God and Creation in the Writings of Pseudo-Dionysius and Brahmabandhab Upadhyay

• Main Author: D'Souza, Simplicio
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2024
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/apms/vol6/iss1/4; https://archium.ateneo.edu/context/apms/article/1011/viewcontent/APMS_206.1_204_20Article_20__20D_27Souza_20FINAL.pdf
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

Christian theology over the centuries has established itself in Western categories of thought. The official Church magisterium at times is at pains to acknowledge, nay condone, expressions of theological thought in categories other than the established ones. In our paper, we explore the theological consonances between a classical Western theologian and an Eastern (rather Asian) theologian. If Pseudo-Dionysius attempted to interpret Christianity through Neoplatonism, Brahmabandhab Upadhyay explores Christianity through the Indian Advaita Vedānta. We place them into dialogue in their theological explorations regarding God and creation, only to realize that expressing the inexpressible can happen in different cultures, yet be faithful to the core content. The God of Pseudo-Dionysius and that of Upadhyay is the same, and the contours of expressing this God differently bear witness to the same One reality, God. When Dionysius and Upadhyay are placed in a dialogical dynamic, we realize how much they share in common and consequently, how much Upadhyay could serve in expressing the Christian God and God's creation through the language of the Advaita Vedānta.