The The Dimension of the Divinity in the Narrative of La Galigo: A Theological Hermeneutic Analysis

The concept of a supreme divine principle, Dewata Seuwae, is central to the Bugis cosmos as depicted in the La Galigo narrative, reflecting a hierarchical and symbolic theocentric consciousness. The religious experience portrayed affirms an ethical relationship between humans, nature, and transcendent forces. La Galigo functions as a cultural foundation for Bugis-Islamic theology through a dialogical vernacularization process, showing that the divine dimension in the narrative is dynamic and remains relevant across changing theological and historical horizons.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This article examines the dimension of divinity in the narrative of La Galigo through a phenomenologically oriented theological-hermeneutic analysis. This study is motivated by the fact that most studies on La Galigo have thus far emphasized the philological, structural, and cultural aspects of it, while the meaning of religious experience and divine consciousness contained in it is still relatively limited. This research aims to understand how La Galigo represents the collective religious experience of the pre-Islamic Bugis people and how the meaning of divinity underwent historical transformation in the context of Islamization. Qualitative in nature, the primary data consist of selected episodes and cosmological narratives from La Galigo manuscripts and published translations, particularly those representing divine figures, cosmological structures, and human-divine relationships. These texts were interpreted through the hermeneutic frameworks of Wilhelm Dilthey, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and Paul Ricoeur. Analysis was conducted through iterative interpretation involving textual description, contextual interpretation, and theological reflection. Through this approach, La Galigo is understood as an objectification of religious experience that is symbolic and open to reinterpretation, while its cosmological symbols, supernatural figures, and world structures are examined as expressions of divine meaning rather than merely mythological narratives. The main findings of the study shed light that the concept of Dewata Seuwae occupies a central position as the supreme divine principle in the Bugis cosmos, reflecting a hierarchical and symbolic pattern of theocentric consciousness. The religious experience depicted in La Galigo affirms the ethical relationship between man, nature, and transcendent forces. The implications of this study show that La Galigo functions as a cultural foundation for Bugis-Islamic theology through a dialogical vernacularization process. This study concludes that the divine dimension in La Galigo is dynamic and remains relevant in changing theological and historical horizons.