Vejen til det hellige

Abstract

Man has always been in search of the holy or the sacred, something which is beyond, transcends the categories, experiences which cannot be grasped by ordinary means. Man has searched for these experiences in the mountains and in the deserts. Vivid desciptions of this are found in the Tora' where Yahwe reviels himself to Moses in the desert and in the mountains. Yahwe is holy and the origin of everything that exists. Man learns about holiness by acquiring a knowledge of creation and the creator. The Hebrew concept jada' is extremely rich because it implies the whole person with intellect, emotions, will, heart, and cognition. To the Hebrew Yahwe is both immanent and transcendent: thus the Holy One from whom all holiness derives, is both distant, awe-inspiring and very near. Martin Buber is a remarkable exponent of holiness although he treats it indirectly. lnspired by chassidism and deeply rooted in Jewith tradition he stresses the dialogue, the I-you relationship. This same deep resepct for creation is found in the writings of Niels Steensen, the famous Danish scientist. Creation is a language of holiness.