مقالات رزومه دکتر مجتبی زروانی

The present article addresses the question of what the method of interpretive anthropology is and what the main approach of this perspective is when examining human phenomena, especially religious phenomena. It comments on the nature of interpretive anthropology and provides a comprehensive definition of this perspective, explaining its philosophical foundations. The method of this writing is based on a descriptive-analytical approach and in some cases content analysis. Interpretive or symbolic anthropology is one of the branches of American cultural anthropology that emerged in the twentieth century in America. It emphasizes understanding meaning through symbols and rituals by offering a unique definition of culture. The article, with a brief reference to the essence of Clifford Geertz's interpretive anthropological approach - the most important representative of the interpretive approach - and the definition he provides of culture and religion, elaborately demonstrates this approach's reliance on philosophical hermeneutics and its confrontation with positivist approaches in the humanities. It delves into various aspects of this confrontation and reliance, showing that Geertz, inspired by hermeneutical principles as a cultural anthropologist and scholar of religion, turned to interpreting and understanding the meaning of religion and culture. His interpretive approach in religious studies and anthropology is inspired by these foundations. In fact, by defining culture as a text, hermeneutic elements such as focusing on interpretation and meaning, emphasizing history and historical existence, focusing on the inner aspects of human experience and inner methods, emphasis on linguistic components, and symbol and sign, and understanding in the shadow of part-to-whole and whole-to-part references implicitly and explicitly form the basis of Geertz's viewpoint in cultural and religious studies.

The present article addresses the question of what are the foundations of the formation of interpretive anthropology and what role each of these foundations has played in the formation and development of interpretive anthropology. It also provides an explanation of the nature of interpretive anthropology while considering the history of anthropology. The method of this paper is based on a descriptive-analytical approach and in some cases content analysis. Interpretive or symbolic anthropology is a branch of American cultural anthropology that emerged in the 20th century in America and is completely distinct in method from the anthropology of the 18th and 19th centuries, with a special emphasis and attention on the category of culture. In this approach, it is explained that culture in any society is a collection of meanings that can be understood by examining the symbols that dominate the society. The present article, referencing the opinions and works of two prominent figures in this field, Clifford Geertz and Victor Turner, explores the desired contexts and in a detailed section demonstrates that the main foundations of the formation of this approach are: 1. Critique and moving beyond evolutionary and historical perspectives, 2. Moving beyond functionalism, 3. Moving beyond structuralism, 4. The crystallization and emphasis on a specific concept of culture in human studies, 5. The crystallization and emphasis on the field research and the use of participant observation method, and 6. The emergence of the culture and personality approach in anthropological and religious studies.

Mantra and Its Function in ZoroastrianismMantra is one of Zoroastrian most essential teachings. Avestan Mantra denotes “Avesta as a sacred book,” “holy discourse,” and certain Avestan prayers whose accurate recitation is crucial. It is claimed that this notion was granted to humanity by Ahura Mazda and the deities via Zoroaster’s teachings. Mantra is regarded as holy since it is linked with divinity and myths. This sacred relationship is represented via rituals. In such rituals, the deities must be summoned through certain sacred chants. The requirement for precision in reading the prayers and performing the rituals necessitates the presence of Zoroastrian clergy, whereas ordinary Zoroastrians must refrain from chanting them. Mantra has several uses in Zoroastrianism, including chanting the holy words in Yasna practices of worship, being used in rites of cleansing and embracing the faith, being used as a healing tool, repelling evil spirits, and being used in prayers. This descriptive-analytical study seeks to analyze the Avesta and other Pahlavi literature and to provide evidence from Zoroastrian experts to define the concept and functions of Mantra.Keywords: Mantra, holy discourse, Zoroaster, Avesta, Pahlavi texts, rituals in Zoroastrianism

