The concept "sacred" in theolinguistics

The article is devoted to the study of the concept «sacred». The current study is carried out within the framework of theolinguistics. The object of our study is the concept «sacred». The subject is manifestations of the concept «sacred» in the language, religion and culture. The study is based on the data from etymological dictionaries and examples of Catholic and Protestant liturgical hand gestures. The purpose of the paper is to carry out a comparative analysis of the linguistic and cultural manifestations of the phenomenon «sacred». In the paper, different approaches to its interpretation are considered and manifestations are described. Special attention is paid to the consideration of the concept «sacred» in theolinguistics. The analysis of the concept’s content allowed revealing some significant features. Bilateral nature of the sacred, a harmonious coexistence of pagan and Christian, magical and divine features are meant. Examples and mechanisms of manifesting the concept «sacred» both at verbal and nonverbal levels are given and analyzed.