Rudolf Otto

1869-1937. German theologian. Born in Hanover, he was educated at Erlangen and Göttingen, and taught theology at Göttingen (1907-14), Breslau (1914-17), and Marburg (1917-37). His book Kantish-Friessche Religionsphilosophie (1909; ET The Philosophy of Religion, 1931) reflected what became one of his chief interests. Otto's major work, however, was Das Heilige (1917; ET The Idea of the Holy, 1923), in which he stressed an approach largely neglected by liberal Protestantism and greatly influenced contemporary thinking. Not unconnected with this was his effort to deepen public worship in Lutheranism. He wrote extensively also on Hinduism after travel in the East.