Aplicação da teoria geertziana para análise de textos religiosos antigos: uma perspectiva epistemológica em ciências da religião

Abstract

The Doctoral Dissertation entitled "Application of Geertzian theory for the analysis of ancient religious texts: an epistemological perspective on Religion Studies" explores the concepts and ideas of Clifford Geertz, proposing an application of his interpretive approach to the analysis of ancient religious manuscripts, specifically the Gospel of Mark present in the Codex Sinaiticus. The main objective is to develop a scientific model, called Geertzian Theory (G.T.), that allows a contextual and symbolic understanding of religious texts, contributing to the Religion Studies and other areas of Humanities. The methodology adopted is bibliographic, qualitative, and inductive, centered on the analysis of Geertz's works. The research investigates key concepts such as culture, religion, symbol, and common sense, applying them to the interpretation of Mk 3:17 of the Gospel of Mark. This verse was chosen by its exclusivity and the possibility of investigating the markan community and its symbolic contexts. The Codex Sinaiticus (¿/01), a fourth century manuscript, is used as a textual basis for this analysis, due to its historical importance and preserved integrity. The study was structured in three main chapters. The first chapter presents a biography of Clifford Geertz, its intellectual influences, and main works, followed by a detailed analysis of the Gospel of Mark, its history, characteristics and writing contexts, and a discussion about the Codex Sinaiticus, its particularities and relevance. The second chapter develops Geertzian Theory, applying its concepts to the specific stretch of Mk 3:17, examining the intersection between the cultural and religious contexts. The third chapter focuses on the analyzes and discussions of Geertzian applications, stratifying the meanings of text at literal, contextual, theological, and pragmatic levels. The results show that the application of G.T. provides a deeper and more contextual understanding of the religious text, highlighting significant symbolic and cultural nuances. The analysis of Mk 3:17, for example, shows how the nicknames given by Jesus to the Boanerges brothers reflect cultural and social aspects of the early Christian community. The research concludes that G.T. is a functional and effective model for the analysis of religious manuscripts and can be replicated in other textual studies. In addition, the doctoral dissertation highlights the interdisciplinarity of G.T., relating it to the new history, sociology of religion, philosophy of science and hermeneutics, providing new perspectives and contributing significantly to the field of Religion Studies