Rudolf otto alianza editorial, madrid, 1996 titulo original. Rudolf otto and mystical experience religious studies. Rudolf otto otto was one of the most influential thinkers about religion in the first half of the twentieth century. Ottos theory of religious experience as encounter with the numinous and its application to buddhism. Otto goes too far in saying that all religious experiences are numinous otto s characteristics of the numinous experience require one particular understanding of the nature.
The numinous experience is the first in our series of eight indications of the interior sense that each and every human being has of god but what exactly is the numinous experience. Pdf rudolf otto and the concept of the numinous stuart. He is regarded as one of the most influential scholars of religion in the early twentieth century and is best known for his concept of the numinous, a profound emotional experience he argued was at the heart of the worlds religions. Apr 17, 20 rudolf otto september 25, 1869 march 5, 1937 was an eminent theologian and religious scholar in the german protestant tradition. According to otto, the numinous mystery of the holy god can be experienced in. Daemonic dread is the first stage in religious development. This brief outline is based on a 1973 reprint of the second edition. Rudolf otto and the concept of the numinous oxford. The important contribution of rudolf otto with regard to the approach to god. He is best known for his analysis of the experience that, in his view, underlies all religion. If you would like to buy the full version, head over to uk. The word given to describe this feeling is numinous. The idea of the holy, 1923 is his most important work. William james and rudolf otto are key scholars for this topic and their analyses of religious experience by different types are studied here.
Raphael, rudolf otto and the concept of holiness, ch. Rudolf otto the numinous in the idea of the holy otto characterises religious experiences as feelings of dependence, aweinspiring, fascinating and terrifying. Numen and the numinous 1 holinessthe holyis a category of interpretation and valuation peculiar to the sphere of religion. Ottos idea of the numinous a crosscultural reappraisal. The idea of the holy interpretation and analysis by dr. Numinous experiences and the work of rudolf otto by fathima. Although he gives no further explanation on the choice of this word, he does comment extensively upon the numinous. Since this pole of feelingcontent is manifest earlier in history than the elements of the second pole, it makes sense to address it first as rudolf. A particularly important example of such a structure is the concept of the numinous developed by the theologian and comparativist rudolf otto 186997 in his work, the idea of the holy. Otto did not include in his concerns as a theologian and as a phenomenologist of religion the participation on whether numinous experience really exists. In this article i want to demonstrate how misplaced this criticism is and to show that it is based on an erroneous interpretation of the relationship between numinous and mystical experience in his. Jan 04, 2017 the numinous experience is the first in our series of eight indications of the interior sense that each and every human being has of god.
He called these the experience of the numinous the spiritual dimension, the utterly ineffable, the holy, and the overwhelming. Fear of the shadow, the daemon, is the beginning of subjective religious experience according to rudolf otto in the idea of the holy. Rudolf otto has often been criticized for not showing enough interest in mystical experience. Pdf in this paper, i investigate the nonrational, affective dimension of religious experience that rudolf otto attempted to address with his. However, the numinous does not appear to be a universally. The elements of dread, awe, dauntingness, and creatureliness are the most evident dimensions of the numen in the early stages of the development of individual and cultural religious consciousness. Harvey professor of philosophy at armslrong college ji ewcastleontyne oxford university press london new york toronto. An inquiry into the nonrational factor in the idea of. Rudolf otto 25 september 1869 7 march 1937 was an eminent german lutheran theologian, philosopher, and comparative religionist. Numinous analytical psychology the term numinous, based on the latin numen will, the active power of the divine was coined by rudolf otto 19171926 to define a category for the interpretation and evaluation of nonrational manifestations of the sacred. At its most intense, this fascination becomes exuberant and transforms into the. Rudolf otto german philosopher and theologian britannica. In oriental art there may be no more evocative portrayal of what rudolf otto. German theologian and philosopher rudolf otto 18691937 was an influential theorist within the historical development of religious studies.
The idea of the holy rudolf otto 1950 excerpted from the idea of the holy, 2nd ed. Numinous is an english adjective, taken from the latin numen. Early twentiethcentury liberal christian theologians, such as rudolf otto, nathan soderblom, and friedrich heiler, placed the experience of the numinous, sacred, or holy at the center of christianity and, by extension, at the center of all other religions as well. Ottos theory of religious experience as encounter with the numinous and its application to buddhism hoyu ishida rudolf otto 18691937 greatly contributed to the discussion of religious feeling and knowledge in attempting to characterize the experience of the holy as disclosed and distinctive in all religions. Otto explains, the daemonicdivine object may appear to the mind an object of horror and dread, but at the same time it. Rudolf otto religious experience as apprehension of the. Abstract in this paper, i investigate the nonrational, affective dimension of religious experience that rudolf otto attempted to address with his notion of the numinous. An art visualization of an audio clip taken from cs lewis the problem of pain, in which he explains rudolf otto s classic work, the idea of the holy. The idea of the holy chapter 2 numen and the numinous summary. As a kind of first approximation for the wholly new concept he is giving us, otto characterises the numinous as the holy i. The numinous has another aspect which coexists with the mysterium tremendum, the power to fascination.
