Gabby Brezovsky The Connection Between Community and Sacred Text

In his piece, The “Sacred” Text and the Community, Paul Ricoeur addresses a variety of issues, all of which are centralized around the idea that scripture is relational and (it) exists in conjunction with other things. He is interested in the various ways we can interpret and understand sacred texts, particularly the Christian Bible. Ricoeur examines the Christian Bible from the viewpoint of those who regard it as sacred. The Christian Bible seems to be more open to and accepting of the scholarly approach, compared to other “sacred” texts. Ricoeur reminds the reader that the term “sacred” tends to be very vague and “we have to modulate the notion of sacredness not only according to different religions but also in the course of the history of these religions” (272). The identity of a community is dependent on its sacred text, just as the identity of the text relies upon the community. The community gives life to the text and the text gives life to the community. One may say that the community and the text mutually condition one another. This means that both the community and the text are necessary for each other.