There are many concepts associated with light in Jewish mysticism, and all its meanings are attributed to the verse of light from the book of Beresheet (1:3). The origin of all lights is the light of Ein Sof “the infinite light”, that all other lights emanate from, which are called Sefirot. Among them is the primordial light associated with man. In this article, we try to explain the concept of primitive light within the development of the concept of man. This study aims to clarify the various meanings associated with the concept of man and its development.
   The study concludes that the concept of man has a mystical dimension linked to the world of Sefirot. The first of these is the heavenly man "Adam Harishon", which corresponds to Elohim in his image, and whose association with the Sefirot represents the human organs. Adam Harishon contrasts with the earthly Adam, who is composed of a body and a soul, where his soul is connected to Elohim and it is the element of his Sefirutic connection.
   The second concept is Adam Kadmon, considering him a primary light linked to creation within the worlds of “Abia” within the level of “Keter”. Then this concept develops to represent the entire universe within the Lurian tsumtsum theory. The third concept is related to the light of the Mashiah, and at the beginning of its creation is called the primordial light, while it is called Adam Kadmon within the reform process “Tikun” the end of time.

Ever since the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, experts have always sought to investigate the relationship between scroll literature, the Qumran Cummunity, and formal Judaism. In this regard, the present research has analyzed, analyzed and criticized the "concept of wisdom" in the 4Q185 sapiential fragment of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The importance of this Qumran text is that by providing and presenting a new example of sapiential instructions, it shows the position and importance of sapiential teachings in the Second Temple period. On the one hand, these teachings are closely related to the prescriptive teachings of the books of Proverbs and Bin Sira, and on the other hand, it gives a new concept of wisdom. This essay presents the results obtained from the concept of wisdom by examining and analyzing the various and interconnected components of the 4Q185 fragment, and then considering the historical conditions and showing the connection of this scroll with Qumran Cummunity, the components of the fragment It also criticizes and evaluates 4Q185 and opens a new perspective of Judaism in the first century AD: by analyzing and looking deeply into the components of 4Q185, we have come to the conclusion that how some traditions in Judaism develop and evolve, and when they are faced with new religious, cultural and social challenges, they are once again formed from the ancient Jewish tradition. Therefore, based on the examination and analysis of new sapiential components in the scrolls 4Q185, we have reached an understanding of one of the important historical and sociological issues of Judaism in the Second Temple period and have criticized it.

Salvation is a fundamental issue in Christianity. Due to original sin, man has lost his relationship with God and has descended from Heaven. Restoring this relationship leads to saving man from a state of descent. The way of salvation in Christianity is explained in different ways. In Paul's writings, free grace by Christ saves man. In the theology of the fathers, including Augustine, grace replaces the human will, which by his descent has lost the power of right bias, and calls him to salvation. Martin Luther, as the Augustinian theologian, sees man as essentially a corrupt and sinful being who is saved only by grace and faith, not by doing good deeds. Therefore, he can enjoy the righteousness of Christ in faith only by trusting in divine promises. Aquinas, on the other hand, sees man as a rational and good-natured being who progresses towards faith with an innate tendency to virtue. Faith is a rational trust in which man has an active presence by believing in propositions and participating in grace. This article examines Luther and Aquinas' views on salvation and the role of man in it through a descriptive-analytical method and concludes that different understandings of human ontological status are directly related to their approach to the issue of salvation and faith. Luther considers man to be in a passive state whose salvation is communion with Christ. Aquinas, in contrast, gives man an active role that his good deeds along with grace can be effective in the process of salvation.

Whether the miracles of saints are epistemological or persuasive is a matter that solves many problems of practical mysticism. Decreasing the knowledge of the mystic to the possessor of miracles has damaged mysticism, and reduced the scope of their knowledge to the reports of their miracles. The outline of the present study on the evaluation of miracles are as follows: the evaluative study of miracles in the first periods of Islamic mysticism, the lack of connection between divine knowledge and doing miracles, the lack of a position in the lower realm of religion for miracles, the attitude of famous Sufis to the miracles as a distraction from the path towards God, their humorous view, and the encounter of the Holy Quran and the infallible prophets and imams with this issue. This article, by examining the descriptive-analytical aspects of the mentioned subjects, concludes that miracles have no epistemological value, and that the occurrence of the supernatural by the seeker or the mystic does not accelerate the process of journey to God and closeness to the truth, just as its non-occurrence does not disrupt them. Finally, although the Holy Quran describes the miracles of the prophets in order to persuade the deniers or reassure some followers, it always calls people to rationality.

