The sacred, the holy, the numinous - and religion: on the emergence and early history of a terminological constellation
At the turn of the 19th century and in the early 20th century, the sacred (Durkheim, Mauss, Callois), holiness/the holy (Söderblom, Otto) and the numinous (Otto) emerged as key terms in the nascent field of religious studies. These terms set up a discursive space for the study of religion that ackno...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
[2017]
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In: |
Religion
Year: 2017, Volume: 47, Issue: 4, Pages: 557-590 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Durkheim, Émile 1858-1917
/ Mauss, Marcel 1872-1950
/ Söderblom, Nathan 1866-1931
/ Otto, Rudolf 1869-1937
/ Caillois, Roger 1913-1978
B The Sacred / The Holy / The Divine / Religion / Terminology / Rise of / History 1887-2017 |
IxTheo Classification: | AA Study of religion AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism TJ Modern history TK Recent history |
Further subjects: | B
Callois
Roger
B Mauss Marcel B Otto Rudolf B Söderblom Nathan B The Holy B the Numinous B the sacred B Durkheim Émile |
Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
Summary: | At the turn of the 19th century and in the early 20th century, the sacred (Durkheim, Mauss, Callois), holiness/the holy (Söderblom, Otto) and the numinous (Otto) emerged as key terms in the nascent field of religious studies. These terms set up a discursive space for the study of religion that acknowledged its reality and relevance for modern societies and individuals, but that proceeded independent of confessional theologies and sought to transcend Western-Christian ethnocentrism. By providing a close reading of the works of the above-mentioned scholars, in particular Durkheim, this article revisits the emergence of these terms. In particular, it looks at the different ways in which the sacred, the holy and the numinous were related to religion. The article discusses some differences between the scholars of the sacred and the scholars of the holy in terms of their agendas, aims, and preconditions. |
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ISSN: | 0048-721X |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/0048721X.2017.1377889 |