Professor Rudolf Otto (1869 – 1937)
Rudolf Otto was an eminent German Lutheran theologian and philosopher. He is regarded as one of the most influential scholars of religion in the early twentieth century.
Professor Rudolf Otto is best known for his concept of the Numinous, which is a profound emotional experience he argued was at the heart of the world’s religions.
Otto was born in Germany to a pious Christian family. He wrote his dissertation on Martin Luther’s understanding of the Holy Spirit. Otto wrote his habilitation on Emmanuel Kant.
During his travels abroad, Otto became fascinated with non-Christian religions.
In 1917, he became a professor at the Divinity School at the University of Marburg. In those days it was one of the most famous Protestant seminaries in the world.
Otto was influenced by three streams of writings:
- Friedrich Schleiermacher and his sense of holiness
- Immanuel Kant and Jakob Fries with their rationalist approach
- Meister Eckhart and his mysticism
Otto’s most famous book is called The Idea of the Holy. In scholarly settings it is referred to by its actual title in the original German: Das Heilige. It was one of the most successful German theological books of the 20th century.
Otto was heavily involved in Ecumenical activities between Christian denominations. He was also heavily involved in Interfaith Dialogue between Christianity and other religions.
THE IDEA OF THE HOLY
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21
RESOURCES: Outline, Terminology, Professor Rudolf Otto
Read online at Internet Archive
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