The Role of Sacred Texts in Religious Knowledge

Abstract

This research aims to examine the role of sacred texts in religious knowledge, as it is considered one of the important researches in the field of philosophy of religion. This research is always of interest to thinkers and religious scholars. From here, we can analyze the nature of sacred texts after examining the nature of religious knowledge. We can also ask: Is the language of religion and religious language one and the same thing, or are they different? We will try to clarify this difference, and we will shed light on interpretation and its impact on religious texts. Schools emerged, and thinkers emerged with a unique approach to dealing with sacred texts, including their understanding, interpretation, and explanation of the text, highlighting the nature of hermeneutics and its relationship to religious texts. Sacred texts play a pivotal role in shaping religious knowledge and preserving the spiritual and intellectual identity of religions throughout history. These texts include the Bible, with its Old and New Testaments in Judaism, and the Qur'an in Islam. The Old Testament refers to the five books known as the Torah. The New Testament includes the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles of Paul, which are fundamental references from which the doctrines, laws, ethics, rituals, and worldview of each religion are derived. Sacred texts are not merely historical books; they are living entities that encompass the lives of believers in spirit and meaning, and they remain a subject of study and debate between faith and reason, and between the constant and the variable.