He calls this experience numinous, and says it has three components. This brief outline is based on a 1973 reprint of the second edition. Although he gives no further explanation on the choice of this word, he does comment extensively upon the numinous. 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. Used to great effect with year over several years. Ottos theory of religious experience as encounter with the numinous and its application to buddhism. Kantian thought had tied holiness with complete goodness, so that the will acting on the moral law alone was the holy will. According to rational or literal theism qualities like goodness wisdom and power can be ascribed to god in their literal meaning. 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. Rudolf otto religious experience as apprehension of the. His early teacher at gottingen, albrecht ritschl, had located religion in the realm of value judgments, whereas, more significantly, his theological colleague at gottingen. Otto explained the numinous as a nonrational, nonsensory experience or feeling whose primary and immediate object is outside the self.
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. 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. 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. Jan 30, 2017 lesson, text and resources around rudolph otto s idea of the numinous. The numinous fascinates or draws us to it with a force that is nearly irresistible. Numinous experiences and the work of rudolf otto by. Rudolf otto german philosopher and theologian britannica. Rudolf otto has often been criticized for not showing enough interest in mystical experience. The german theologian rudolf otto 18691937 used the term numinous in.
The idea of the holy, 1923 is his most important work. Otto and the numinous weber and religions influence on culture. 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. 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. In his, the idea of the holy, rudolf otto coins the word numinous define the mystical experience p. Pdf rudolf otto and the concept of the numinous stuart ray. Oct 25, 20 a lecture on the theories of religious experience of william james and rudolf otto.
The contemporary academic study of religion has its roots in conceptual and theoretical structures developed in the early to mid20th century. Quotations by rudolf otto, german theologian, born september 25, 1869. Otto was one of the most influential thinkers about religion in the first half of the twentieth century. Rudolf otto september 25, 1869 march 5, 1937 was an eminent theologian and religious scholar in the german protestant tradition.
In oriental art there may be no more evocative portrayal of what rudolf otto. The book defines the concept of the holy as that which is numinous. Holiness is a valuation peculiar to religion, even though it has been applied in spheres such as ethics by transplant. 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. Earlier in the present course it will be remembered we found it necessary to make a basic distinction between two different types of theism. 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. In the idea of holy rudolf otto 18691937 argued that all religious experiences were numinous in nature. Rudolf otto otto was one of the most influential thinkers about religion in the first half of the twentieth century. 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. If the inline pdf is not rendering correctly, you can download the pdf file here.
Ottos theory of religious experience as encounter with. 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. Harvey professor of philosophy at armslrong college. Harvey professor of philosophy at armslrong college ji ewcastleontyne oxford university press london new york toronto. Presentation at weekend otherworld, cinema museum, kennington, 25th october 2014. 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.
Rudolf otto and the concept of the numinous oxford research. The term was coined by rudolf otto to describe the experience humans have when they encounter the sheer holiness of god. Otto, indeed, coined the term numinous, which has now become part of common usage. He is best known for his analysis of the experience that, in his view, underlies all religion. 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. 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. Feminism, constructivism and numinous experience religious. He called these the experience of the numinous the spiritual dimension, the utterly ineffable, the holy, and the overwhelming. 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. 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. Ottos theory of religious experience as encounter with the. Otto calls the alluring quality of the numinous the mysterium fascinosum.
I argue that this notion is best understood in terms of an atmospheric quality impacting on the subjects feeling body. Rudolf otto, an early 20thcentury german theologian, attempted to describe to some extent the basic ways of experiencing the transcendence of the holy. In this paper, i investigate the nonrational, affective dimension of religious experience that rudolf otto attempted to address with his notion of the numinous. Rudolf otto and the numinous experience flashcards quizlet. According to otto, the numinous mystery of the holy god can be experienced in. 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. Numinous is an english adjective, taken from the latin numen. 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. The lutheran theologian rudolf otto coined the term numinous and defined it as a nonrational, nonsensory experience or feeling whose primary and immediate object is outside the self.
The idea of the holyinterpretation and analysis dr. It is used to describe the power or presence or realisation of a divinity. Otto s work had a massive influence on thinkers as diverse as paul tillich and. As a kind of first approximation for the wholly new concept he is giving us, otto characterises the numinous as the holy i. The idea of the holy interpretation and analysis by dr. The word given to describe this feeling is numinous. Rudolf otto the numinous in the idea of the holy otto characterises religious experiences as feelings of dependence, aweinspiring, fascinating and terrifying. 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. Pdf in this paper, i investigate the nonrational, affective dimension of religious experience that rudolf otto attempted to address with his. File type pdf rudolf otto religious experience experience.
Conversion is adopting a new religious belief that differs from a previouslyheld belief or no belief at all. The idea of the holy rudolf otto 1950 excerpted from the idea of the holy, 2nd ed. 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. 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. William james and rudolf otto are key scholars for this topic and their analyses of religious experience by different types are studied here. 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. Pdf rudolf otto and the concept of the numinous stuart. The idea of the holy chapter 2 numen and the numinous summary. He is best known for his analysis of the experience that, in his view. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. 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. The important contribution of rudolf otto with regard to the approach to god. At its most intense, this fascination becomes exuberant and transforms into the.
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 alianza editorial, madrid, 1996 titulo original. 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. Rudolf otto and the concept of the numinous oxford. For otto, the numinous can be understood to be the experience of a. Rudolf otto, german theologian, philosopher, and historian of religion, who exerted worldwide influence through his investigation of mans experience of the holy. Fear of the shadow, the daemon, is the beginning of subjective religious experience according to rudolf otto in the idea of the holy. 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. Ottos idea of the numinous a crosscultural reappraisal. Daemonic dread is the first stage in religious development. 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. 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.
Numen and the numinous 1 holinessthe holyis a category of interpretation and valuation peculiar to the sphere of religion. In this article, i mainly rely on the idea of the holy when i refer to otto s idea of the numinous. Numinous experiences and the work of rudolf otto by fathima. 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. German theologian and philosopher rudolf otto 18691937 was an influential theorist within the historical development of religious studies. Rudolf otto and mystical experience religious studies. 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. 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. Rudolf otto s concept of the numinous was developed through study, observation, personal experience and religious and philosophical influences. The numinous, empathy, and the o9a regarding the term numinous. Our utterly deferential fright is encapsulated in that hoary old testament expression, the wrath of yahweh.
Raphael, rudolf otto and the concept of holiness, ch. Otto did not include in his concerns as a theologian and as a phenomenologist of religion the participation on whether numinous experience really exists. Otto was describing and analyzing a distinct kind of religious experience that he called numinous, from the latin numen, meaning divine power. Otto explains, the daemonicdivine object may appear to the mind an object of horror and dread, but at the same time it. According to rudolf otto the divine or the numinous is above all an object of great fear, terror or awe tremor. Whilst there are certain peculiarities in the ottonian scheme that might make numinous. Therefore, i draw on discussions in phenomenology and pragmatism, despite the fact that otto s own. 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. Apr 17, 20 rudolf otto september 25, 1869 march 5, 1937 was an eminent theologian and religious scholar in the german protestant tradition.
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. 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. If you would like to buy the full version, head over to uk. 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. 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. 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 he gives no further explanation on the choice of this word, he does comment extensively upon the numinous experience. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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