In his Alciphron, Berkeley states that the atheists used the apophatic theology of Areopagite as an argument against the theism proving, as they thought, that the word ‘God’ had no meaning. Berkeley contested this argument using the concept of rational analogy. However, Berkeley’s philosophy of language tends to the symbolism which is more close to the symbolism of Areopagite. The report analyses the attitude of Gregory the Theologian to the problem of negative theology and atheism.
     

God, Dionysius Areopagite, George Berkeley, Gregory the Theologian, atheism, philosophy of language, sign, word, symbol, meaning, analogy, apophatic theology