“The Idea of the Holy” by Rudolf Otto – Chapter 6
Chapter 6 of “The Idea of the Holy” by Rudolf Otto is named ‘The Element of Fascination.’ Here is our summary.
CHAPTER 6
The Element of Fascination
Pages 31 to 41
The numinous experience is not only daunting awefulness and majesty, but also uniquely attractive and fascinating. It entrances and captivates us. [Page 31]
Just as “wrath” does not exhaust the element of awefulness in the divine, so too “graciousness” does not exhaust the element of wonderfulness and rapture in the divine. [Page 32]
The primitive religious person attempts to possess the numenous. Some people do that by identifying themself with the numen itself. Other people do it by steady growth until they reach the greatest states of Life in the Spirit and Mysticism. [Page 33]
Experiencing the Mysterium bestows bliss, salvation, the peace that surpasses understanding, transport, fervor, rapture. Before it, all images fade away. [Page 34]
Compared with the beatific vision of God in the Mysterium, our doctrines and dogmas are meagre and childish, tedious and uninteresting. [Page 35]
People might experience fascination both in private devotion as well as in common worship with the congregation. It demonstrates that above and beyond our rational being lies hidden the ultimate and highest part of our nature. The mystics called it the basis or ground of the soul. [Page 36]
The Mysterious led to the supernatural and transcendent, and then to Mysticism. Similarly, Fascination led to over-abounding, and then to Mysticism. What people experience is unutterable. It passes into blissful excitement, rapture, and exaltation verging often on the bizarre and the abnormal. [Page 37]
William James collected quotes from various Mystics. Otto finds the quotes attest to the non-rational element. [Page 38]
All religions include a beatific experience: being born again, the opening of the third eye, Nirvana, and the like. [Page 39]
The Greek word δειυος (“deios”) means the numinous. We are fascinated by the numinous. It seems monstrous or weird, uncanny. [Page 40]
The numinous is vast, uncanny, fearful, Other, incomprehensible. [Page 41]
THE IDEA OF THE HOLY
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21
RESOURCES: Outline, Terminology, Professor Rudolf Otto
Read online at Internet Archive
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.