Research Catalog

Title

Unsaying God : negative theology in medieval Islam / Aydogan Kars.

Author

Kars, Aydogan

Publication

• New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2019]
• ©2019

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xii, 343 pages; 25 cm.

Summary

What cannot be said about God, and how can we speak about God by negating what we say? Travelling across prominent negators, denialists, ineffectualists, paradoxographers, naysayers, ignorance-pretenders, unknowers, I-don't-knowers, and taciturns, Unsaying God: Negative Theology in Medieval Islam delves into the negative theological movements that flourished in the first seven centuries of Islam. Kars agrues that there were multiple and often competing strategies for self-negating speech in the vast field of theology. By focusing on Arabic and Persian textual sources, the book defines four distinct yet interconnected paths of negative speech formation on the nature of God that circulated in medieval the Islamic world. Expanding its scope to Jewish intellectuals, Unsaying God also demonstrates that religious boundaries were easily transgressed as scholars from diverse sectarian or religious backgrounds could adopt similar paths of negative speech on God. This is the first book-length study of negative theology in Islam. As an introductory work, it aims to encompass vast fields of scholarship, and diverse intellectual schools and figures. Throughout, Kars demonstrates how seemingly different genres should be read in a more connected way in light of the cultural and intellectual history of Islam instead of considering them as different opposing sets of orthodoxies and heterodoxies.

Series Statement

Academy series

Uniform Title

American Academy of Religion academy series.

Alternative Title

Negative theology in medieval Islam

Subjects

• God (Islam) > Proof > History of doctrines
• Islamic countries > Intellectual life
• Negative theology > Islam
• Intellectual life

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 301-330) and index.

Contents

Introduction -- Path one. Double negation : Isma'ili apophaticism -- Path two. Necessarily dissimilar : philosophical apophaticism -- Path three. "Yes and no" : paradoxical apophaticism and dialectical logic -- Path four. Against discourse : Amodal apophaticism -- Conclusion -- Bibliography.

Call Number

JFE 19-10278

ISBN

• 9780190942458
• 0190942452

LCCN

2018048099

OCLC

1060182210

Author

Kars, Aydogan, author.

Title

Unsaying God : negative theology in medieval Islam / Aydogan Kars.

Publisher

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2019]

Copyright Date

©2019

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Series

Academy series

American Academy of Religion academy series.

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 301-330) and index.

Research Call Number

JFE 19-10278