Places, Dates, Terms & Concepts

Question 1

Beth-el

Answer 1

Sacred site where Jacob had his dream of a ladder/stairway to heaven

Name means “House of God” after Jacob’s encounter there

Became an important Israelite sanctuary and worship center

Question 2

December 25

Answer 2

Originally Roman celebration of Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun)

Adopted by Christians in 4th century as Jesus’ birth celebration

Coincides with various winter solstice festivals across cultures

Question 3

Experiential Dimension

Answer 3

Direct personal encounter with the divine or sacred

Focuses on feelings, emotions, and perceptions in religious experience

Distinguished from doctrinal, ethical, or ritual dimensions of religion

Question 4

mysterium tremendum et fascinans

Answer 4

Rudolf Otto’s term for religious experience as terrifying yet fascinating mystery

Tremendum: awe, fear, and overwhelming power

Fascinans: attraction, captivation, and bliss

Question 5

numinous

Answer 5

Otto’s term for the non-rational experience of the holy

Distinct from moral or rational understandings of religion

Produces unique feelings of creature-consciousness and dependency

Question 6

axis mundi

Answer 6

The “world axis” connecting heaven, earth, and underworld

Central point where sacred and profane worlds meet

Represented by sacred mountains, temples, pillars, or trees