For Chantepie, phenomenology is affected by the philosophy and history of religion, but for Kristensen, it is also the medium whereby the philosophy and history of religion interact with and affect one another. In this sense, Kristensen's account of the relationship between historical manifestations and philosophy is more similar to that of Hegel than it is to Chantepie. In defining the religious essence of which he explores historical manifestations, Kristensen appropriates Rudolf Otto’s conception of "das Heilige" ("the holy" or "the sacred"). Otto describes "das Heilige" with the expression "mysterium tremendum et fascinans"—a numinous power revealed in a moment of "awe" that admits of both the horrible shuddering of "religious dread" ("tremendum") and fascinating wonder ("fascinans") with the overpowering majesty ("majestas") of the ineffable, "wholly other" mystery ("mysterium").