Beyond Image: The Apophatic-Kataphatic Dialectic in Teresa de Avila
2001; American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese; Volume: 84; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/3657835
ISSN2153-6414
Autores Tópico(s)Libraries, Manuscripts, and Books
ResumoCatholicism distinguishes between two different approaches to spirituality. Apophatic, or negative spirituality stresses interiority, imageless-ness and wordlessness. Kataphatic, or positive spirituality is image-driven and uses analogies to speak of God. Teresa de Avila draws on both traditions. Inspired by Francisco de Osuna's practice of recogimiento, Teresa describes the inward movement of the soul. The incoherent, impressionistic quality of her prose results from the amassment of disparate metaphors that ultimately transcend word and image, deconstructing all rational notions of God. However, her familiarity with Ignatius's Ejercicios espirituales made her acutely aware of the effectiveness of image to spur spiritual experience, and she builds on images of Christ and the Virgin in order to overcome spiritual dryness and intensify prayer. The apophatic-kataphatic dialectic creates an exquisite tension in her work.
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