Christianity is an Abrahamic religion and believes in monotheism on the one hand, and constantly emphasizes the three concepts of Father, Son and Holy Spirit on the other hand. Determining the nature of the relationship between these three concepts has been one of the most important issues in classical Christian theology. With regard to these three essential foundations, Arius, one of the theologians of the Patriarchal Age, holds a view which has been regarded heresy and has been condemned by the Council of Nicaea since (325 AD). Drawing on the historical-analytical method, this article seeks to identify related intellectual contexts and reconstruct his theology based on the reliable works of Arius. This study shows that Arius believed that the father is transcendent and the other, and in terms of eternity and essence, he is alone and unique. By his own will, the Father created the Son out of nothingness to mediate the creation of time and the universe. The Son is not the same as the Father in terms of eternity and essence; the Father-Son relationship is the creator’s relationship with the creature; and the Holy Spirit is the first creation of the Son, and these three essential foundations are different in essence and glory.

‘Alā’ al-Dawla Simnānī has a treatise entitled Bayān dhikr al-khafī al-mustajlib li-l-ajr al-wafī, in which, in addition to thoroughly delineating the superiority of inaudible recollection over audible dhikr as the primary topic, he has also briefly discussed certain other issues related to some other Sufi practices. Both on account of the centrality of the concept of dhikr in the mystical thought of ‘Alā’ al-Dawla as well as the Kubrawīyya as a whole, and from the standpoint of the significant differences between the Kubrawīyya and some other Central Asian orders of Simnānī's time in terms of the manner of performing Sufi dhikr,this treatise is worthy of serious attention and adequate investigation.At least five manuscripts of Simnānī's Dhikr-i khafīhave so far been identified in various MS depositories around the world. Additionally, there is also a mention of another witness of this work in the catalogue of the University of Tehran's Library which, based on our research, has nothing to do with Simnānī's Dhikr-i khafī,but is in fact a copy of Sayyid Muḥammad Nūrbakhsh’s Risāla-yi nūrīyya.In the present article, after outlining some brief points concerning the contents and the attribution of this treatise, we have offered an edition of the text established based on the oldest extant manuscript and two other witnesses of the work.

In this paper, the views of Shmuel Eisenstadt about the emergence of transcendental visions in the religions of axial age are analyzed in a descriptive-analytic method. Eisenstadt considers the most important religious transformation of the axial age to be the emergence of transcendental visions in Judaism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In his analysis, transcendental visions distinguished between two realms of transcendental order (refined) and mundane order (polluted), and all attempts for the resolution of the tension between transcendental order and mundane order led to the institutionalization of some different orientations in axial age religions: this-worldly orientation (proper performance of worldly duties) in Confucianism; other-worldly orientation (act of renunciation) in Hinduism and Buddhism; and combination of this and other-worldly orientations (legal rules, cultic orientation, ritual prescriptions and ethical injunctions) in Judaism. In Eisenstadt's viewpoint, the institutionalization of these orientations led to the reconstruction of mundane order in some aspects: Appearance of secular rulers who were partially responsive to the transcendental order; and the separation of collective identity based on sacredness from the other types of collective identities based on civility and primordiality.

After the fall of the Sassanid Empire and the conquest of Iran by Muslims; confrontations and communications between the Muslim Arabs and the Zoroastrian Iranians, who still believed in their ancient religion, notably increased. A significant consequence of this situation was a gradually mutual cultural familiarity; which had a vast political, social, cultural, and even scientific influence on the people's ordinary life. There is considerable information, in the Islamic sources, about how several Zoroastrian doctrines found their way into the Islamic texts, indirectly or even directly, as a result of the social relationship between Muslims and Zoroastrians.  In this paper, we survey, based on several Islamic sources, the principal modes of the first acquaintance of Muslims with Zoroastrian doctrine and practice.

