Veselje resnice in svetopisemski monoteizem

Po apostolski konstituciji Veritatis gaudium papeža Frančiška je temeljno poslanstvo teologije prenos veselja resnice. To idejo bomo v razpravi postavili v zgodovinsko perspektivo, ki jo je odprl egiptolog Jan Assmann. Ob primerjanju svetopisemskega monoteizma z razvojem religije v starem Egiptu ugotavlja, da sta zanj značilni opciji za resnico in za zvestobo, ki narekujeta zahtevo po spreobrnjenju. To ustvari novega »monoteističnega človeka«. Čeprav je mogoče nastanek monoteizma razumeti v luči »osne dobe« (Karl Jaspers), ki je odprla »transcendentalno vizijo«, se svetopisemski monoteizem od drugih razlikuje po ločitvi politične in verske sfere, do katere so v Izraelu privedle travmatske izkušnje ob izgubi kraljestva v času asirske, babilonske, perzijske in helenistične nadoblasti. Izrael je svojo identiteto poiskal v Svetem pismu pojem Izrael je s tem izgubil politični pomen in dobil religijskega. Pri tem je najpomembnejšo vlogo odigrala jezikovna redukcija, ki je razodetje skrčila na Pismo. Posledica te redukcije je bila jasno razlikovanje med resničnim Bogom in maliki, med katerimi je najmočnejši malik totalne države, v Svetem pismu simbolno prikazan kot »Egipt«. Ta zmožnost razlikovanja, imenovana tudi »mojzesovsko razlikovanje«, je najgloblja značilnost svetopisemskega monoteizma. Svetopisemska kultura promovira resnico, ki pa jo razume v šibkem smislu, kakor jo razume apostolska konstitucija. According to the apostolic constitution Veritatis gaudium by Pope Francis, the fundamental mission of theology is the transmission of the joy of truth. This idea will be discussed in the historical perspective developed by Egyptologist Jan Assmann. By comparing the rise of biblical monotheism with the evolution of religion in ancient Egypt, he finds that the specificity of biblical monotheism provides two fundamental options: option for the truth and option for the faithfulness. They both require conversion, which creates a new »monotheistic man«. Although the rise of monotheism may be understood in the light of the Axis Era (Karl Jaspers), which opened a »transcendental vision«, biblical monotheism differs from other types of monotheisms because it separates the political and religious spheres. This separation was the consequence of Israel’s traumatic experiences, namely, its loss of political autonomy under Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian and Hellenistic political supremacy. Israel found its new identity in the Bible. Therefore, the political dimension of Israel’s self-understanding was substituted by religious meaning. In this regard, the most important role was played by linguistic reduction of the revelation to the Script. The reduction resulted in a capacity to distinguish between the true God and idols, among which the most powerful is the total state, symbolized in the Bible as »Egypt«. This new capacity of distinction is also known as »mosaic distinction«, arguably the most consequential aspect of biblical monotheism. Biblical culture, however, promotes the truth in a weak sense as in the manner presented in the apostolic constitution