From the Greek kataphasis (“affirmation”). Cataphatic theology affirms positively what God is, rather than denying what He is not (apophatic theology). It is therefore also called “affirmative” or “positive” theology.
Examples of positive concepts referring to God include His Goodness, Wisdom, Omnipotence… This implies that human beings can know God partially and analogically, using human language to express divine truths.
More specifically
Throughout the history of Christian thought, cataphatic theology developed in response to the need for formulating doctrines, dogmas, and intelligible symbols. It rests on the conviction that God reveals Himself not only through Scripture, but also through creation and the intelligible order of the world. Thus, God’s positive attributes — Life, Light, Truth, Justice — are not mere anthropomorphic projections, but, analogically, traces of a transcendent reality. Saint Augustine, for instance, claims that every truth encountered in creation ultimately refers to the uncreated Truth: God.
However, cataphatic theology requires a twofold prudence. First, human predicates are limited: when we say “God is good,” the word “good” does not apply to God and creatures in the same way. This is why Thomas Aquinas relies on analogy, situated between univocity (same meaning) and equivocity (no common meaning). Second, positive affirmations risk solidifying the divine incomprehensibility: categorized discourse can give the illusion of exhaustive understanding.
Despite these limits, the cataphatic path remains essential for spiritual and liturgical life. It allows speech about God — indispensable for proclamation, preaching, and communal prayer. Without affirmation, there would be no creed, no praise, no dogma. Thus, cataphatic theology is articulated in a creative tension with apophatic theology: the former names, the latter strips away; the former shows, the latter veils. Their complementarity preserves both the intelligibility of theological discourse and the infinite transcendence of the Mystery.
Further reading:
– Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, Mystical Theology
– Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, I, q.13
– Meister Eckhart, Sermons
– Bruno Bérard, Metaphysics for Everyone (New York, Angelico Press) trans. of Métaphysique pour tous (Paris, L’Harmattan, 2021); It. Sui sentieri della metafisica; Sp. ¿Qué es la metafísica?; Ger. Was ist Metaphysik?