It is used to describe the power or presence or realisation of a divinity. Rudolf otto, german theologian, philosopher, and historian of religion, who exerted worldwide influence through his investigation of mans experience of the holy. Mar 02, 2020 rudolf otto, german theologian, philosopher, and historian of religion, who exerted worldwide influence through his investigation of mans experience of the holy. Rudolf otto 18691937 using jakob friess epistemological scheme of wissen, glaube, and ahndung, understanding, belief, and aesthetic sense, to use kent richters translation, ruldolf otto expands the meaning of ahndung beyond the merely aesthetic by introducing the category of numinosity, which is the quality of sacred or holy objects, persons, or experiences in religion. According to rudolf otto the divine or the numinous is above all an object of great fear, terror or awe tremor. The numinous, empathy, and the o9a regarding the term numinous. Rudolf otto and the numinous experience flashcards quizlet. For otto, the numinous can be understood to be the experience of a. The numinous, empathy, and the o9a regarding the term numinous since the promotional blurb for a book by christopher pankhurst numinous machines, published in december 2017 by the rightwing san francisco based counter currents organization repeats the common but mistaken belief that rudolf otto coined the term numinous to refer to. He is wellknown for his idea of religious experience as being the apprehension of the holy or the numinous, concepts he presented in his book the idea of the holy 1917.
Rudolf otto rudolf otto the idea of the holy various influences had played upon ottos reflections through the years, aiding him in reformulating the religious category that was to carry him beyond schleiermacher. Harvey professor of philosophy at armslrong college. In this paper, i have attempted to interpret and analyze the concept and picture of god as has been propounded in the idea of holy by rudolf otto. Otto starts the idea of the holy by arguing that the nonrational in religion must be given its due importance, then goes on to introduce and develop his notion of the numinous. Also a most valuable explanation of the numinous origin of the concept of electionpredestination is presented, showing that it is a numinous sense in which the awareness of salvation is comprehended as a divine work which cannot be reduced to simple rationalism. Otto was describing and analyzing a distinct kind of religious experience that he called numinous, from the latin numen, meaning divine power. Holiness is a valuation peculiar to religion, even though it has been applied in spheres such as ethics by transplant. Otto s theory of religious experience as encounter with the numinous and its application to buddhism hoyu ishida rudolf otto 18691937 greatly contributed to the discussion of religious feeling and knowledge in attempting to characterize the experience of. Our utterly deferential fright is encapsulated in that hoary old testament expression, the wrath of yahweh.
Otto s work had a massive influence on thinkers as diverse as paul tillich and. Primitive people misunderstood their experience of the mysterium tremendum or the dread inspired by the numinous, to which they were drawn by the fascinating power of the numinous. Rudolf otto and his analysis of the numinous experience are familiar items of discussion in the modern study of religion, and contemporary accounts of the nature of religious experience invariably and necessarily contain references to his bestknown work, the idea of the holy. Jan 30, 2017 lesson, text and resources around rudolph otto s idea of the numinous. But we also say, i feel the presence of somebody, or this gives me a feeling of familiarity. Otto explained the numinous as a nonrational, nonsensory experience or feeling whose primary and immediate object is outside the self. Otto was one of the most influential thinkers about religion in the first half of the twentieth century. Presentation at weekend otherworld, cinema museum, kennington, 25th october 2014. The term was coined by rudolf otto to describe the experience humans have when they encounter the sheer holiness of god. Conversion is adopting a new religious belief that differs from a previouslyheld belief or no belief at all. If the inline pdf is not rendering correctly, you can download the pdf file here. Otto calls the alluring quality of the numinous the mysterium fascinosum.