The New political theology of Johannes Baptist Metz, the German Catholic Church priest, and theologian is one of the most important versions of Christian political theology against the position to the individualism, the privatization of religion, and the privatization of religion, and the authoritarian view of government. Metz calls his political theology «New political theology» because of his criticism of Carl Schmitt's political theology, and in opposition to it. According to Metz, Schmidt believed in the inherent nature of violence in politics, presented anti-democratic and anti-Semitic political theology that justified the exclusion of others, and led into fascism. Therefore, in this article, we use a descriptive-analytical method to compare Metz and Schmidt's political theology; we will also examine Metz's innovations in Christian political theology and his critique of Schmidt. Metz's main innovation is that he speaks of «anamnestic reason» based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, as well as the views of the Frankfurt School. This rationality, which is based on critical recollections of the past, can serve as a new starting point for work in the realm of Christian theology and can play an effective role in decision-making and social-political actions.

The classical scholars of Pentateuch , and at the head of them Julius Wellhausen believed that a critical examination of Pentateuch documents indicated a religious development during which Yahweh monotheism eventually led to moral monotheism. According to Kaufman, the morphological analysis of the world's religions does not confirm the theory of religious progress, and shows two different religious forms (monotheism and polytheism). Monotheism, which began with the activities of Moses, also includes other religions (Christianity and Islam), the rest of the religions fall into the category of polytheism. According to his analysis, the Hebraic religion is essentially different from the religion of the ancient world, so it cannot be a logical development; especially because historical evidence does not support such a development. He believed that despite their elements of Polytheism, the religious world of the Hebrews was the result of their own ideas, and external elements did not play a fundamental and creative role in its religious culture. However, contrary to his claim, his theory is not consistent with historical evidence and the Bible, and  has at least three main weaknesses: First, he mistakenly equates old Israel with historical Israel, second, he emphasizes differences in distinguishing the Hebraic worldview from that of their neighbors and ignores interactions, while comparative studies show the interaction of Hebrew intellectual and religious patterns with neighbors; Third, the theory of the absolute distinction of Israeli monotheism from ancient polytheism seems to reflect his theological concern.

The political theology of Johannes Baptist Metz, the German Catholic Church priest and theologian, is a theological response and opposition to Western culture's individualism, the privatization of religion, and the values that become exchangeable since Enlightenment to the present day. Thus, in his works, Metz, focusing on the issue of suffering, gives an interpretation of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, which considers the foundation of religion, church, and Christian faith is the dangerous memory of Jesus Christ. As a memory of suffering, he believes this dangerous memory is a unique example of human suffering. This dangerous memory demands everyone to accept responsibility for the others by remembering the suffering of the past and especially the memory of the suffering of Jesus Christ. The objective representation of the Christian faith and the practical realization of this memory is to follow and imitate Jesus Christ in solidarity with the people who suffered and oppressed. This new political theology is based on Metz's personal experience of participating in World War II and the influence of Jewish-Christian and philosophical traditions, which, with the remembering and narrating the life of Jesus Christ, has a critical-corrective approach and offers a new meaning of Christian church and faith. In a descriptive-analytical way, this article examines the nature, roots, and the various dimensions of the Christian memory in the Metz political theology.

Gnosticism is a numerous movement of thought that entered the world of Jewish-Christian thought in the second century AD and created important intellectual challenges in the field of Jewish-Christian theology. These challenges led to an examination of the origins of Gnostic thought and followed various theories. One of these theories considers Judaism to be the origin of Judaism. On the one hand, the Gnostics use of themes and even the words and expressions of the Old Testament shows the Jewish elements in this thought and on the other hand, the Jewish recognition of the origin of the Gnostic religion is incompatible with the strong anti-Semitic tendencies of the prominent Gnostic systems. Examining Jewish teachings and comparing them to the central ideas of Gnostic thought, such as the "meaning of knowledge”, the "concept of ultimate salvation" and the "unity of God and mystic" distorts the claim of the Jewish origin of Gnostic thought and according to the lack of convergence in these important and fundamental issues, the claim of the Jewish origin of the Gnostic religion is ruled out. In this paper, we examine the possibility of the Jewish origin of Gnosticism through content analysis method and an analytical-critical approach.

