Revelation

Revelation is from the Latin revelatio, from re (again, back) and velare (to veil, to cover)[1]. The literal sense is the removal of the veil, the disclosure of what was hidden. The Greek New Testament term is apokalypsis, with the same image of uncovering[2]. In religious usage the term names divine disclosure of truth that humans could not arrive at through reason or observation alone.

how revelation occurs and who can interpret it differ widely across traditions.

Revelation is central in Christian, Jewish, Islamic, and certain other traditions[3]. The classical Abrahamic view holds that God reveals truth to humanity through specific means: prophets, sacred texts, religious experience, the natural world (general or natural revelation), and (in Christian tradition) most fully in the incarnation of Christ.

Christian tradition often distinguishes general revelation (what God shows in creation and conscience, accessible to all) from special revelation (God's specific self-disclosure in scripture and supremely in Christ)[4]. Catholic teaching holds revelation as continuing through scripture and tradition together; Protestant teaching has historically emphasized scripture alone (sola scriptura) as the rule of revelation.

Jewish tradition holds the Torah as the central revelation, with the Sinai event as the foundational moment[5]. Rabbinic tradition emphasizes that revelation continues through the ongoing study and interpretation of Torah; the oral Torah is treated as part of the original revelation.

Islamic theology holds that revelation (wahy) came to many prophets across history, beginning with Adam and culminating with Muhammad, the seal of the prophets[6]. The Quran is the final revelation, preserved in Arabic without alteration. Earlier revelations (the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel) are recognized but considered to have been altered in their transmission.

Hindu thought distinguishes between shruti (heard, revealed) and smriti (remembered, composed by human authors). The Vedas are shruti, with the rishis (seers) receiving the texts through direct spiritual perception. Buddhist tradition uses the language of revelation less centrally; the Buddha is the discoverer of the Dhamma rather than a recipient of revelation in the prophetic sense. Indigenous traditions often emphasize revelation through dreams, visions, and specific landscape relationships.

Theology of revelation is a major area in Christian and Jewish thought, with significant Islamic and comparative philosophical work as well. Avery Dulles's Models of Revelation surveys Christian options[4]. Comparative work explores how different traditions structure the relationship between divine and human in revelation.

• Models of Revelationby Avery Dulles
  book
• The Quran: A Very Short Introductionby Michael Cook
  book