Rudolf Otto and the Foundation of the History of Religions

Yoshitsugu Sawai (Tenri University, Japan)

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English

Bloomsbury Academic
21 September 2023

Protestantism & Protestant Churches; Hindu sacred texts

This book provides an up-to-date treatment of Rudolf Otto and his work, placing him in the context of comparative religion, theology, and the philosophy of religion.

Yoshitsugu Sawai shows how Otto has “three faces”: the Lutheran Theologian, the Philosopher of Religion, and the Comparative Religionist. The book also shows how, of these, Otto saw himself primarily as a Lutheran Theologian, and provides an account of Otto’s engagement with India and the centrality that Hindu theology had on his thinking.

In Otto’s theory of religion, his well-known concepts including “wholly other” and “numinous” constitute a multiple structure of meaning. For example, his concept of the “wholly other” (das ganz Andere) no doubt has the meaning of “God” in his Christian theological studies. At the same time, however, from the perspective of comparative religion or the phenomenology of religion, this same term semantically implies the “ultimate reality” of other religious traditions; “Brahman” and “God” (Isvara) in Hindu religious tradition as well as “God” in Christianity.

By: Yoshitsugu Sawai (Tenri University Japan)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781350259478
ISBN 10: 1350259470
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 21 September 2023
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: The History of Religions and Otto’s Perspectives on Religion 1. Otto’s Lifetime as a Christian Theologian 2. Journeys to the East: India as the Foundation of Otto’s Comparative Religion 3. Comparative Religious Perspectives on the Holy 4. Influences of the History-of-Religions School on Otto’s Religious Theory 5. Parallelism of Mysticism in Religions East and West 6. The Concept of the “Wholly Other” and the Experience of the Depth 7. Vedanta Philosophy as the Discourse of Mystic Experience 8. Toward the Semantic Understanding of Religions Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

Yoshitsugu Sawai is Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at Tenri University, Japan. He has published books and articles in both Japanese and English on the Vedanta philosophy of the Sankaran religious tradition, the “Oriental Philosophy” of the Japanese philosopher Toshihiko Izutsu, and Tenrikyo theology. His research interests include theories of comparative religion, Indian philosophy, and Tenrikyo theology.

Reviews for Rudolf Otto and the Foundation of the History of Religions

Rudolf Otto and the Foundation of the History of Religions brings to the English-reading public a comprehensive understanding of the life, intentions, and scholarly achievements of Rudolf Otto (1869-1937). Yoshitsugu Sawai's erudite study shows Otto to be not only a well-known scholar of comparative religion with a deep and lasting interest in India's Hindu traditions, but also a philosopher of religion and a dedicated Lutheran theologian. Generalizations about Otto can now be nuanced and corrected, so that we can better appreciate his contributions and their limits too. This is now the go-to work for understanding Otto. * Francis X. Clooney, SJ, Parkman Professor of Divinity, Harvard University, USA * This is a very important, even definitive, work on Otto; the author's erudition is evident throughout this engaging and well-written book. * Gavin Flood, Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion, Oxford University, UK * In this perceptive study, Yoshitsugu Sawai suggests that we reframe Otto's ideas in terms of the semantic analysis of the Japanese philosopher and scholar of religions, Toshihiko Izutsu. As a bonus, he draws attention to the work of Japanese scholars that are not generally accessible to English speakers. * Gregory Alles, Professor of Religious Studies, McDaniel College, USA *