Quote of the day, considered during Mass, from “The idea of the holy : an inquiry into the non-rational factor in the idea of the divine and its relation to the rational”

Blithe Spirit 1 Minute

By Rudolf Otto, 1923:

WHILE the feelings of the non-rational and numinous
constitute a vital factor in every form religion may take,
they are pre-eminently in evidence in Semitic religion and
most of all in the religion of the Bible. Here Mystery lives
and moves in all its potency.

Which I submit captures a part of the essence of the matter. And does much to explain the enduring appeal of the Latin Mass. “Mystery . . . in all its potency,” yes. It’s deep.

Published by Jim Bowman

Jim Bowman covered religion 1968-78 for the Chicago Daily News, since then has written books, articles, etc., mostly on corporate history but also on religion (Company Man: My Jesuit Life, 1950-1968), and more recently on politics (Illinois Blues: How the Ruling Party Talks to Voters -- Lulu.com, Kindle). Longtime Oak Park, Illinois, resident, he lives now on Chicago's North Side, where four of his and Winnie's six children live close by.

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2 thoughts on “Quote of the day, considered during Mass, from “The idea of the holy : an inquiry into the non-rational factor in the idea of the divine and its relation to the rational””

  1. Thank you, Jim. Have saved your link to read later. C S Lewis refers to “Professor Otto” in his INTRODUCTORY to The Problem of Pain, published first in 1940. We’ve broached this subject a few times in our Chesterton group. Putting words to such experience is challenging but fascinating to discover the right ones

    J.

    Click to access ProblemofPain_CSL.pdf

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    1. Otto was practicing natural theology, or theodicy, the study of God by natural means, as it were, not drawing on revelation at all. It’s the argument for our age, I think, when revelation is having a specially hard time of it, for various reasons.

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