The claim to possession of revealed truth is not unique to any single religion, nor confined to the so-called "axial" ("world") religions. But what kind of work is necessary before a term like "revelation" can be used in comparing two religious traditions - and to what end? What does the problem of revelation have to do with the history of religions, and the plurality of religions?
In Revelation, History, and the Dialogue of Religions David Carpenter, an expert in medieval Catholic theology as well as Indian religious thought, approaches the doctrine of revelation in the writings of the medieval Christian theologian, St. Bonaventure, a prime exemplar of Logos theology, and of Bhartrhari, a classical Indian grammarian and philosopher of language who is an analogous figure in the Hindu religious tradition. In examining and comparing the writings of these two figures from two distinct traditions and cultures, Carpenter explores the phenomenon of revelation as a dynamic, linguistically-mediated process that needs to be located within the historical horizons of the religious traditions in which it is found.