He calls this experience numinous, and says it has three components. Otto, indeed, coined the term numinous, which has now become part of common usage. Rudolf otto september 25, 1869 march 5, 1937 was an eminent theologian and religious scholar in the german protestant tradition. Discuss, firstly because i dont think a question on it has ever come up before, and also because i think there is a strong argument that the concept of numinous experience as devised by rudolf otto and set out in the idea of the holy is not really capable of being an argument for gods existence. Therefore, i draw on discussions in phenomenology and pragmatism, despite the fact that otto s own. Although he gives no further explanation on the choice of this word, he does comment extensively upon the numinous experience. According to german theologian rudolf otto, the numinous experience has in addition to the tremendous, which is the tendency to invoke fear and trembling, a quality of fascinans, the tendency to attract, fascinate and compel. Earlier in the present course it will be remembered we found it necessary to make a basic distinction between two different types of theism. The book defines the concept of the holy as that which is numinous. Rudolf otto s concept of the numinous was developed through study, observation, personal experience and religious and philosophical influences. This article brings together constructivist epistemology and feminist study of religion to provide phenomenological evidence that numinous consciousness is not the immediate, sui generis essence of religious experience that rudolf otto believed it to be. His early teacher at gottingen, albrecht ritschl, had located religion in the realm of value judgments, whereas, more significantly, his theological colleague at gottingen. Robert orsi on rudolf otto rudolf otto was a highly influential figure in the history of religious studies, but whether that influence was for good or not is a. Professor rudolf otto it is tme, a reference to an object, but the feeling specifies merely a state of our own mind, it is not a cognition of an object, but an emotion caused by it.
In this article i want to demonstrate how misplaced this criticism is and to show that it is based on an erroneous interpretation of the relationship between numinous and mystical experience in his work by most of his students. In this paper, i investigate the nonrational, affective dimension of religious experience that rudolf otto attempted to address with his notion of the numinous. Used to great effect with year over several years. Rudolf otto, an early 20thcentury german theologian, attempted to describe to some extent the basic ways of experiencing the transcendence of the holy. Whilst there are certain peculiarities in the ottonian scheme that might make numinous. Rudolf otto s concept of the numinous otto was one of the most influential thinkers about religion in the first half of the twentieth century.
File type pdf rudolf otto religious experience experience. The idea of the holy an inquiry into the nonrational factor in the idea of the divine and its relation to the rational by rudolf otto thanslated by john w. According to rational or literal theism qualities like goodness wisdom and power can be ascribed to god in their literal meaning. Quotations by rudolf otto, german theologian, born september 25, 1869.
Kantian thought had tied holiness with complete goodness, so that the will acting on the moral law alone was the holy will. He is regarded as one of the most influential scholars of religion in the early twentieth century and is best known for his concept of the numinous. While many regard numinosity as a feature of religious experience, some classify it as a type in its own right and contrast it with mystical experience. Otto and the numinous weber and religions influence on culture. In the idea of holy rudolf otto 18691937 argued that all religious experiences were numinous in nature. An inquiry into the nonrational factor in the idea of the divine and its relation to the rational was first published by oxford university press in 1923. In his, the idea of the holy, rudolf otto coins the word numinous define the mystical experience p. The numinous fascinates or draws us to it with a force that is nearly irresistible. I argue that this notion is best understood in terms of an atmospheric quality impacting on the subjects feeling body.
The main philosophical influences for otto s thought came from fries, schleiermacher, and kantfrom whom otto derived the concept of thea priori nature of the numinous. Although the debate is evidently not over, it continues in a more subtle manner compared to how it was aggravated in the period of the vienna circle. An eminent american psychologist, william james 18421910, and a distinguished german scholar of comparative religion, rudolf otto 18691937, initiated the first two comprehensive studies of our internal. The idea of the holyinterpretation and analysis dr. He is particularly remarkable for his contribution to the phenomenology of religious consciousness and his work in the fields of comparative religion and the history of religion. Oct 25, 20 a lecture on the theories of religious experience of william james and rudolf otto. In this article, i mainly rely on the idea of the holy when i refer to otto s idea of the numinous. Ottos theory of religious experience as encounter with the. The contemporary academic study of religion has its roots in conceptual and theoretical structures developed in the early to mid20th century. This is because the because numen is so different and so far surpasses all ordinary categories that a human being had difficulty describing it and the experience itself is often so overwhelming hat. Feminism, constructivism and numinous experience religious. Rudolf otto and the concept of the numinous oxford research. The german theologian rudolf otto 18691937 used the term numinous in.
Pdf rudolf otto and the concept of the numinous stuart ray. I n the short time at my disposal i think i cannot do better than consider in succession what i take to be the four cardinal. Ottos theory of religious experience as encounter with. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Numinous experiences and the work of rudolf otto by. The numinous experience is the first in our series of eight indications of the interior sense that each and every human being has of god.
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