NEPRIOPĆIVOST NUMINOZNOG U TEORIJI RUDOLFA OTTOA
THE INEFFABILITY OF THE NUMINOUS IN RUDOLF OTTO’S THEORY

Summary/Abstract: The sacred, called “numinous” in Rudolf Otto’s religious theory is an ineffable force permeating diverse world-fragments, exteriorising itself through various phenomena and having a tremendous significance for the believer. The numinous is analysed in its specific elements in Otto’s theory, as completely opposed to the ordinary, profane reality: mysterium tremendum and mysterium fascinans. In this text the idea of the numinous as having an unspecified “surplus” meaning and, thus, importance, is briefly explored. The problems of lack of verbal expression of the emotional experience of the sacred are outlined, both in a broader apophatical context, as well as particularly related to the impossibility to encase and explain the numinal nature except as emotionally experienced by homo religiosus.

• Details
• Contents