Rudolf Otto: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

All Topics

Rudolf Otto

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

	Rudolf Otto
	Home Discussion
	Topics Rudolf Otto Topic Home Rudolf Otto was an eminent GermanGermany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in central Europe.... LutheranLutheranism Overview Lutheranism is a movement within Christianity that began with the theological insights of Martin Luther in the 16th century,... theologianTheology Theology is reasoned discourse concerning religion, spirituality and God.... and scholar of comparative religionComparative religion Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes interpretive differences of common themes and ideas among... . Life Born in PeinePeine Overview Peine is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, capital of the district Peine.... near HanoverHanover Hanover , on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany.... , Otto attended the Gymnasium Andreanum in HildesheimHildesheim Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany.... and studied at the universities of Erlangen and Göttingen, where he wrote his dissertation on Martin LutherMartin Luther Martin Luther was a German monk, priest, professor, theologian, and church reformer.... 's understanding of the Holy SpiritHoly Spirit In various religions, most notably Trinitarian Christianity, the Holy Spirit is the third consubstantial Person of the Holy... , and his habilitationHabilitation Habilitation is a term used within the university system in France, Germany, Austria, and some other European countries such... on Kant. By 1906, he held a position as extraordinary professorProfessor The meaning of the word professor varies.... , and in 1910 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of GiessenUniversity of Giessen Summary The University of Giessen is officially called *Justus Liebig-Universitt Gieen* after its most famous member, the fo... . In 1915, he became ordinary professor at the University of Breslau, and in 1917, at the University of Marburg's Divinity School, then one of the most famous Protestant seminariesSeminary A seminary or theological college is a specialized and often live-in higher education institution for the purpose of i... in the world. Although he received several other calls, he remained in Marburg for the rest of his life. He retired in 1929 and died of pneumonia eight years later, after he had suffered serious injuries falling some 20 m from a tower. Persistent but unconfirmed rumors identified this as a suicide attempt. He is buried in MarburgMarburg Marburg is a city in Hesse, Germany, on the Lahn river.... cemetery. The Idea of the Holy Otto's most famous work is The Idea of the Holy, published first in 1917 as Das Heilige - Über das Irrationale in der Idee des Göttlichen und sein Verhältnis zum Rationalen (The Holy - On the Irrational in the Idea of the Divine and its Relation to the Rational). It is one of the most successful German theological books of the 20th century, has never gone out of print, and is now available in about 20 languages. The book defines the concept of the holy as that which is numinousNuminous Numinous is a term coined by Rudolf Otto to describe that which is wholly other.... . Otto explained the numinous as a "non-rational, non-sensory experience or feeling whose primary and immediate object is outside the self". He coined this new term based on the Latin numen (deity). This expression is etymologicallyEtymology Etymology is the study of the origins of words.... unrelated to Immanuel KantImmanuel Kant Immanuel Kant , was a German philosopher from Knigsberg in East Prussia .... 's noumenonNoumenon The noumenon or thing in itself is a basic reality underlying observable phenomena.... , a Greek term referring to an unknowable reality underlying all things. The numinous is a mystery that is both terrifying (tremendum) and fascinating (fascinans) at the same time. It also sets a paradigm for the study of religion that focuses on the need to realize the religious as a non-reducible, original category in its own right. This paradigm was under much attack between approximately 1950 and 1990 but has made a strong comeback since then, after its phenomenologicalPhenomenology Phenomenology has three meanings in philosophical history, one derived from G.W.F.... aspects have become more apparent. Influence Otto left a broad influence on theology and philosophy of religion in the first half of the 20th century. German-American theologian Paul TillichPaul Tillich Paul Johannes Tillich was a German-American theologian and Christian existentialist philosopher.... acknowledged Otto's influence on him, as did Romanian-American anthropologist Mircea EliadeMircea Eliade Mircea Eliade was a Romanian historian, philosopher, theorist of religion, academic, and novelist notably in the fantasy and... and Otto's most famous German pupil Gustav Mensching (1901-1978) from Bonn University. Eliade used the concepts from The Idea of the Holy as the starting point for his own 1957 book, The Sacred and the Profane. Otto was one of the very few modern theologians to whom C. S. LewisC. S. Lewis Summary Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an Irish author and scholar.... indicates a debt, particularly the idea of the numinous in The Problem of PainThe Problem of Pain *The Problem of Pain* is a 1940 book by C.... . Others to acknowledge Otto were, for instance, Martin HeideggerMartin Heidegger Summary Martin Heidegger , German philosopher, attempted to reorient Western philosophy away from metaphysical and epistemological a... , Leo StraussLeo Strauss Leo Strauss, was a German-born American political philosopher, who specialized in the study of classical philosophy.... , Hans-Georg GadamerHans-Georg Gadamer Overview Hans-Georg Gadamer was a German philosopher best known for his 1960 magnum opus, Truth and Method .... (critical in his youth, respectful in his old age), Max SchelerMax Scheler Overview Max Scheler was a German philosopher known for his work in phenomenology, ethics, and philosophical anthropology.... , Ernst JüngerErnst Jünger Ernst Jnger, was a German author of novels and accounts of his war experiences.... , Joseph Needham and Hans JonasHans Jonas Summary German-born philosopher Hans Jonas studied under Martin Heidegger and Rudolf Bultmann in the 1920s.... . Partial bibliography Naturalism and Religion (1907), London: Williams and Norgate, at Google Books The Life and Ministry of Jesus, According to the Critical Method (1908), Chicago: Open Court, ISBN 0-8370-4648-3. at Google Books The Idea of the Holy (1923), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-500210-5 Christianity and the Indian Religion of Grace, Madras 1928 India's Religion of Grace and Christianity Compared and Contrasted, New York 1930 The philosophy of religion based on Kant and Fries, London 1931 Religious essays: A supplement to The Idea of the Holy, London 1931 Mysticism east and west: A comparative analysis of the nature of mysticism, New York 1932 The original Gita: The song of the Supreme Exalted One, London 1939 The Kingdom of God and the Son of Man: A Study in the History of Religion, Boston 1943 Autobiographical and Social Essays (1996), Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, ISBN 3-11-014518-9 External links