Describe the two types of revelation (5 marks).

Revelation refers to the concept of knowledge which is revealed by a god to human beings, so that humans can know something important which would otherwise be unaccessible to them. This knowledge could be, for example, something about god, something about how to live ethically, or something about what happens after death. There are two types of revelation.

The first type of revelation is known as 'general' revelation. It is called general because it refers to a general abstract concept. For example, Christians believe that creation (i.e. the Earth, space, nature, etc.) is general revelation which points to the existence of god; as Psalm 19 in the Bible puts it, 'the heavens declare the glory of god'.

The second type of revelation is known as 'special' revelation. In contrast to general revelation, special revelation occurs only in specific ways; to certain people or in certain objects. For example, Muslims believe that the Qur'an is special revelation because it records the actual words of Allah given through the prophet Muhammed. These words are bound to space and time in the form of a book.