideas.{{sfn|Carabine|2015|p=1}}

The [[Early Church Fathers]] were influenced by Philo,{{sfn|Carabine|2015|p=1}} and Meredith even states that Philo "is the real founder of the apophatic tradition."{{sfn|Meredith|2002|p=545}} Yet, it was with Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and [[Maximus the Confessor]],{{sfn|Berthold|1985|p=9}} whose writings shaped both [[Hesychasm]] (the contemplative monastic tradition of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox Churches]]) and the [[mystical]] traditions of western Europe, that apophatic theology became a central element of Christian theology and [[contemplative]] practice.{{sfn|Carabine|2015|p=1}}

[[Elijah]]'s hearing of a "still, small voice" at 1 Kings 19:11-13 has been proposed as a Biblical example of apophatic [[prayer]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}