apophasis
- noun
- /ˌæpəˈfæsɪs/
- Literature
:
apofasis
- Her reliance on apophasis allowed her to criticize the problem subtly while maintaining a respectful tone.
Examples
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This dual apophasis, Rahner concludes, directs us to seek what we may experience of eternity only existentially in the present moment, where silence, and not speech, is the appropriate response: "we meet the living dead, even when they are those who are loved by us, in faith, hope, and love; that is, when we open our hearts to the silent calm of God himself, in which they live; not by calling them back to where we are, but by descending into the silent eternity of our own hearts, and through faith in the risen Lord, creating in time the eternity which they have brought forth forever."
Academic text (2006) -
For LaCugna, apophasis is not a way of knowing God at a step removed from God's economy, but a way of deepening our knowledge of God, who is in relation to us—and a way of knowing all reality in relation to God.
Academic text (2002) -
It is, in fact, related to apophasis on the negative side because it primarily serves to identify and eliminate what is bad theology.
Academic text (2007) -
LaCugna's theology is also notable in that she does not use apophasis only as a way of approach to God, but also as a way of approach to God's economy and all God's creatures.
Academic text (2002) -
Odili's dislike of autonomous women expresses itself stylistically in his serial use of apophasis, the assertion of a subject through its negation.
Academic text (2017) -
The speaker used apophasis to hint at the scandal without explicitly naming it.
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In his speech, the politician's apophasis cleverly suggested the opposition's failures without stating them directly.
Synonyms
A way of bringing up something by saying you will not talk about it
Mentioning something briefly while pretending to ignore it draws attention
To pretend not to mention something while actually making people notice it
Briefly mention something while saying you will not give the important details
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word apophasis comes from Greek parts apo- meaning 'away' and phasis meaning 'saying', the same root you see in phrase. So, apophasis is when someone brings up something by saying they will not mention it.
