Chapter 2: The Need for Revelation
Man, realizing his utter inability to comprehend the meaning of everything, will eventually consider the possibility of revelation, of divinity manifesting itself directly to him. This hypothesis is reasonable, for reason seeks a way to know the mystery and "cannot define what the mystery can or cannot do" (21). Throughout human history divine revelation comes up again and again as a topic of art, religion, literature, theatre, and every expression of the mind and soul.
How has man looked for revelation within religious history? Giussani highlights several observations documented by scholars regarding revelation.
1. A hierophany is "a manifestation of the sacred" (22), which must always involve the supernaturalization of a natural object. "In manifesting itself, it confers on this being or object a sacred dimension which permits it to fulfil a mediation role" (22). These sacred symbols attempt to lift man from his current reality of banality and toil to the greater reality of the Mystery, the Unknown.
The myth holds a special place in history, both because it is ubiquitous and intangible. Through their narration myths remove the listener from his "profane" world and place him on the brink of the divine world, at least symbolically. Myths also move us to detach ourselves from our constructed realities we think are true - money, politics, studies - and to "strive to grasp the most incorruptible, original, and mysterious aspects of life" (23). Whether tangible or intangible "religious symbols which touch life's structures reveal a life that transcends the natural human dimension (23).
2. "Man has always recognized... his constant need for other men to be mediators" (23). Just as objects can symbolically possess a special connection to the divine, so can persons. The priest, the shaman, and the oracle all have a special role. They are intermediate connectors between the Mystery and man; they help reveal the Other.
3. Even ancient Greek religion, which held that intimacy with the divine was hopeless, exhibited a desire for revelation. The god Dionysus differs from other deities; he appears to all sorts of peoples and instigates all sorts of pleasures and terrors by his very presence. He "attracts both politicians and contemplatives, orgiastics and ascetics... one could approach him, even incorporate him" (25). Giussani also notes that hermits of Imperial Rome foresaw no other way to satisfy the thirst for knowledge beside the revelation of a god.
4. "All founders of religions have in common the certainty that they are the bearers of an essential revelation of their God" (25). Either by direct contact or an intermediary such as an angel of spirit, religious founders claim that they have at least some of the answers to man's eternal questions about his origin and the meaning of reality.
5. The last observation looks at the faith of Israel, which waits for an "event" to occur in history. God "remains transcendent but entrusts his presence and his words to the reality most inherent in man - history" (27). Could any other aspect of our existence be more salient? The Jewish people await an encounter with Yahweh. "Yahweh and man have a continuous relationship but this relationship is prior to revelation itself and preparatory to it" (27).
Giussani illustrates these five points with various references to religious thought and holy writings of Islam, Tibet, Greece, and Zarathustra, to name a few. Man is compelled to have a religion, and in this sense every religion which is a genuine attempt to know the Mystery is true. But what about Christianity, which says it is the "one and only way?" (28). How do we regard this audacious claim?
How has man looked for revelation within religious history? Giussani highlights several observations documented by scholars regarding revelation.
1. A hierophany is "a manifestation of the sacred" (22), which must always involve the supernaturalization of a natural object. "In manifesting itself, it confers on this being or object a sacred dimension which permits it to fulfil a mediation role" (22). These sacred symbols attempt to lift man from his current reality of banality and toil to the greater reality of the Mystery, the Unknown.
The myth holds a special place in history, both because it is ubiquitous and intangible. Through their narration myths remove the listener from his "profane" world and place him on the brink of the divine world, at least symbolically. Myths also move us to detach ourselves from our constructed realities we think are true - money, politics, studies - and to "strive to grasp the most incorruptible, original, and mysterious aspects of life" (23). Whether tangible or intangible "religious symbols which touch life's structures reveal a life that transcends the natural human dimension (23).
2. "Man has always recognized... his constant need for other men to be mediators" (23). Just as objects can symbolically possess a special connection to the divine, so can persons. The priest, the shaman, and the oracle all have a special role. They are intermediate connectors between the Mystery and man; they help reveal the Other.
3. Even ancient Greek religion, which held that intimacy with the divine was hopeless, exhibited a desire for revelation. The god Dionysus differs from other deities; he appears to all sorts of peoples and instigates all sorts of pleasures and terrors by his very presence. He "attracts both politicians and contemplatives, orgiastics and ascetics... one could approach him, even incorporate him" (25). Giussani also notes that hermits of Imperial Rome foresaw no other way to satisfy the thirst for knowledge beside the revelation of a god.
4. "All founders of religions have in common the certainty that they are the bearers of an essential revelation of their God" (25). Either by direct contact or an intermediary such as an angel of spirit, religious founders claim that they have at least some of the answers to man's eternal questions about his origin and the meaning of reality.
5. The last observation looks at the faith of Israel, which waits for an "event" to occur in history. God "remains transcendent but entrusts his presence and his words to the reality most inherent in man - history" (27). Could any other aspect of our existence be more salient? The Jewish people await an encounter with Yahweh. "Yahweh and man have a continuous relationship but this relationship is prior to revelation itself and preparatory to it" (27).
Giussani illustrates these five points with various references to religious thought and holy writings of Islam, Tibet, Greece, and Zarathustra, to name a few. Man is compelled to have a religion, and in this sense every religion which is a genuine attempt to know the Mystery is true. But what about Christianity, which says it is the "one and only way?" (28). How do we regard this audacious claim?
There is nothing wrong in feeling repelled by such an affirmation: what would be wrong would be to leave unquestioned such an affirmation, the reason for this great claim. (28)
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