Approaching an Unknowable God: The Practical and Contemplative Role of Maimonides Negative Theology in Aquinas and Eckhart

Identifier

78

Author

Justin G. Price

Date

2016

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Psychology

Concentration

Clinical Psychology

Committee Chair

Mark A. Kaplowitz

Committee Member

Robert A. Marczynski

Abstract

This research examines primary and secondary sources related to the negative theology of Andalusian Rabbi Moses Maimonides, focusing on the influence that it had on Christian theologians Thomas Aquinas and Eckhart von Hochheim (commonly referred to as Meister Eckhart). By examining the philosophical and theological implications each thinker posits in defining God through apophasis, this study concludes that the strident approach to via negativa espoused by Maimonides profoundly influenced how both Aquinas and Eckhart approached their own theologies. Specific attention is given to the common theme of silent contemplation, espoused by all as a better means of comprehending the Divine in light of the impossibility to do so philosophically.

Comments

Undergraduate Honor's Thesis

Library Comment

Honors thesis originally submitted to the Local University of Memphis Honor’s Thesis Repository.

Recommended Citation

Price, Justin G., "Approaching an Unknowable God: The Practical and Contemplative Role of Maimonides Negative Theology in Aquinas and Eckhart" (2016). Honors Theses. 46.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/honors_theses/46