Light Unapproachable: Divine Incomprehensibility and the Task of Theology

This book is about a religious paradox: theology refers to the study of God, but in Christianity, God dwells in unapproachable light and is therefore unable to be comprehended. To help negotiate such a lofty theological puzzle, theologist Kurtz (Cedarville Univ.; Fruitful Theology) reflects upon fourth-century Cappadocian fathers, John Chrysostom’s homilies, and Pseudo-Dionysius of the late fifth and early sixth centuries for arguments on God’s incomprehensibility. In high theological language, the book shows that God is knowable only due to his condescension. That is, any act of analogical ascent or spiritual participation with the divine occurs only through the auspices from the divine, which operates outside human categories of comprehension or understanding. Such high theology culminates in the idea that each believer is on a pilgrim journey towards that light unapproachable. Ultimately, Kurtz concludes that theological humility in the face of the divine’s incomprehensibility is not only expected but required of those who seek to know God.