Mysticism and Ethics in the Theology of Religions and Interreligious Dialogue: Re-Reading Paul Tillich and Jacques-Albert Cuttat
Religions January 2, 2026 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.3390/rel17010050 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
In a pluralistic world, theology of religions and interreligious dialogue foster mutual understanding. This article re-reads Paul Tillich and Jacques-Albert Cuttat, reconstructing Tillich's ontological and pneumatological framework with a mystical a priori as the basis of religious experience. It examines Cuttat's model of "assumptive convergence" between Eastern and Western religious hemispheres as an experiential unfolding of Tillich's intuition. The argument holds that Cuttat's proposal anticipates Tillich's theology in practical, mystical terms, showing how Christian mystical experience can assume and transfigure other traditions without syncretism or relativism, making mysticism a principle for truth, plurality, and ethical responsibility in dialogue.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Cuttat's model of assumptive convergence anticipates Tillich's theology of religions, demonstrating how Christian mystical experience can assume and transfigure other religious traditions without syncretism or relativism. |
Abstract
In today’s plural and global context, the Theology of Religions and Interreligious Dialogue play a decisive role in fostering mutual understanding and a genuine culture of encounter. This article examines the theological and spiritual foundations of this task through a re-reading of Paul Tillich and Jacques-Albert Cuttat. Starting from Tillich’s unfinished reflection on the significance of the history of religions, this study reconstructs his ontological and pneumatological framework, with particular attention to the notion of a mystical a priori as the structural condition of all religious experience. On this basis, it analyses Cuttat’s model of “assumptive convergence” between the two “religious hemispheres”—East and West—as an experiential and spiritual unfolding of Tillich’s intuition. This article argues that Cuttat’s proposal anticipates, in practical and mystical terms, the theology of religions outlined by Tillich, showing how Christian mystical experience can assume, discern, and transfigure other religious traditions without syncretism or relativism. In this perspective, mysticism emerges as a fundamental theological principle for articulating truth, plurality, and ethical responsibility in interreligious dialogue.