Religious Languages

Study of texts, symbols, myths, rites, practices of religions, as well as doctrinaire systems from own language and articulation by means of methods of language sciences, hermeneutics, theology, philosophy, history and anthropology.

Research Line 1: Literature and religion in the biblical world

Analysis of texts of the biblical world, in different canons, apocrypha, pseudepigrapha, Qumran and their religious-cultural surroundings, in literary, socio-historical and reception history perspective.

Research Line 2: Theologies of religions and culture

Study of symbolic, narrative, ritual, doctrinal and ethical expressions of religion, with their respective interpretative and theological systems, in articulation with the cultures where they interact, with the aid of different theoretical instruments.

Mandatory discipline of area:

Religious Languages: epistemological issues

It studies, in inter and trans-disciplinary perspective, the epistemological and methodological issues involved in the interpretation of religious expressions in their literary, historical, geographical, cultural, sign, oral and visual diversity. It handles an introduction to the main methodological approaches relevant to the theme, such as: philology, exegesis, hermeneutics philosophical, semiotics and theology.

Optional disciplines:

Sciences of language and interpretation

It studies different theories and authors of relevance in the sciences of language and interpretation applied to the religious universe.

Religion and Society in the biblical world

It studies historical and social aspects of ancient Israel, the Mediterranean world and the other peoples related to the context of the Biblical texts in their economic conditions, material culture and political organization.

Symbolic structure of religious rites and myths

It studies the symbolic structures present in the mythical complexes and narratives, in the rites and their inter-relationships in the history of religions.

Hermeneutics of religious texts

It studies the theoretical assumptions and methodological procedures concerned with the interpretation of religious texts with the aid of philosophical and theological hermeneutics, literary studies, anthropology, cultural history and semiotics.

Literary studies of the Hebrew bible

It analyzes the texts of the Hebrew Bible, deuterocanons, pseudepigrapha and others correlated, their origins and development, literary genres and recurring themes, by means of several methodological approaches.

Literary studies of primitive Christianity

It analyzes the texts of the New Testament, the apocrypha, the Apostolic Fathers and others correlated, their origins and development, literary genres and recurring themes, by means of several methodological approaches.

Exegetic methodology of the Hebrew bible

Presentation and practical exercises of the methods of exegetic analysis, especially literary and historical, for interpretation of the literature of the Hebrew bible and finally, in its specificity, such as: genre, literary and textual criticism, semantic analysis, historical criticism, translation issues. It also promotes review of assumptions and practices in dialog with the sciences of literature, history and contemporary hermeneutics.

Exegetic methodology of the literature of primitive Christianity

Presentation and practical exercises of the methods of exegetic analysis, especially literary and historical, for interpretation of the literature of primitive Christianity and finally, in its specificity, such as: genre, literary and textual criticism, semantic analysis, historical criticism, translation issues. It also promotes review of assumptions and practices in dialog with the sciences of literature, history and contemporary hermeneutics.

Exegetic Exercises

Analysis of biblical texts (pericopes, chapters, books), canonical and noncanonical, by exegetic instrumental means and other methodologies arising from sciences of language.

Philological Exercises

It studies syntactic, semantic and interpretative issues from the translation of biblical texts, the ancient translations of the Bible and the documents of the surrounding peoples: in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Egyptian, Arcadian, Ugaritic, Coptic and Latin. It also aims to include this knowledge in the horizon of biblical interpretation.

Theology of religions

It studies, from a comparative historical and theological approach, the ideas and practices of different religions, mainly in Latin America, identifying their convergences and specificities. It analyzes the meeting between different religious expressions, the implications and the impacts arising therefrom, and the inter-religious and ecumenical practices and dialogs.

Issues of method in theology

It studies methodological issues raised by current thematic and systematic theological reflection, considering the validity of the theological methods prepared in the different places and times, the hermeneutic assumptions, the proposals of reformulation and increase, and the creation of new methods.

Religion and Art

It analyzes the relations between the artistic forms and the forms of expression of religion, especially their mutual influence, correspondence and analogy. It also studies the multiple artistic manifestations present in culture, in their possible theological meanings.

Themes of Theology and Ethics

It studies classical and contemporary themes of theology and ethics and their interpretation, in inter-religious and intercultural perspective.

Philosophy of Religion

Philosophical interpretation of the meaning and value of religion in general and of religions in the world, in historical or systematic perspective, with the aid of several methods, such as phenomenological, hermeneutic and the philosophy of language.

Theology and Culture

It studies the relations – of antagonism, conflict, interaction, syncretism or dialog – between religion, theology and culture in the contemporary context and analyzes several interpretative systems present in religion and culture, in the historical, phenomenological, anthropological and theological perspective.

Theology in the Feminist perspective

In studies in intercultural feminist perspective the reconstruction of theology regarding the new religious phenomena and subjects related to the processes of globalization, immigration and religious and cultural diversity.

Studies of the languages of popular religion

It studies the various languages of popular religion: their rites, beliefs, devotion, artistic production, oral and written forms, and their interpretation in the context of popular culture.

Religious imaginary studies

Comparative and historical-anthropological study of religious imaginary complexes aiming to understand their relation with different socio-cultural formation.

Hermeneutics of religious pluralism

Interpretation of the inter-relations of the varied religious sensitivity, experience and discourse coexisting in the same space, such as: opposition, accommodation, assimilation, reciprocal influence, interpenetration, transit, hybridization and syncretic recomposition in their respective languages.

Visual culture, narratives and religion

It analyzes the role of the images and process of visual perception and reception as religious expression., as well as the figurative and imagery aspect of religious narratives.