The possibility of a truth-beyond-being and givenness: engaging the work of Jean-Luc Marion in the hermeneutics of religious education

ABSTRACT

This paper argues that an enclosed hermeneutical circle is evident at the centre of modern religious education as a result of its rootedness in the romantic hermeneutical tradition. It argues that modern religious education carries an implicit text-based hermeneutical orientation. It contends that such a hermeneutical approach is limited in terms of its ability to engage with persons’ encounter with truth in life itself as it unfolds historically. This paper attempts to move beyond an enclosed hermeneutical circle at the centre of modern religious education, as well as the restrictive hermeneutics that it implicitly promotes, by recognising the givenness of the other in encounters with truth. This is achieved by considering the phenomenological and theological project of Jean-Luc Marion. It argues that Marion has much to offer hermeneutical discourse in religious education by way of his embrace of the possibility of a God-beyond-being, his notion of givenness, and his discernment of four hermeneutical moments of givenness. By engaging with, and introducing, these aspects of Marion’s work to hermeneutical discourse in religious education, this paper points to the need for a more dynamic hermeneutic that is open to the givenness of the other in encounters with truth or truth-events.

KEYWORDS:

• Philosophical hermeneutics
• Jean-Luc Marion
• givenness
• phenomenology

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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Notes on contributors

David Kennedy

David Kennedy is Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Education at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. He is also an associate researcher at the Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education, Dublin City University. David is the creator, host and producer of the Conversations from the Classroom podcast series that was developed in association with the Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education. His key research interests are: the hermeneutics of education, particularly religious education: the work of Jean-Luc Marion; the work of Hans-Gorge Gadamer; theologies of the Eucharist; the role of values, identities and beliefs in education; Universal Design for Learning; and Digital Learning.