Awe is an ingredient in any encounter with the nonrational, the mysterious, or the numinous. In a religious context, the radically “other” identified as the Divine is perhaps most pronounced in Judaism. The Hebrew words yirah (fear) or eymah (dread) express an emotion, awe, that denotes dread or terror inspired by the sacred—reverent fear […]
Asceticism is derived from the Greek verb “to exercise,” and ascetics are accordingly understood to exercise—quite literally, to put into action—both mind and body in the interest of cultivating virtue and a closer relationship with the divine. Specific practices of religiously inspired asceticism include celibacy, fasting, silence, and various forms of corporal mortification. In […]