Radical Apophasis

“Todd Ohara gives us a clear, compelling, and illuminating read of two different types of apophatic theology by, respectively, Plotinus and Pseudo-Dionysius. Looking to the past, Ohara shows how they underlie different types of traditional Christian mystical theology and, looking forward, how they resonate with contemporary thinkers like Jean-Luc Marion.”


—David H. Kelsey, Luther A. Weigle Professor Emeritus of Theology, Yale Divinity School





“I warmly recommend Todd Ohara’s impressive exploration of radical apophasis in connection with the works of Plotinus and Dionysius. It explores these thinkers in their likeness and unlikeness, with special reference to the internal logic of negation at work in their metaphysical and theological thought. The work is engaging, lucid, and insightful. It has many excellences. It will be of interest to analytically oriented thinkers who value lucidity and precision in their studies. The specialist scholars will be satisfied and challenged. The work is well laid out with a fitting structure. It will give much food for thought to those perplexed by the fundamental perplexities of metaphysics and theology. It is not bewitched by the Heideggerian framing of the Western tradition and in an illuminating way it will release the reader to approach anew the treasury of metaphysical-theological richness locked away by the spell of that framing.”


—William Desmond, David Cook Chair in Philosophy, Villanova University