Crossing Philosophical Boundaries in Comparative Theology: John Keenan, Joseph O'Leary and Raimon Panikkar

Abstract One of the ways in which the process of learning may occur in comparative theology is through reinterpreting the data of one religion through the philosophical framework of another. This type of learning mainly takes the form of Christian theologians reinterpreting the contents of Christian faith through Asian philosophical frameworks. John Keenan, for example, has devoted his career to interpreting biblical texts through Madhyamika and Yogacara philosophies, and Raimon Panikkar has used Advaita Vedanta to develop his Christian philosophy. This crossing of philosophical boundaries has yielded much creative theological insight. But in this process of interpretation, certain elements of Christian faith may be lost or compromised. This article seeks to take stock of this process of inter‐religious or cross‐religious hermeneutics, and the possibilities and limits of interpreting one religion through the philosophical framework of another.