From Joy to Joy

Abstract

C. S. Lewis acknowledged Rudolf Otto's influence in his use of the term numinous to describe the uniqueness of religious experience, the experience of awe and with it the reality of absolutes, in contrast to prevailing naturalistic, materialistic, and subjectivist interpretations of morality and religion. Otto hints at and Lewis develops in more detail the idea of the numinous in human relationships. In Lewis' personal life, he does this in his relationship to his wife, Joy Davidman Lewis, In his writings, he does this in Till We Have Faces and other works. In each case, Lewis provides apt illustrations of how the numinous is at the heart of what by almost any staruiards are meaningful and satisfying relationships. Intense personal relationships become ideal environments for the experience of the numinous, even in situations of tragedy and loss. This is a message that a postmodern, secularized world needs to hear.