A look at the relationship between text and religion

Abstract

This article analyzes the role of writing in the formation of religions and, consequently, in the development of Western culture. Based on the thesis of French philosopher Régis Debray, it points out that Jewish monotheism was only consolidated through writing, especially after the Babylonian exile, when the Torah became a central symbol of the identity of the Hebrew people. As far as Christianity is concerned, textual authority intensified in the Middle Ages, culminating in the Protestant Reformation, which, although it defended the “free examination” of Scripture, instituted new mechanisms of interpretative control, such as catechisms and preaching. David Olson, another theorist we turned to, points out that the reading of the biblical text developed after the Reformation influenced not only Protestant theology, but also the emergence of modern science, by proposing an analytical method of reading similar to that used to “read” nature. The article turns to a reflection on contemporary religious fundamentalism, particularly in Brazil. The authors conclude with the assertion that the way in which sacred texts are read and interpreted is crucial to understanding current social and political phenomena, with profound implications for democracy and freedom.