negative theology

Negative theology, also known as apophatic theology, is an approach to understanding the divine by stating what God is not, rather than what God is. This philosophical and theological perspective arises from the belief that ultimate reality transcends human comprehension and language. Because human concepts and images are inadequate to describe the divine, negative theology negates everything that can be ascribed to God.1234

This contrasts with positive theology, which describes the divine nature using affirmative categories or by presenting the gospel directly. While positive theology attempts to describe God, negative theology acknowledges the limitations of human understanding when discussing the divine, suggesting that God is infinite (not finite) and timeless (not in time).532