Gadamer's Philosophical Hermeneutics; A Strategic Platform for the Realization of Comparative Theology

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Morteza Peirojafari 1
Vahideh Fakhar Noghani 2
Jahangir Masoudi 3
1 Ph. D. Graduate in Islamic Teachings, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Teachings, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
3 Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Wisdom, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
10.30497/prr.2024.242584.1746
Abstract
Comparative theology, as a new approach in theology, seeks to have a constructive encounter with other religions and theologies and to gain a deep understanding through comparison and adaptation with other religions. The process of this understanding in comparative theology requires a proper context and strategy to achieve the goals of this theology. In this paper, based on Gadamer's hermeneutic principles, the hermeneutic strategies of comparative theology are examined and analyzed. The result of this analysis indicates considerable affinities between Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics and comparative theology such as the infinity of understanding, the fusion of horizons, the game of understanding, the understanding of self through the understanding of the "other", the acceptance of prejudice as an integral part of the flow of understanding, and finally the enrichment of one’s theology through the understanding “other’s” theology. According to this result, the phenomenon of understanding in comparative theology can be explained based on Gadamerian hermeneutics. In general, Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics can result in the development of comparative theology and its achievements. Comparative theology, in addition to adopting the original and traditional meanings of religious teachings and rituals, is based on a dynamic understanding of religious traditions and also a hermeneutic flexibility of religious doctrines.
Keywords
comparative theology
philosophical hermeneutics
Gadamer
understanding
prejudice
fusion of horizons
Subjects
Laksana, A. Bagus. 2010. "Comparative Theology: Between Identity and Alterity." Pp. 1-20, in The New Comparative Theology: Interreligious Insights from the Next Generation, Francis Xavier Clooney (ed.). A&C Black.
Babaee, Mazhar, et al. 2014. “Investigating the Concept of Game According to Gadamer’s Philosophical Hermeneutics and Exploring Its Implications in the Acquisition of Consciousness/Understanding”. Foundations of Education, 4 (2): 51-68. [In Persian]
Clooney, Francis X. 2001. Hindu God, Christian God: How Reason Helps Break Down the Boundaries between Religions. New York: Oxford University Press.
Clooney, Francis X. 2010. Comparative Theology: Deep Learning across Religious Borders. Wiley-Blackwell.
Cornille, Catherine. 2020. Meaning and Method in Comparative Theology. Hoboken: Wiley.
Ast, Friedrich. 1989. “Hermeneutics.” In The Hermeneutic Tradition. State University of New York Press.
Gadamer, Hans-Georg. 2004. Truth and Method (2nd revised edition). New York: Continuum.
Hedges, Paul. 2016. “Comparative Theology and Hermeneutics: A Gadamerian Approach to Interreligious Interpretation.” Religions 7 (1): 7. doi: 10.3390/rel7010007.
Hedges, Paul. 2017a. "Gadamer, Play, and Interreligious Dialogue as the Opening of Horizons." Journal of Dialogue Studies 4.
Hedges, Paul. 2017b. “Comparative Theology: A Critical and Methodological Perspective.” Brill Research Perspectives in Theology 1(1): 1–89. doi: 10.1163/24683493-12340001.
Heidegger, Martin. 2010. Sein und Seit. Translated by Siyavash Jamadi. Tehran: Qoqnoos. [In Persian]
Masʿoudi, Jahangir. 2007. “Hermeneutics as Methodology of Research in Religious Sciences”. Journal of Philosophical Theological Research 8(3-4): 28-58. [In Persian]
Masʿoudi, Jahangir. 2013. Hermeneutics and Religious Modernity. Qom: Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy [In Persian]
Moinzadeh, Mahdi. 2018. Gadamer and Humanities. Qom: Research Institute of Hawzah and University. [In Persian]
Moyaert, Marianne. 2011. “Comparative_Theology in Search for a Hermenutical Framework.” In Interreligious Hermeneutics in Pluralistic Europe, 161–185. Brill Rodopi.
Moyaert, Marianne. 2014. In Response to the Religious Other: Ricoeur and the Fragility of Interreligious Encounters. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books.
Moyaert, Marianne. 2015. “Theology Today: Comparative Theology as a Catholic Theological Approach.” Theological Studies 76(1): 43–64. doi: 10.1177/0040563914565298.
Palmer, Richard E. 1998. Hermeneutics: Interpretation Theory in Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Heidegger and Gadamer. Translated by Mohammad-Said Hanayi Kashani. Tehran: Hermes. [In Persian]
Steinsholt, Kjetil, and Elin Traasdahl. 2001. "The Concept of Play in Hans-Georg Gadamer's Hermeneutics: An Educational Approach." Play and Culture Studies 3: 73-96.
Tracy, David. 1995. “Comprative Theology.” Translated by Bahaʾuddin Khorramshahi. Arghanun 5-6: 271-292. [In Persian]
Tracy, David. 2010. "Western Hermeneutics and Interreligious Dialogue." Interreligious Hermeneutics: 1-43.