Apophatic and Anthropomorphic Visions of God in Philo of Alexandria
Apophatic and Anthropomorphic Visions of God in Philo of Alexandria
Author(s): Scott MackieSubject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Theology and Religion
Published by: Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II - Wydział Teologii
Keywords: Philo of Alexandria; apophaticism; negative theology; anthropomorphism; transcendence; ineffability; theophany; visions of God; mysticism; allegorical interpretation
Summary/Abstract: Despite his core theological convictions that God is incorporeal, formless, invisible, and unchangeable, in some of his most carefully crafted visio Dei texts Philo portrays God “changing shape” and temporarily adopting a human form. However, these are only “seeming appearances” and actually involve God projecting a human-shaped “impression,” or “appearance” (φαντασία) from his shapeless, immaterial being. By accommodating the overwhelming reality of God’s being to the perceptual and conceptual limitations of the human percipient, these docetic theophanies allow humans to more confidently relate to the deity, while at the same time preserving God’s absolute transcendence and apophatic otherness.
Journal: Verbum Vitae
- Issue Year: 41/2023
- Issue No: 3
- Page Range: 529-546
- Page Count: 18
- Language: English