oa [Fear and Joy in the Bible: Emotional Ambivalence in the Light of the Psychology of Religion, Furcht und Freude in der Bibel: Emotionale Ambivalenz im Lichte der Religionspsychologie]

It is a modern conviction that religion and emotion belong together. It would be an anachronism to presuppose a priori such a connection in pre-modern times. The article shows that the definition of religious experience as mysterium fascinosum et tremendum (R.Otto) is not anachronistic. Biblical texts express an emotional ambivalence of fear and joy when speaking on God. On the one hand, we may explain this ambivalence with the help of evolutionary psychology as part of the universal conditio humana; on the other hand, fear and joy are culturally and historically conditioned. The article gives a sketch of the history and diversity of these emotions in biblical texts and underlines the connection between emotions and rituals.