Mystical Theology and the Four Discourses
A Theology of Failure May 7, 2019 DOI: 10.5422/fordham/9780823284078.003.0007 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractRereading Dionysius's Mystical Theology through Jacques Lacan's four discourses shows how a Žižekian ontology enables a materialist interpretation of apophatic theology and Christian identity. Slavoj Žižek's work allows repeating Dionysius differently, under a Žižekian materialism where apophatic theology is the condition of both the possibility and impossibility of cataphatic theology. In this materialist theology, Christian identity follows the logic of drive: not as commitment to answers or harmony, but as commitment to the problem of being faithful to Christ.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Argues that a Žižekian materialist reading of Dionysius's Mystical Theology repositions apophatic theology as the condition of both possibility and impossibility for cataphatic theology, and Christian identity as commitment to a problem rather than to answers. |
Abstract
In this chapter I suggest that a rereading of Dionysius’s Mystical Theology through Jacques Lacan’s four discourses illustrates how a Žižekian ontology makes possible a materialist reading of apophatic theology and Christian identity. Slavoj Žižek’s work offers the possibility of repeating Dionysius differently, under the aegis of a Žižekian materialism within which apophatic theology is the condition of both the possibility and the impossibility of cataphatic theology. In such a materialist theology, Christian identity can be understood according to the logic of drive: that is, not as a commitment to a particular set of answers or a particular vision of harmony, but precisely as the commitment to a particular problem, the problem of what it means to be faithful to Christ.