Makunaima and Melchizedek

decolonial Theological concerns

Abstract

This article proposes a theopoetic reading of the macuxi indigenous artivist Jaider Esbell’s work, proposing a semantic approach to the text of Hebrews 7, in search of evidence of parallels, correspondences, and possible decolonial contributions in the myth of Melchizedek, which can contribute to the reconstruction of intercultural and interfaith narratives. The text is treated from a hermeneutics of suspicion point of view, seeking to trace absences or possible concealments in the text that would occur by exaggerations of the characters, or by stylistic emphases that may or may not signal both the destination of the enunciation, and traditional perspectives reproduced there. The idea is to discuss the biblical text in its polysemy and the character of Melchizedek in its intrinsic ambiguity, pointing to questioning the notions of exclusivity, colonialism, and patriarchy present in the mythical and prophetic authority of Macunaima, evoked in the work of Jaider Esbell. The article thus seeks to contribute to the recognition of the theopoetic discourse as part of a truly dialogical epistemology, in which there is horizontality in interfaith reflections on care of Creation.