Rating: 
Summary: A Classic worth reading
Review: C.S. Lewis once wrote, "I believe that many who find that 'nothing happens' when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand." This pronouncement applies to Rudolf Otto's classic The Idea of the Holy (which Lewis had read.) This book explores the esoteric and ineffable, and is best approached with a pen or pencil in hand to underline passages and write in the margins. It is not a lengthy book (less than 200 pages in the edition I own) but chewing the sinewy theology takes some work to digest. Traditional theology has usually concerned itself with doctrine, with focus on the rational aspects of God. Otto, following the tradition of mystics, gave careful consideration to an oft-neglected aspect of theology: the non-rational aspects of God. In doing so, he coined the word "numinous" to depict that which transcends or eludes comprehension in rational terms. It suggests that which is holy, awesome, and 'wholly other.' He also applies the expression "mysterium tremendum" to the numinous, describing that which is hidden, esoteric, beyond conception or understanding, awe-inspiring, fear-instilling or uncanny, an absolute overpoweringness of an ineffable transcendent Reality. Otto illustrates his concepts with scripture passages such as Isaiah 6, where the vision of the Lord and his robe filled the temple. God's holiness overwhelmed Isaiah, who cried, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips." Other illustrations include the feeling of the numinous evoked by Bach's Mass in B minor, the 'Popule meus' of Thomas Luiz, or the contrast of light and darkness found in cathedrals or forest glades. Most helpful to me was his analysis of the book of Job, showing how God's answer to Job about the mystery of suffering demonstrates the numinous in the character of God. Otto seems, for the first time in my reading experience, to give helpful insight for why Job never received a direct answer to his questions about suffering. Otto's terse classic has unfortunately been largely forgotten. I hope that it sees a revival in its readership, for it deserves to be studied and discussed with each new generation of readers.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic worth reading
Review: C.S. Lewis once wrote, "I believe that many who find that 'nothing happens' when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand." This pronouncement applies to Rudolf Otto's classic The Idea of the Holy (which Lewis had read.) This book explores the esoteric and ineffable, and is best approached with a pen or pencil in hand to underline passages and write in the margins. It is not a lengthy book (less than 200 pages in the edition I own) but chewing the sinewy theology takes some work to digest. Traditional theology has usually concerned itself with doctrine, with focus on the rational aspects of God. Otto, following the tradition of mystics, gave careful consideration to an oft-neglected aspect of theology: the non-rational aspects of God. In doing so, he coined the word "numinous" to depict that which transcends or eludes comprehension in rational terms. It suggests that which is holy, awesome, and 'wholly other.' He also applies the expression "mysterium tremendum" to the numinous, describing that which is hidden, esoteric, beyond conception or understanding, awe-inspiring, fear-instilling or uncanny, an absolute overpoweringness of an ineffable transcendent Reality. Otto illustrates his concepts with scripture passages such as Isaiah 6, where the vision of the Lord and his robe filled the temple. God's holiness overwhelmed Isaiah, who cried, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips." Other illustrations include the feeling of the numinous evoked by Bach's Mass in B minor, the 'Popule meus' of Thomas Luiz, or the contrast of light and darkness found in cathedrals or forest glades. Most helpful to me was his analysis of the book of Job, showing how God's answer to Job about the mystery of suffering demonstrates the numinous in the character of God. Otto seems, for the first time in my reading experience, to give helpful insight for why Job never received a direct answer to his questions about suffering. Otto's terse classic has unfortunately been largely forgotten. I hope that it sees a revival in its readership, for it deserves to be studied and discussed with each new generation of readers.
Rating:
Summary: A daunting but brilliant book focusing on the Divine Mystery
Review: Few theological books have made the impact on the fields of theology and philosophy that this one has. Its impact and importance are for good reason. "The Idea of the Holy" is not a terribly long book, but it is certainly not a casual or quick read. It is not aimed at a popular audience, and for many people it will require a dictionary close at hand. In this book Otto embarks on the paradoxical task of describing the incomprehensible qualities of God. It is not written as a Systematic Theology categorizing doctrines that can be deduced from Scripture. Rather, it describes philosophically what it means for God to be "wholly other", or transcendent. Often the technical language is difficult to process and the ideas are not simple ones to grasp, but still it is worth wrestling with. As Otto describes the Mysterium Tremendum, he examines the emotional response of humans as we encounter God in his Holiness. The reader is reminded of the Awe-Inspiring God who we claim to believe in and serve. This is perhaps the most memorable and humbling aspect of the book. Take a copy of this book on a long trip and spend some time with it. Expect it to be difficult and when you're tempted to quit... keep reading!