The vital role of St.Paul in the history of Christianity needs no proof. Christian life of Paul began with his own vision of Christ; This conversion resulted in his theological and ethical teachings. So that, his “Christ-Mysticism” has been regarded as the heart of his ideas and thought. Accordingly, love, as the major element of Paul’s ethic and the gift of “spirit”, parallel to faith, as the main element of his theology and the fruit of grace, make the fulfillment of true Law possible. In Pauline mysticism, “being-in-Christ” follows a “new creation” in piety and edification. This attitude, together with a moral-mystical interpretation of sacraments substitutes Law of love for the Law of works. In this article, Paul’s ethics is surveyed with regard to his special personality, his fanatical legalism, his following psychological crisis, and finally his visionary experience of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Pauline and Stoic Ethics are comparatively discussed.

Wisdom and wickedness in the symbol of “woman” has always been the subject of inquiry in Jewish tradition, especially when it comes to portraying women in prescriptive literature. This article which focuses on one of the texts of Qumran, namely 4Q184, expounds some of the functions of the modes of wisdom in Qumrani thought. The existence of the fragment 4Q184 in the Qumran manuscripts denotes the importance of this symbolic text in Qumran’s community and reflects the situation which this sect encounters. The Fragment of the Dead Sea Scrolls which has evidence derived from the Bible is analyzed in three semantic levels: the first is the level of moral teachings that had flourished in the long-standing Jewish tradition; the second is the level of the nature of wisdom, which, considering the goddesses of the wisdom of Mesopotamia and historical background of the Old Testament, has a theological literary motivation. By analyzing the historical context, it is found that the poetry in the third level is a metaphor for Jerusalem's divination which is, just like a wicked woman, involved in the act of seducing the pious. According to the belief of the false divination of the temple and false wisdom of Jerusalem, Qumranians left Jerusalem.

The conflict between reason and religion in the Iranian medieval history is an issue affected by the scientific sources of Muslims from the early centuries of the Islamic Era. Regardless of their commonalities, reason and religion are generally known to be opposing forces, as the observance of one undermines the other. Rational knowledge and religious science have each been either declining or growing depending on the historical circumstances. Ever since the emergence of Islam and through the course of its solidification, intellectuality, too, underwent an evolutionary process. Such evolution, however, can be interpreted neither as concordance or compromise between reason and religion, nor as absolute disagreement. Rather, it is a course towards supremacy resulting from the historical circumstances. The eleventh and twelfth centuries witnessed continuous conflicts between religion and intellect, as it is reflected in Ghazali’s books and Averroes’s rebuttals to them. Regardless of the abstract issues involved, the conflicts between Averroes and Ghazali provide an in-depth understanding of the historical context of intellect and Sharia in the course of the Islamic history. This confrontation is in fact the result of the development of rationality and the socio-political circumstances.

The purpose of this research is to find out the roots of the ethical system of the Gathas. The ethics of this article includes examining the type of religious ethics at Gathas (a religious ethics based on the fulfillment of divine attributes or natural law or divine command) and on the other hand examining ethical resources (virtues and vices de jure and de facto) and ethical criteria (virtue ethics or consequentialism or deontology). The methodology of this article is descriptive-analytical and uses library method to collect information. In the end, the dominant approach to religious ethics is based on the fulfillment of divine attributes and partly on the basis of natural law (divine formative will). While ethical virtues and vices of Gathas are generally rational as essentially de jure as well as de facto, they are sometimes religious. The ethical criterion in Gathas based on virtue ethics indicates teleology.

Gnosticism is an esoteric movement that most scholars consider the belief in dualism as one of its most important attributes, because the contradiction between good and evil (light and darkness) and, the divide between the creators of these two realms, forms the basis of many of the gnostic thoughts. But according to the existing documents, Valentina, as the greatest and most influential gnostic movement, is far from dualistic thought, providing a monistic picture of God. Like the other Gnostics, Valentinus, with the separation of absolute power from the Creator God, sees the material world as the result of act of lower God. But the domain of the power of demiurge is not an independent realm, but under the realm of absolute power, and thus provides a path that is far from gnosis duality. In this paper, the content analysis method has been tried to provide the reasons for clarifying Valentinian's monistic thinking.

