An ultimate God, being transcendent is beyond description in literal terms, as is asserted by many theologians. Our knowledge of the divine nature must therefore be indirect. A prime means of such an indirect approach is through the religious mythologies that have captivated humankind throughout recorded time and even earlier.  

Anthony O'Hear suggests that we must take these mythologies seriously, because each of them is potentially revelatory of some aspect of the divine. They all aim at truth and should be valued for this, but no single myth can reveal the whole truth. Each will be filtered through fallible human imagery and thought. So, while respecting and prioritising our own favoured myth, we should be open to illumination from myths originating in different times and cultures. 

At the next event of the Transyvania Lectures series, in his discussion, Anthony O'Hear focuses mainly, but not exclusively on the Christian myth, and draws on what C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien have said about this. He also considers on the way in which the Florentine neo-Platonists of the 15th century attempted to reconcile Christianity and the mythology of ancient Greece. His talk will draw on his recently published book 'The Prism of Truth: Reflections on Myth' (Cascade Books, Wipf and Stock, 2025). 

Anthony O'Hear is Professor of Philosophy at The University of Buckingham, UK. From 1994-2019 he was Director of the Royal Insititute of Philosophy (London) and Editor of its journal 'Philosophy'. Author of many books and articles on philosophy, he has advised several British governments on education. In 2018 he was awarded the OBE in the British New Years Honours List for services to education.  

Moderator: Noémi Osváth, a former student of Mathias Corvinus Collegium and a graduate in psychology. She has a strong personal and academic interest in exploring religious insights through both psychological and philosophical perspectives. 

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