In his magisterial study of religious experience, The Idea of the Holy , the German philosopher Rudolph Otto linked the idea of the holy to the "numinous" – that which fills us with a sense of fear and mystery. It is a useful definition. And any encounter with the holy, Otto notes, is an almost coercive experience. Holiness compels us to reverence and constrains us to act on its behalf, as it did the prophet, who could only respond "Send me!" when God demanded a mortal advocate.

Yet the Scriptures record that God also assigns a measure of holiness to specific things "outside" Himself. God declares the Sabbath to be holy (Genesis 2:3). God also sanctifies the locations of His revelation (Exodus 3:5). Thus Judaism embraces the concept of holy space and, especially, the concept of holy time.

To these Christianity and Islam eventually added what the historian of religion Karen Armstrong calls the "cult of the holy human being." But as Ms. Armstrong notes, "any symbol of the sacred, be it a building, a city, a literary text, a law code, or a man, is bound to be inadequate." That inadequacy becomes highly evident when, for example, religion criminalizes the criticism of holiness. Israelite religion punished the abuse of God's name (Leviticus 24). The Church went further when it determined that insulting the person of Christ was a desecration that warranted execution. Later still, Islam made it a capital offense to denigrate any "holy prophets," especially Muhammad.

As a consequence of this desire to protect holiness punitively, we see situations such is now happening in Pakistan and Iran, where academics are facing execution for interpreting events in the life of Muhammad in ways contrary to Islamic tradition. We also have tragedies such as has just unfolded in Nigeria, where one journalist's irreverent speculations on the Prophet's attitude toward beauty pageants sparked the death of hundreds in inter-religious riots. Elevating something as holy can be a two-edged sword for a faith community, for holiness has the power both to inspire and to inflame the human spirit.

But the idea of holiness outside of God, and human sacredness in particular, is still a profound insight, despite its inadequacies. In Leviticus 19, for example, the entire People of Israel is commanded, "You shall be holy, for the Lord your God is holy." It seems on the surface an invitation to claim special privilege for the Jewish people above all others. But crucial to understanding this idea of the holy is the wording. As the philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz points out, the Hebrew verb "to be holy" appears here in the imperfect form; it is not descriptive of what humans are already, but prescriptive of what we must strive to be. Consequently Judaism has learned to elevate self-criticism to almost the status of a sacrament.

Equally important, biblical holiness is inextricably linked to the ethical. As Leviticus 19 goes on to say, pursuing holiness requires of people that they "not deal basely ... not take vengeance, or bear a grudge ... love your fellow as yourself ..." Slaying or imprisoning those who slight the honor of prophets and sages does not protect nor advance holiness; it only undermines it. We should realize that just as The Holy One is Mysterium Tremendum, an awesome mystery beyond our control, so too holiness is a condition beyond human regulation. That which is holy does not need defending – it needs emulating.