The Phenomenology of Religion was introduced as an academic discipline since the early twentieth century. Therefore, it is a new discipline, and researchers are disagree about its exact meaning. According to Bleeker, the phenomenology of religion is used in three ways: 1) the regulation and systematization of religious phenomena. 2) Typology of different types of religions. 3) Research in the structures and meanings of religious phenomena. In his opinion, the third meaning more accurately reveals the phenomenological nature of religion. Also, it is necessary to distinguish between the phenomenology of religion as a method and phenomenology of religion as an independent discipline. Phenomenology as a method is based on two principles of epoché and the eidetic vision, and is applicable in other disciplines. Phenomenology as an independent science pursuing a triple 1) Theōria, which shows the religious implications of various phenomena. 2) Logos, which reveals the internal logic of religious beliefs and practices. 3) Entelecheia, which explains how religions change in a certain direction. Contrary to the views of phenomenologists of religion, including Bleeker, their approach is faced with serious challenges and doubts, and their consolidation requires critical rethinking.

By relying on the findings of previous scholars of Documentary Hypothesis, Julius Wellhausen first began to recognize and distinguish the documents of the Hexateuch in the form of a dynamic process, and then, based on the results of this critical approach, claimed that the history of Israel reflects the development of the religion of Hebrews. He believed that Israel's religion during the kingdom of the north (stage I) had a natural origin and it emerged from the daily life of the people, and had a firm connection with it. With the collapse of the kingdom of the north and the advent of the next prophets and the political – religious reforms of King Josiah (stage II) their religion arrived at moral monotheism. But with the collapse of the kingdom of the south and the beginning of the Babylonian exile, the bond of that nation with its history and tradition was broken, and the ground for the reconstruction of the new Israel under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah was provided (stage III). Mosaic theocracy with its features is the product of this era. The historical tribe of Israel was now considered a sacred people, and the sanctity was rooted in all layers of the life of the people. Always and everywhere is a divine command that the original Jew is required to do. Experience was replaced by religious duty. Originality was overcome by formalism. The simple religion of the ancient Israelites became formalized in the form of a dry royal structure, and the color and outlook of this new religion, Judaism, was projected to the final edition of the Hexateuch.

