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T R U T H , T O L E R A N C E , A N D M O N O T H E I S M : I S A N I N T E R FA I T H D I A L O G U E P O S S I B L E
see Him “through a glass, darkly” (1 Cor. 13:12). This is con-
cisely expressed by Maximus the Confessor in his statement:
“The realities of the Old Testament are a shadow; those of the
New Testament, an image; the truth belongs to the things to
come.”
This perspective does not relativize truth in its historical
form but broadens the horizon within which sacred texts and
religious doctrines must always be understood. In this way,
fundamentalism finds no fertile ground. The other is not
merely tolerated but becomes an integral part of the broader
context within which truth unfolds.
As early as 1935, Erik Peterson, in his work Der Monotheis-
mus als politisches Problem, attributed to monotheism respon-
sibility for the historical development of dangerous political
and religious ideologies—an argument that continues to re-
surface today. Yet, once again, everything depends on how
monotheism is understood, on the particular kind of mono-
theism one upholds.
In the Christian tradition, the concept of monotheism has
been profoundly shaped by faith in the Triune God. God is
one, but He is not alone. Monotheism inherently contains
communion; unity without plurality is inconceivable. The one
God is personal existence—an existence of relational unity
and, at the same time, of otherness. Christian monotheism
introduces a decisive distinction between one and alone: be-
ing one is not synonymous with being alone. In this under-
standing, the one is identified with the unique, a concept that
can arise only from personal relationship. Just as in true love,
someone becomes unique precisely because there is another
for whom they are unique.
If we understand monotheism in this spirit, then it not only
does not obstruct otherness, but actually highlights the other
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