Comparison of the Philosophical Foundations of Education in the Old and New Testaments from the Perspectives of Epistemology and Ontology
Keywords:
philosophical foundations of education, Old Testament, New Testament, epistemology, ontology, law-centered education, love-centered educationAbstract
This study offers a comparative analysis of the philosophical foundations of education in the Old and New Testaments, focusing on epistemological and ontological dimensions. It explores how these two foundational texts of the Jewish and Christian traditions present distinct yet interconnected frameworks for human formation. Epistemologically, both emphasize divine revelation, reason, and lived experience as primary sources of knowledge; however, the Old Testament defines truth within covenantal law and obedience, while the New Testament introduces Jesus Christ as the living Word, linking knowledge to personal faith and inner transformation. Ontologically, the Old Testament portrays God as a sovereign and just creator and humanity as morally capable yet responsible before divine law, whereas the New Testament reframes God as creator and redeemer and humanity as dependent on grace, called to spiritual renewal and liberating love. These differences shift educational aims from law-centered identity preservation to love-centered moral transformation, social service, and global mission. By highlighting both continuity and discontinuity across the two traditions, the study provides new perspectives for rethinking contemporary philosophy of education and inspires the design of learning systems that integrate moral stability with personal growth, freedom, and compassionate responsibility.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Alireza Abbasian (Author); Mohammad Hajizad; Ahmad Miriyan (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
