Symbolism in the Language of Religion: A Comparative Study of Paul Tillich and the Gnostics

Zaid Al-Battat

Abstract

The study examines one of the most important approaches to the language of religion, namely the approach that considers this kind of language to be symbolic. Here, we discuss two theories in this study: the symbolism adopted by the Christian theologian Paul Tillich as a general theory of the language of religion, and the symbolism of the Sufis and Gnostics. However, we have identified several structural and methodological problems in both theories, such as the generalization of Tillich's symbolism to most of the sacred texts and considering them as unreal, and the reduction of religious issues to symbolic expressions intended to refer to the "ultimate concern," which cannot be scientifically and historically criticized. As for the symbolism of the Sufis and Gnostics, although it differs significantly from Tillich's theory by acknowledging the cognitive and realistic nature of religious issues, it also suffers from explicit violations of the literal meanings of religious texts, and it relies on unreliable revelations (mukashafat) and other problems.Hence, we have tried in this study to review the theoretical foundations on which these two theories rely, their applied examples, and the comparison between them according to the descriptive approach in reviewing the theories and their applications, and the analytical approach in evaluation and criticism.

Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)