Meanings
- lifestyleA concept of God built up through negative statements about his nature.
The medieval Roman Catholic Church recognized two opposite roads to grace: the via negativa of the monk's cell and the hermit's cave, and the via affirmativa of immersion in human affairs, of being in the world whether or not one is of it.
1986 December 28, John Barth, “A Few Words About Minimalism”, in The New York Times, →ISSNSynonyms: apophatic theology
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA concept of God built up through negative statements about his nature.
Cite this entry
via negativa. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/via%20negativa
“via negativa.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/via%20negativa. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “via negativa,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/via%20negativa.
Source: via negativa on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.