Rating:
Summary: A daunting but brilliant book focusing on the Divine Mystery
Review: Few theological books have made the impact on the fields of theology and philosophy that this one has. Its impact and importance are for good reason. "The Idea of the Holy" is not a terribly long book, but it is certainly not a casual or quick read. It is not aimed at a popular audience, and for many people it will require a dictionary close at hand. In this book Otto embarks on the paradoxical task of describing the incomprehensible qualities of God. It is not written as a Systematic Theology categorizing doctrines that can be deduced from Scripture. Rather, it describes philosophically what it means for God to be "wholly other", or transcendent. Often the technical language is difficult to process and the ideas are not simple ones to grasp, but still it is worth wrestling with. As Otto describes the Mysterium Tremendum, he examines the emotional response of humans as we encounter God in his Holiness. The reader is reminded of the Awe-Inspiring God who we claim to believe in and serve. This is perhaps the most memorable and humbling aspect of the book. Take a copy of this book on a long trip and spend some time with it. Expect it to be difficult and when you're tempted to quit... keep reading!
Rating:
Summary: stop the presses
Review: For those of us in professional ministry and studying in seminary, we spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on the rational element in religion- we can't seem to avoid it in the West. But no amount of Aquinas will ever serve to explain the true meaning of religious experience. Reading Aquinas is like studying a technical manual of spirituality- it destroys the very meaning of it. Otto writes a brief work here outlining the main points of his theory- that religion can't be understood and never can be as an empirical study- it is beyond our sense horizon. Religion is to be savored, felt- not thought about or deconstructed, like, taking an engine apart. What Otto, in other words, tries to do is to, rather than studying how a flower produces a pleasing scent and how we perceive it, says STOP and just smell the rose- and you'll understand in an instant. As a Lutheran, he understands Catholic sacramental theology very well-that a sacrament is an outward sign of an inner grace or reality, and that signs and symbols work hand in hand- a sign points to a reality ahead, like a clap of thunder signifies a storm. A symbol conveys within itself the very reality it is expressing- for example, perhaps the greatest being a kiss between husband and wife- the reality is perfectly conveyed in the symbolic action itself, without further clarification. THAT is experience, true spirituality, what he means by the numinous, as applied. It is thus existential. Too much wasted time and energy could be spared by reading this classic. Five years of theology could be distilled to the contents of this book, perhaps the most influential book one can read in seminary. Do yourself a favor and get it!!
Rating:
Summary: The best articulation of the genius of Christianity...
Review: I just revisited this book and forgot how absolutely marvelous it is at wrestling with the rational/non-rational element of religion. Rudolf Otto is unabashedly forthright in his admittance that Christianity - not so much the outer dogmatics but the internal mystery, i.e. the 'numinous', it yields to - is the only place where 'light' and 'life' find a balanced home and, with it, a proper experience with the numinous.
While the book is heavy reading and, perhaps paradoxically, weighs heavily on the rational, he ultimately brings a brilliant dissertation on the genius of Christianity as the most viable path for balancing this numinous with the temperance that the rational elements of experience brings.
One of the other elements often overlooked in this book is that he approaches the elevation of Christianity against other faiths from another angle. First, and foremost, he holds high reverence for all faiths. Never tearing down another faith, by comparison with the Christian experience he actually reveals the strengths of other faiths. Allah is pure 'numen'; this actually gives a solid explanation as to the potential for fanaticism (which, by comparison, gives insight into the fanaticism of any faith). Taoism spends almost all of its time in the 'mysterium tremendum'; it is completely impersonal (yet, by comparison, it tempers the tendency towards a total anthropomorphing of God).
These are often leveled as critiques against these faiths yet in this work the strenghts of such religions are revealed. It is not a judgment; the choice is the reader's. And this is the greatest strength of any comparative religious study. While not the overt intent of this book, it is present. If one wishes to experience God as total 'numen', Islam may be deemed that path. If we wish to experience the depth of life in the world, Taoism may be deemed that path. Yet Otto continues to lay out the discussion towards his goal: Christianity is the one religion where all these experiences and feelings find a home.
