Revelation and the Human Person, or On Activity and Passivity

Abstract

In this article, intended as an introduction to the theme of the issue, the authors examine the activity and passivity of the religious person in relation to the phenomenon of revelation. Since the Bible is the principal focus of the issue, the Jewish and Christian traditions provide the main point of reference. In these traditions, revelation is understood as a process that unfolds through the interaction of personal experience, the message preserved in Scripture, and living tradition. Here we encounter a fundamental paradox of religious life, most clearly expressed in the prophetic traditions, which may be formulated as follows: How can the all-encompassing, infinite Word of God be contained within finite human words? Jewish mystics offer a radical answer to this question, claiming that although the Word itself is devoid of meaning, it nevertheless contains infinite possibilities of interpretation.