The Mirror of Knowledge

The Mirror of Knowledge

An Examination and Critique of Theories of Religious Language Based on the primacy of Understanding over Language

Articles in Press

Document Type : Scientific-research

Author
Hasan Ghanbari
University of Tehran
10.48308/jipt.2026.245847.1830
Abstract
The problem of religious language is one of the central issues in the philosophy of religion,. Various theories—have attempted to explain how meaningful discourse about God is possible. This paper examines and critiques these theories on the basis of the principle of the priority of understanding over language. It argues that every meaningful linguistic expression, particularly propositional discourse, presupposes prior understanding of its subject, predicate, and the relation between them. The study argues that although these theories provide different accounts of the meaning or use of religious language, but don’t offers a satisfactory explanation of how the divine essence and attributes can be understood, with one exception, the Use Theory of meaning that is some extent successful.The point is that the problem of meaning in religious language , at it's foundation, an epistemological problem and that the discussion of the religious language ultimately comes down to the question of whether God and his attributes can be understood.
Keywords
Religious language
Understanding
Meaning
Knowledge
Negative Theology
Analogy
Functionalism
The Mirror of Knowledge

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 02 November 2026