Beyond exclusivism in the middle ages : on the three rings, the three impostors and the discourse of multiplicity

Abstract

This chapter examines different concepts of religious multiplicity in medieval discourse by analysing sources from various literary genres. The famous versions of the tale of three rings and the aphorism of the three impostors as metaphors for the three Abrahamitic religions are shown to be the tip of the iceberg in a complex and diverse range of attitudes towards the plurality of religion in the Middle Ages. The notions of interreligious relations found in medieval writing have previously been described with binary oppositions. The chapter argues that these simple oppositions are imprecise and do not reflect the complex medieval discourse. Rather, a variety of categories, long established in religious studies, are applied here, such as soteriological and dogmatical exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism. Furthermore, the author demonstrates the presence of anthropological universalism.