A Postfoundationalist Comparative Christology

David Muthukumar Sivasubramanian

doi:10.5771/9781978713840

Summary

Interreligious relationships are often hindered by epistemic disparity caused by the nexus between religions and state powers. To solve this problem, David Muthukumar Sivasubramanian develops a postfoundationalist epistemological framework to affirm the epistemic parity and plurality of religions while upholding their particularity and universality. Building on this postfoundationalist epistemology, a comparative Christology paradigm that uses insights from the extant comparative theology method is reformulated with a Christological focus. This model seeks to affirm the exclusive faith assertions of Christianity and the corresponding universal claims for Christ. It also sustains the particular religious identity of a comparative theologian over against any compulsion to assume hybrid identity in the interreligious cross-learning. This comparative Christology framework is exhibited through cross-learning with the Tamil Saiva Siddhanta tradition. This method is shown to affirm not only the particularity and universality of Christianity but also of the Tamil Saiva Siddhanta tradition by defining each religion’s attempt at their revealed truth as a parallel quest for truth. Thus, it facilitates dialogue across religions by securing one’s self-identity and the other’s alterity.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2022
ISBN-Print: 978-1-9787-1383-3
ISBN-Online: 978-1-9787-1384-0
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 198
Product type: Book Titles

1. Dedication No access
2. Contents No access
3. Foreword No access
4. 1. Notes No access
5. List of Figures No access
6. Abbreviations No access
1. Notes No access
1. Introduction No access
2. 1. The Galileo Event No access
  2. The Darwinian Event No access
  3. Nature vs. Revelation No access
3. 1. The Philosophical Layer No access
  2. The Scientific Layer No access
4. 1. 1. Individual and Community No access
    2. Experience and Beliefs No access
    3. Understanding and Explanation No access
    4. Truth and Knowledge No access
5. 1. Discovered Truth about Nature No access
  2. Revealed Truth of Religions No access
6. Conclusion No access
7. Notes No access
1. Introduction No access
2. 1. Exclusivism No access
  2. Inclusivism No access
  3. Pluralism No access
3. 1. Comparative Theology No access
  2. Mode of Cross-Learning No access
4. 1. Epistemic Priority of Comparative Theology No access
  2. Multiple Religious Belonging No access
  3. Pluralistic Epistemology in Indian Context No access
5. 1. Functions of Scriptures No access
  2. The Materiality of Scriptures No access
  3. 1. Semantic and Performative Dimensions No access
    2. Iconic Dimension No access
6. 1. Autobiographical No access
  2. Confessional: Christological No access
  3. Comparative Learning No access
  4. Parallel Quest for Truth No access
7. Conclusion No access
8. Notes No access
1. Introduction No access
2. 1. Tamil Saiva Siddhanta No access
  2. Tamil History of Saiva Siddhanta No access
  3. 1. Tirumurai Texts No access
    2. Meykanda Sasthiram No access
3. 1. Siva–Sivam No access
  2. Siva, the Absolute No access
  3. Siva in Relation to Other Gods No access
  4. Siva in Relation to Creation No access
  5. Siva–Sakthi–Maya No access
  6. 1. Divine Freedom No access
    2. Sivam as Guru No access
4. 1. Pati and His Grace No access
  2. Souls and Bondage No access
  3. Path to Salvation No access
  4. Initiation and Discipline No access
  5. Liberation of the Soul No access
5. An Ad-Hoc Theology No access
6. Conclusion No access
7. Notes No access
1. Introduction No access
2. 1. Autobiographical No access
  2. 1. Exclusivity: A Problem? No access
    2. Guru–Incarnation No access
    3. The Person of Guru No access
    4. The Work of Guru No access
  3. 1. God’s Transcendence and Immanence No access
    2. Sin as Impurities (Malas) No access
    3. Salvation as Liberation No access
    4. Divine Grace No access
    5. The Holy Spirit as the Divine Guru No access
    6. Holistic Anthropology No access
  4. 1. Non-Euclidean Parallel Quest No access
    2. Religious Quests: Celestial Coordinate System No access
3. Conclusion No access
4. Notes No access
1. Note No access
Bibliography No access Pages 179 - 188
Index No access Pages 189 - 196
About the Author No access Pages 197 - 198