Note per una rilettura de "La confessione dei peccati" di Raffaele Pettazzoni

Among the many works of Raffaele Pettazzoni, "La confessione dei peccati" (1929–1936, 3 vols.) is grounded in a theoretical foundation that remains highly relevant in religious studies: the possibility of achieving a consilience between the historical sciences and the natural sciences. In this paper, I aim to demonstrate that, from the gestation of the work to a few years after his death, Pettazzoni—despite the undeniable evolution of his thinking on the relationship and comparison between historicism and phenomenology—remained steadfast in his conviction regarding the general structure of "La confessione dei peccati". This conviction, however, does not stem primarily from the resolution of the two theoretical-methodological issues but rather from what has been termed the “historicist hereticality” of Pettazzoni’s approach. Specifically, this refers to his attempt to establish a new field of scientific research within Italian historiography, spurred by the influence of religious ethnology—a discipline that had already borne significant fruit in other European countries. The stakes of this endeavor were high, arguably exceeding the dichotomy between historicism and antihistorical phenomenology. Pettazzoni’s ultimate goal during the first two decades of the 20th century was to occupy a neglected and misunderstood intellectual space—a “no man’s land”—where the first consilience, in chronological terms, between the natural sciences (to which ethnology belonged) and the historical sciences (within which the study of religion was struggling for legitimacy) could take root. The first part of this paper describes the content and structure of the three volumes on confession, along with some related publications. It then examines the reactions from the religious studies community of the time, epitomized by Adolfo Omodeo’s scathing critique of Pettazzoni’s trilogy. This discussion reflects what is perhaps the most relevant and enduring legacy of Pettazzoni, whose contributions to the field we commemorate on the centenary of his chair's establishment.