# Rudolf Otto

German theologian and religionist who theorized the numinous as the nonrational emotional core of religious experience across cultures.

**Lived:** 1869–1937 (b. Peine, near Hanover, Germany)
**Nationality:** German
**Training:** University of Erlangen and University of Göttingen; dissertation on Martin Luther's understanding of the Holy Spirit; habilitation on Kant
**Affiliation:** Lutheran theology; comparative religionist; University of Breslau (1915); University of Marburg Divinity School (1917–1929)

## Key works

- *Naturalism and Religion* (1904)
- *The Philosophy of Religion Based on Kant and Fries* (1909)
- *The Idea of the Holy* (1917)
- *Mysticism East and West: A Comparative Analysis of the Nature of Mysticism* (1926)
- *India's Religion of Grace and Christianity Compared and Contrasted* (1930)
- *The Kingdom of God and the Son of Man: A Study in the History of Religion* (1934)