otto's numinous

• Otto's thinking on the numinous:

  • non-rational + unique form of experience, totally outside our everyday experience
  • refers to a presence + reality that cannot be understood with senses or intellect
  • sense of the wholly other; sense of the holy
  • emphasis on God's transcendence
• Otto's idea of the Holy:

  • means 'other than' 'separate from'
  • an attempt to describe the sense some people have of a reality totally outside + beyond their experience of themselves + the world
• sui generis = unique; of their own kind
• the wholly other = beyond comprehension, cannot be grasped or perceived
• mysterium tremendum et fascinas = tremendous + fascinating mystery

  • meant to express the complex nature of numinous experiences
• mysterium = something removed from humanity that can be experienced but not understood - response of awe + wonder
• tremendum = the fearsome experience of God's overwhelming majesty + energy - leads to a sense of human nothingness + sinfulness in comparison + a complete dependent on God
• fascinas = the compulsive + attractive nature of the experience creates the desire for a relationship with this being, despite its fearful nature - creates an awareness of the need of salvation