Perhaps the other factor that stands out - and it could also be rendered a flaw by more biblical literalists - is that he accepts the fact that such accounts as the Empty Tomb are riding the fringe of legendary accounts. He does not say they are false; he does not say they are irrational; he does not write them off as fiction. He accepts their role and admits that, in the framework of Western thinking, we do a disservice to the purpose of these accounts when we view them with our overly empirical mindset.
As a thinker, this is one of the books that helps keep the Christian faith in proper perspective. Having spent a number of years in various denominations and churches of the more fundamentalist kind, I have remained grounded through books such as this one. I have never been able to make the leap of accepting the tenets of such fundamentalism: Biblical literalism; railing against all other faiths as demonic; the sectarian and isolationist mentality that so often arises; the arrogance and superiority that too often stems from such thinking.
Yet, like Otto, I have felt the power of the 'numen' in the Christian path. Otto's work captures this struggle - experiencing such non-rational power within a rational mind - in great detail and with a humble and compassionate power. A must for any thinker's library.
Rating:
Summary: Rescues the Idea from the darkness of misunderstanding
Review: In many ways, the book is dealing with an area of paradox about which little may be honestly said, much less thought. The Idea of the Holy, however, may be easier to grasp, with big gloves and iron tongs, than the actual experience of an encounter with the Holy. In some ways you could say that for some people, myself included, the idea of the Holy is like a flame for moths. It is an irresistable idea. The encounter with the Holy is, on the other hand, solemn and terrifying. That is the reason why so many religious rituals are about purification. Or why the scriptures give us the parable of the wedding ceremony. If you show up, make sure you are wearing wedding clothes that you have woven yourself. This is if you wish to avoid being bound and cast into the outer darkness. Otto goes a long way towards rescuing the idea and restoring it to its appropriate realm within the context of human experience. This is an existential reality. Either you have experience with it, or you do not. If you do not, there is not much that can be said. Frankly, this is a book for those who have never been thrown from their horse and blinded for three days. For those who have not been told: "Go forth to the next town where you will be instructed." It's for people who think that the Divine Reality can be pontificated upon, that their opinions on the subject are important, in other words, its for people ensnared within the vanity of this world, who are frankly clueless about the idea of the Holy--and when it might thrust itself upon them, like a thief in the night, leaving them filled with a sense of utter inadequacy to the challenge. Those who know do not seek. They attend to their thoughts and their deeds with care. An encounter with the Holy is not "a consumation devoutly to be wished". The beginning of wisdom, after all, is the fear of the Lord. If you feel you must attempt to approach, at all, remember the admonishment, from the scriptures, "to suffer the little children to come unto me, for such is the Kingdom of Heaven." If you cannot, as T.H Huxley wrote, "Lay down before the Truth like a little child", then, do yourself a favor: do not go there. Unless you are, like Job, crying out from your dunghill, and you have no other choice. At least, when you have been reduced to nothing, you have nothing left to lose.
Rating:
Summary: a classic in the field of religious thought
Review: Jung was so impressed with this book that he mentions it repeatedly, particularly for its coinage of the term "numinous." Even the Christian absolutism hiding in the wings doesn't manage to obscure the wisdom and value of this psychological study of religious experience.
Rating:
Summary: A Revelation...
Review: Living as we do in an age where religion in general (and Christianity specifically) has been largely co-opted by those who consider it to be "morality touched with emotion", "The Idea of the Holy" offers a alternative view towards religion and spirituality. Otto introduces a way of approaching the subject that avoids the twin traps of emotion and intellect, allowing us to understand "religious feeling" as a phenomenon all it's own, as a "sense' with its own attributes. For those who can (through scholarship or patience) penetrate the sometimes dense and dated prose, this book has the potential to remove the debris of thousands of years of so-called theology and philosophy and to find the experience of God without intermediaries. It is indeed, a revelation.
Rating:
Summary: A Revelation...
Review: Living as we do in an age where religion in general (and Christianity specifically) has been largely co-opted by those who consider it to be "morality touched with emotion", "The Idea of the Holy" offers a alternative view towards religion and spirituality. Otto introduces a way of approaching the subject that avoids the twin traps of emotion and intellect, allowing us to understand "religious feeling" as a phenomenon all it's own, as a "sense' with its own attributes. For those who can (through scholarship or patience) penetrate the sometimes dense and dated prose, this book has the potential to remove the debris of thousands of years of so-called theology and philosophy and to find the experience of God without intermediaries. It is indeed, a revelation.
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