The apophatic concept of the divine beauty in the writings of St. Basil of caesarea and in subsequent Greek patristics

Since recently, theological aesthetics has started gaining popularity in the Russianspeaking society. One of the important notions used and developed in the field discussed is that of Divine beauty. Its importance stems from the fact that it intersects with the field of dogmatic and mystical theology. In the works of H. U. von Balthasar, the Divine beauty is understood as the aesthetically perceived form of Christ, which is revealed to man in the transcendental light or glory of the Holy Spirit. However, H. U. von Balthasar himself mentions the apophatic ascent of man to the inherent beauty of God Himself as the stage that follows the contemplation of the beauty revealed in the form of Christ. Subsequent theological aesthetics leaves the apophatic concept of the beauty of God out of consideration, and considers the cataphatic notion of beauty as of an immanent form of appearance of the transcendental God to be the main one. The research has shown that a number of Greek Church Fathers understood the beauty of God, implying an apophatic notion not related with aesthetic contemplation of the form. This concept originates in the early works of St. Basil of Caesarea. Further, it is used as an additional means to express the Divine light doctrine in Corpus Маcarianum, in writings of St. Simeon the New Theologian and St. Gregory Palamas. The analysis makes it possible to posit a difference in the understanding of the Divine beauty by modern theological aesthetics and Greek Church Fathers.