God Dwelling in the Clouds: The Dionysian Idea of the Triple Divine Darkness
The God on Mount Sinai is the most widely used figure in Christian Negative Theology, with Dionysius Areopagita being its most famous interpreter. As Denys Turner described in his work <i>The Darkness of God</i>, the Dionysian God dwelling in the darkness has an intimate relationship wit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/2/233 |
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| Summary: | The God on Mount Sinai is the most widely used figure in Christian Negative Theology, with Dionysius Areopagita being its most famous interpreter. As Denys Turner described in his work <i>The Darkness of God</i>, the Dionysian God dwelling in the darkness has an intimate relationship with the Sun in the “Cave Allegory” of Plato’s <i>Republic</i>. This paper clarifies the complex relationship between these two figures, which remains largely underexplored in Turner’s book. The Dionysian God has three kinds of divine darkness: the first one stems from the Neoplatonist Porphyrius, who reinterpreted the darkness of the Cave to defend a Platonic positive view of the material world; the second one is attributed to Church Father Origen, who applied the Platonic philosophy to re-interpret the God on Mount Sinai; and finally, the last divine darkness, inspired by the Life of Moses, written by Gregory of Nyssa, which reaches the ultimate negation of any light. |
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| ISSN: | 2077-1444 |