Anagogical Truth

It is important in Catholic theology and Scriptural Study to read Sacred Scripture narratively and analogically as these are ways we can comprehend Scripture, to an extent. Again, referring to the potential of material epistemology to know Truth and to point to deeper Truth, understanding the narrative and analogical Truths is essential in that they suggest deeper Truths. The term used to refer to Truths that are more Transcendent and therefore beyond human comprehension is anagogical Truth. While anagogical Truth cannot be directly observed or comprehended, by observing narrative and analogical Truths and by noting trends or themes that exist on both the narrative and analogical level, one can surmise Truths that exist on a Transcendent level. In this way, Catholic theology understands Sacred Scripture to present narrative and analogical Truths in terms of material epistemology as a means for pointing the human intellect toward transcendent Truths. These transcendent Truths, beyond observable knowledge, can only be fully comprehended by phronesis or an encounter, in this case, with the God presented in Sacred Scripture.

St. Colman's Catholic Church in Claremorris, Co. Mayo, Ireland. Even in the small towns in Ireland, like Claremorris (population 4800), the Catholic Churches were built to "point to" the grandeur of God, must the same way narrative and analogical Truths are meant to "point to" anagogical Truths.

In considering the materialist world and material epistemology, the observable world presents narrative and analogical Truths. It is by these Truths that one can be directed toward greater Truths which can only be comprehended by an acquiescent encounter with the divine. “Remember when we talked about psychology and sociology and philosophy and how they all seem to suggest the importance of relationship?” I ask my students sarcastically. We have been studying this stuff for several days. “We saw through those material or episteme-driven sciences the theme or idea of relationship as being important. We do not know exactly how important or how it looks outside of the Pit, but we can tell that it is important. This is an anagogical Truth: humans are meant to be in relationship with each other”.

The concept that one can begin to encounter God through the material world, and by that encounter begin to know the Truth of One’s Authentic self, is called Sacramentality. If creation is the result of an over-surplus of divine Love expressed between the persons of the Trinity, then it is within the boundaries of creation that one can encounter the Truth that is the source of that Creation. Sacramentality is, essentially, observing the created worlds’ narrative and analogical Truths with a lens that looks toward anagogical Truth. With this lens, the created world remains essential in the pursuit of one’s Authentic Self in as much as one continues to look beyond the limitations of human intellect in the pursuit of Truth.