RLG101H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Jacques Derrida, Jonathan Culler, Guru Granth Sahib
Document Summary
German writer max muller argued that scholars of religion should make sacred texts their primary focus of study. After all, for him such documents contain the authentic doctrine of the religion"s founders and their immediate disciples". Bible for christians, the qur"an for muslims, the vedas for hindus, the adi. Religious texts are distinguished by those who use them (practitioners) and those scholars who study religions. Muller suggest any study that goes beyond the text risks straying into murky waters. Jonathan culler suggests the distinction between poetics, hermeneutics, and responses. The hermeneutics of a text works on a different level, since it is concerned not so much with how the text works, but instead with what the text is saying. However, texts are not simply about poetry and meaning, they are also about being read a point that is easy to miss within the study of any text, including religious texts.
