We Need Openness to Understand Each Other

Dr. Fr. George Edayadiyil CMI is the Rector of Dharmaram College and DVK (Pontifical Athenaem of Philosophy, Theology and Canon Law); & Chancellor, Christ, Deemed to be University, Bengaluru (formerly known as Christ College, Bengaluru). He was the Provincial of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate’s St. Joseph Province, Kottayam, Kerala during 2014-17. He is the Founder of the Karunyagiri Ashram, Vagamon in Kerala.

Fr. Edayadiyil is Professor of Old Testament Studies with innumerable publications which include the books Exodus Event: its Historical Kernel & Israel in the Light of Exodus Event & Beyond Exodus. All the three books have been published from ATC, Bangalore. He has been instrumental in establishing Dharmaram Academy for Distance Education in DVK by opening the doors of Biblical and Catholic Theological education to practitioners of other religions.

Subhasis Chattopadhyay, in an interview with Fr. Edayadyil, draws out many aspects that are close to Fr. Edayadiyil. Excerpts:

Why do you think Old Testament scholarship in India has not found a greater audience other than being confined to a select group of exegetes?

Fr. George Edayadiyil: It is not the case in India alone. All over the world Old Testament scholarship has not gained much interest. We must rethink a couple of points before proceeding further. Primarily, instead of the term, ‘Old Testament’, it is better to use the term, First Testament because of Jewish sensitivity. They have only one testament and it may not be fair to call that text an ‘Old’ Testament. So, it is better to use the terms, First Testament and New Testament. Our academic praxes as Christian scholars cannot have meaning without respecting Jesus’s Jewish roots.

There are various reasons why much interest has not been shown to First Testament scholarship. There are a lot of complexities in the First Testament. Its varied historical, temporal, spatial, cultural, religious, socio-political complexities cannot be easily grasped. For example, the events of the First Testament, from the time of the Patriarchs to the time of the Maccabees took place within a minimal range of 1500 years. That alone is enough to convince anyone of its difficulties. Compared to all these, the New Testament and its context(s) are simple. So for the interpretation of the First Testament text(s), we need a lot of competence compared to the New Testament. Hence, without a systematic study, no one can interpret the First Testament without making serious errors.

Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara intervened in the education system in India by insisting on Sanskrit studies for children. That means, the saint was aware of Indian hermeneutics which predate European hermeneutics. We are speaking of Mīmāṃsā here. You are one of India’s leading Exodus scholars; how can Indian Christian exegetes utilize Mīmāṃsā to gloss Exodus?

Fr. George Edayadiyil: Mīmāṃsā, one of the schools of Hindu philosophy, is a reflection or interpretation on individuals and the world with its basic tenets on ritualism (orthopraxy), anti-asceticism, and anti-mysticism The Bible sees Exodus as an event that was pivotal and fundamental to the formation of the people of Israel. The present picture of the Exodus that the Bible narrates is an accumulated picture of the events with a lot of elements that it has absorbed in its long process of transmission. Drawing out the basic and the important hermeneutical principles underlined in the Mīmāṃsā, it is possible to interpret the Exodus event and the result may be really interesting. But there are real issues involved as the basic tenets of Mīmāṃsā are in sharp contrast to that of the Bible.

Which scholars have influenced you as a professional theologian?

Fr. George Edayadiyil: This is a difficult question. I have drawn from numerous scholars for my studies and because of my interest in various subjects, such as the Bible, theology, the social sciences, the physical sciences, etc., it is rather difficult to pinpoint one particular area. But I am inspired and challenged by the writings of many. May be it is my limitation that I cannot identity a couple of them. Also, it is that I selected a wide range of topics and never tried to understand any particular theologian alone. I am never a professional theologian. But I am always a student and seeker and most subjects fascinate me. Now I am more inspired by spiritual writings than by theological writings.

There are fundamental differences between Hinduism and Christianity such as reincarnation, theories of Karma and non-qualified non-dualism: these are very different from Christian beliefs. Yet we as a nation need to dialogue. Where do we then begin?

Fr. George Edayadiyil: Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti: “that which exists is One: sages call it by various names.” Everyone sees truth according to the framework within which one is created. Physical science is very much aware of the fact that its understanding of reality is seen within the framework within which it is defined. The whole knowing-process (epistemology) has its limitations. The Indian and Eastern mind describe Reality and these descriptions can be done in very many ways. Once we define, we destroy. But in describing, we unravel the mysteries behind Truth.  Every reality is a mystery. God is the absolute mystery. The various understandings of the Divine are clues to understanding the Truth of God as the Reality both immanent and transcendent. There is no one way to understand the divine Truth. As humans, there are intersection points where we can come together to know the other/others. India is a land of many religions, languages, ethnicity, cultures, etc. It is for this reason that India is the land of unity in diversity. If we can start the dialogue from the common points of intersection and then be open to understand the other as he/she is, then there is greater room to understand the mystery of every human person whatever one’s religious affiliation be.

---

Subhasis Chattopadhyay is an Assistant Professor in English (P.G. & U.G. Departments of English, Nara Sinha Dutt College affiliated to the University of Calcutta). He has further qualifications in Biblical Studies, Psychology and The Minor Upanishads. He has been recently appointed as a Book-reviewer for the American Academy of Religion and has been a book-reviewer with the Ramakrishna Mission’s mouthpiece, Prabuddha Bharata. His reviews have been lauded by Ivy League Presses. He has written extensively for Roman Catholic publications.  As a Hindu, Subhasis is interested in the works of Abhinavagupta and, in Kashmiri Shaivism. As a scholar of Christianity, he is interested in the Exodus Event. His advocacy work includes applying methods of Positive Psychology for holistic health.