History and Truth in Religion

Abstract

This chapter is a philosophically oriented exploration of truth which tackles a specific challenge to the truth within Judaism, but that challenge potentially applies to other traditions as well. It engages with the more theoretical question of what we mean when we speak of truth in a religious context. Judaism is a textual tradition that appeals to historical reality. It is thus highly historical. What happens when factual certitude falters and we lose the safe moorings of faith in the plain sense of historical accounts that provide the basis for the religious life? Stanislaw Krajewski's efforts are an attempt to salvage or uphold a notion of truth in textual and historical matters, despite various uncertainties that we are confronted with. It also addresses the ultimate challenge of truth: identifying or pointing to the immutable element in religion — that which transcends the processes of change and growth that characterize everything, religion included. The chapter tackles the challenges that history poses to religious truth on multiple levels.