Traditional scholars on one hand did not want to reject this religious belief that Moses was the writer of Pentateuch and on the other hand they could not conceal the existing problems in that book. Accordingly, they claimed that they could answer these problems with interpretive approaches. In their view, these contradictions and inconsistencies are in appearance and not only haven’t something to do impede the coherence and harmony of the text, but they can provide compelling answers by adopting appropriate interpretive tools. Baruch Spinoza rejected this traditional method because he believed that the choice of the virtual meaning would be depend on the interpreter's desires, and where two or more virtual meanings can be obtained, there is no standard for preference. In his opinion, Bible must be read like any other book, with a free mind and without prejudice. By adopting a critical historical method, Richard Simon tried to answer Spinoza and some other Protestants. However, Simon’s idea that the biblical "scribes" compiled their narratives from the original sources provided an introduction to the formation of hypotheses about the sources /documents of Pentateuch. The history of the formation of the Documentary Hypothesis can be divided into three periods: the periods of formation, criticism and reform. In the period of formation comparative study of the Doublets, led researchers to formulate Earlier Documentary Hypothesis. Three scholars independently came to the conclusion that in the writing of Pentateuch there were two parallel sources: Henning Bernhard Witter, Jean Astruc, and Johann Gottfried Eichhorn. In the period of criticism, Alexander Geddes formulated Fragmentary Hypothesis and Georg Heinrich August Ewald posited Supplementary Hypothesis in the criticism of Earlier Documentary Hypothesis. During the period of reform, the efforts of Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette, Hermann Hupfeld, Édouard Reuss, Karl Heinrich Graf, and ultimately Julius Wellhausen brought Documentary Hypothesis to its zenith and completed form. This complete and articulated formulation is now known as the Grafian Hypothesis or the Later Documentary Hypothesis. Wellhausen, on the other hand, accepted the Graf's findings in determining the historical order of Pentateuch’s documents, and on the other hand, he sought to adopt Johann Karl Wilhelm Vatke's approach about the progress and development of religion and cult of Israel. Wellhausen accepted this finding of Graf that Hexeteuch is consists of four documents: Yahwist (Y), Elohist (E), Deuteronomist (D), and Priestly Code (P). The combination of Y and E formed the yahwistic historical book (JE). Then, D was added to this collection, and JED was formed, and finally with the attachment of P Hexeteuch was completed. According to Wellhausen three literary layers which constitute Hexateuch, represent three stages of religious development which corresponds to three historical periods of Israel: in the first stage, the Israelite religion is primitive and natural (9th and 8th BC). This period is compatible with JE of Hexateuch. In the second stage, we witness the formation of centralized religion among Israelite which is result of collapsing of Northern Monarchy and the resistant of Southern Monarchy (7th to 6th BC). This period is compatible with D document of Hexateuch. Judaism was formed in the third stage and was the product of the collapse of the southern Monarchy, Babylonian exile and the efforts of the returned zealot Jews to create a new Israel (5th and 4th BC). This period is compatible with P document of Hexateuch.  Accordingly Wellhasen made a consistent and strong connection between religion, literature and history of Israel. The Later Documentary Hypothesis, like any other hypothesis, has been faced with some criticism which could be classified into two categories, i.e. internal and radical. Internal criticisms accept the framework of Later Documentary Hypothesis; their criticisms are merely addressed to the referents of the basic documents. Radical criticism challenges the basis and the reasoning behind the Hypothesis. The reasons of Later Documentary Hypothesis can be articulated in the following manner: 1) the names of the two Yahweh and Elohim. 2) Replicas and repetitions. 3) Contradictions. 4) Language and style differences. 5) The doctrinal unity of documents. 6) Combined sections. Radical criticism attempts to collapse the Hypothesis by challenging the logic and coherence of the abovementioned argument. In short, in document/ source criticism, the disorder and impertinence of grammatical, lexical, narrative, conceptual, and literary techniques were applied as implications that represented different literary layers in Pentateuch. The adoption of this approach in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries led to different hypotheses about the nature of the Pentateuch/ Hexateuch including: Earlier Documentary Hypothesis, Fragmentary Hypothesis, Supplementary Hypothesis and the Later Documentary Hypothesis. The underlying assumption of the aforementioned Hypothesis is that the Pentateuch does not has a literary unity, but has, over time, been lengthy and elaborate, and consists of different literary layers. This assumption is not arbitrary, but it responds to problems that the text itself poses. The classic assumption of documents begins with the complete narrative of Hexateuch and divides this narrative into layers or literary documents, but Fragmentary Hypothesis and Supplementary Hypothesis starts theirs works with focusing on the development and possibility of earlier stages of this narrative and seeking to determine the dates of its documents. These hypotheses are not the dogma, but are reasonable assumptions that are subject to scientific discourse. However, the results of these studies were foundamental, because, contrary to the claims of the Pentateuch and traditional doctrines, it emphasized the historical lateness of Mosaic laws over other documents. The studies, influenced by Vatke and Wellhausen, went beyond literary work, linking the stages of progress of the Israelite religion and the quality of each of these stages.

