Text, Author, Reader and the Relationship with the Sacred

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present the relationship which is going to be established between the reader, the author of a text, and the text itself. In this specific context we refer to a particular kind of text, namely the Sacred Text, or the Writings divinely revealed by the Founders of the religions of the world. The reader refers to any individual who decides to undergo the reading of a text and by referring to the Bahá'í Writings and modern literary theory. We will try to understand the relationship that is developed between the text and the reader and the implications in the daily life of every individual. We also try to comprehend how the intentio auctoris and the intentio operis will influence the reader, especially when we are referring to a sacred text which is completely different from a text written by any individual since the Writings of the Manifestation of God differ from that of an individual for the implications it has when the message is applied in the daily life of each person.