Two schools of Madhyamika and ShinShu both of which are of Mahayanistic school,that  offer two different ways of achieving salvation. The school of Madhyamika, like most Buddhist schools, knows the way of salvation through knowledge, but the school of ShiShu knows the way of salvation through mentioning the name of Amida Buddha. In the process of rescuing the human position as one end of this flow, it is of particular importance. The different form of human presence and being active in this process can introduce different ways of salvation and vice versa. As well as rites and rituals can help people in this process, the basic issues in recognition of different approaches are in question of salvation. The founders of the two schools of Madhyamika and ShinShu offer two different ways and process of salvation. in spite of the similarities between the theoretical bases of the two sects, there are differences between the two schools in both the way of the human presence in the way of salvation, which is necessary and this article tries to address these differences and similarities. The aim of this study is to identify the concept of salvation and necessary arrangements, as well as explaining the role of man in the rescue process from the perspective of these two sects. The first question: how is the rescue path in two schools of Madhyamika and ShinShu? Question 2: What is the role of man in the Salvation process?   In this paper, the research methodology is descriptive - analytical. The descriptions will be based on the sources related to both Buddhist texts, which are mainly from important and reliable sources in the studies of Buddhism. The analyses will also be based on the general approach of the paper, which is evaluated and compared to Madhyamika and ShinShu Jodo.   Statement: The name of Madhyamika school came from one of the most important works of Nagarjuna, the founder of this school, called Madhyamika Karika(Eliade,vol.9.71).  The Madhyamika school was inspired by the early Mahayanistic Sutras, which have been written in the second century bc. Mahyamika recognize two kinds of knowledge, the "relative knowledge”[1]And the "superior knowledge"[2] .  Nagarjuna in Mahyamika Sastara about importance of distinguishing of these two kinds of knowledge has said: he/she who not understand the difference if two kinds of knowledge, Actually did not understand the truth of Buddhism( Suzuki.1907,95). The relative knowledge: the relative knowledge that is made by the thought and reasoning of the individual, and the result of his relation to the world and the world, is called Samvwrthi. The term means covering and hiding the truth (Radhakrishnan. 658). That is to say, not with truth, but with the veil and veil of truth, which is an illusion compared to the truth. The superior knowledge: in the school of Madhyamika, the 'superior knowledge ( parmarth) is that can destroy the roots of suffering. It is the knowledge that is the middle path; that is to say that things are neither eternal nor divine, neither possess nor lacking in substance. The transition from the state of relative knowledge to higher state of knowledge is a change that occurs in human perception and his/her attitude . Salvation is a kind of change in the perspective and perception of the subject. So it 's nothing to get to the rescue . It is a special case of our existence. Shiran, the founder of ShinShu Sect, does not know the way of Salvation as knowledge alone. He is loyal to many of the bases that have been accepted in the different sects of the Pure land( Mahayana), but he strengthens his way of rescue from suffering on the basis of belief in the love of Amida and mentioning of the name of Buddha. From one point, the freedom from suffering in a Buddhist religion can be divided into three categories. One by “'Ethical obedience”[3], the second through "an inner focus”[4]And the third, which means acquiring "superior knowledge and illumination”[5]It is. These three methods, of course, depend on certain assumptions about human evolution that can be particularly active in achieving the rescue. In other words, human active presence is an introduction. The method that Shiran learned from its master Hunen is the believe in Amida Buddha finds in the first form. Of course, in ShinShu wen is talk about behavior , it does not necessarily mean ethical behaviors, but it is the everyday practice and everyday life of man. What should be taken into account is that things are done not in the will of man but of their power and will. Thus, faith in the context of compliance does not imply compliance. That is to say, to him, with all the devotion of his heart, that we shall be preserved. Thanks to her and take refuge in the shelter of her loving arms, in the hope of salvation in the future life(Oberlin,209). This is achieved through ethical obedience. Indeed, Shinran’s epistemology is based on moral structure and obedience. the present study has examined the role of knowledge and their relation to the salvation of the two sects of Madhyamika and ShinShu, and also how can each of these two ways be able to save a Buddhist, and how is the process of salvation in these two school? According to Nagarjuna the way of salvation is Para Jnana or superior knowledge not Jnana or knowledge alone. He calls the relative knowledge non real and defines superior knowledge as Shuniata(emptiness). The knowledge that is based on experience from the surroundings and through the senses cannot be true. A superior knowledge of life, that is to say, the emptiness of the mind from all knowledge, the negation of the inherent existence for the beings of the world. There is a little way in here a little in the way of ShinShu school. For in ShinShu, man must be free and detaches himself/herself from all sorts of knowledge. And he would go a step further, to put his will entirely to his side, and devote himself to his task. But the difference is that, in the Madhyamika School, Superior knowledge which is cause of Salvation, lies in continuation and extension of that relative knowledge; and in fact, it is the whole of them. Whereas in ShinShu, one must not only abandon any learned knowledge, but by emptying his mind and his will and dedication to his will, he deserves to receive kindness and grace. It is the mercy of the man alone who works alone and brings him to the rescue. In other words, here is the knowledge of Amida which can do prepare salvation for man. Nobody can be free from suffering without grace of Amida Buddha.