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The Discourses of the Secular Sublime and the Concepts of the Numinous and Mysterium Tremendum in the Work of Rudolf Otto

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The Discourses of the Secular Sublime and the Concepts of the Numinous and Mysterium Tremendum in the Work of Rudolf Otto THE DISCOURSES OF THE SECULAR SUBLIME AND THE CONCEPTS OF THE NUMINOUS AND MYSTERIUM TREMENDUM IN THE WORK OF RUDOLF OTTO Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Leicester by Mary Catherine Theresa Bridget Jones Department of English University of Leicester July 2017 The Discourses of the Secular Sublime and the Concepts of the Numinous and Mysterium Tremendum in the Work of Rudolf Otto Mary Catherine Theresa Bridget Jones Abstract This thesis explores historical and postmodern ideas of the sublime and the numinous, and finds similarities and differences between the two concepts. Consideration is given to notions of the sublime, from its appearance in Longinus’s treatise Peri Hypsous, through to its historical development and reception by philosophers, theologians, and eighteenth- century theorists. The thesis discusses how the sublime is conceived in contemporary thought. Alongside this concept, and in order to examine similarities and differences between that and the numinous, Rudolf Otto’s work Das Heilige is used, in which the author argues for consideration of a non-rational element in religion and pleads for an original understanding of the holy. He shows how traditional representations of the deity lead to restrictions and limitations, and introduces his understanding of the mysterium tremendum et fascinans which, like the sublime, leads to awe and dread. Further analysing the sublime, the thesis discusses critical theories presented by John Dennis, Joseph Addison, John Baillie, Immanuel Kant, and Edmund Burke. I show how Otto was influenced by these writers, and how Friedrich Schleiermacher’s ideas on the essence of religion and the sensus numinis paved the way for Otto’s thinking. Otto’s understanding of the wholly other and its origins in the Hindu Upanishads is explored, and I explain how he distinguishes religion from anthropological and emotional morals. Additionally, I show how Emily Brady uses language of the numinous when referring to being overwhelmed, an effect shared by the sublime. Finally, the thesis focuses on ways in which the sublime and the numinous manifest themselves in our contemporary world, in what Gavin Hopps calls ‘a reawakened sense of mystery’. My original contribution to knowledge is that although the sublime and the numinous have similarities, they are distinct, and the sublime is a signpost towards the powerful concept of the numinous. 1 Acknowledgements My grateful thanks go to my supervisor, Professor Philip J. Shaw, for providing me with inspiration, encouragement, and patient guidance during the past five years. I would also like to thank Dr Julian North, Dr Clive Marsh, Professor Martin Halliwell, and my examiners, Professor David Jasper and Nick Everett. Sincere thanks go to the administrative staff of the School of English and the staff of the David Wilson Library at the University of Leicester, along with Dr Joanna Wilson- Scott, Dr Helen Steele, and Revd Canon Stephen Foster. Grateful thanks to the staff of Birmingham University Library and the Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham, where I had access to an excellent theological library, a quiet space to work, and the support of the librarian, Michael Gale. I am also grateful to Adam Hood, former Vice-Principal of the Queen’s Foundation, who inspired my research title. My thanks to the many theologians and others who responded to my communications on aspects of the sublime and the numinous, in particular Silke Findorf, Heather Walton, Melissa Raphael, Jӧrg Lauster, Richard White, Christine Helmer, Constance Furey, Luke White, and the late Marilyn McCord Adams, whose lucid mind always presented a theological challenge. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Bishop of Birmingham, the Rt. Reverend David Urquhart, who supported my research and gave assistance with funding. Time spent at Bishop David’s Round Table sessions for clergy researchers was invaluable, challenging, and inspiring. Many friends and colleagues have offered support and encouragement during my research, and I am grateful to them all, but especially Revd Mother Christine and the Sisters of the Community of St John the Divine, Revd Michael Caddy, Dr Ruth Atkins, Revd Mark Pryce, Revd John Nightingale and the Queen’s Theological Reading Group, Christopher Haw, Andrea, Bridget and Evelyn, David Curtis, and my poet friends at Writers’ Cramp. My profound thanks go to my son David, my sisters Josie Fellows and Freda Sumner, and above all my husband Dave, whose love, care, and sense of discipline has encouraged me every step of the way. I dedicate this thesis to the memory of my son, Colin. 2 Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….…….4 Chapter One: Rudolf Otto and the Context of His Thoughts…………………………..………………………..28 Chapter Two: The Secular Subline: Defining Its Characteristics and Eighteenth-Century Thinkers’ Engagement with the Concept……………………………………………………………………52 Chapter Three: Immanuel Kant: His Thoughts on the Sublime and Religion and Their Influence on Otto……...75 Chapter Four: Friedrich Schleiermacher and His Impact on Otto……………………………………………...102 Chapter Five: Permeating the Mundane: From the Transcendent to the Immanent……………………………127 Chapter Six: The Sublime and the Numinous in Contemporary Thought…………………………………….159 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………....190 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………….197 3 Introduction My research is inspired by the overlapping concepts of the sublime and the numinous. The sublime, as I will go on to show, has a long history and has been well documented. The numinous, on the other hand, is a concept that has engaged theological thinkers in more recent times. However, while the two concepts have points of contact they are distinctive. This thesis is an interdisciplinary contribution to the field of religious studies, drawing on aspects of philosophy, theology, aesthetics, literary criticism, and cultural theory. Philosophical and literary issues will be brought together in this interdisciplinary approach. The methodology I employ in order to research the discourses of the secular sublime and the concepts of the numinous and mysterium tremendum in the work of Rudolf Otto will involve the close examination of relevant texts relating to the key concepts. Due to the obscure nature of the phenomena, especially the numinous, I will not be seeking out individuals who may think they have had such experiences but will rely mainly on the writings of those who have made a particular and authoritative contribution to the field. I will also be considering the responses of certain theologians and philosophers in universities who have replied to my enquiries and questions on their understanding of the two concepts, employing their recommendations in the development of my work. A further means of exploring the concepts of the sublime and the numinous will involve the examination of relevant peer-reviewed journal articles. The branches of knowledge I refer to above will be underpinned by the choices I make about what to study and whose writings to examine. For example, in respect of religious studies, the thesis will engage with Hebrew patriarchs and prophets, as well as with selected appropriate references from the Old and New Testaments. I will link Hebrew patriarchal and prophetic experiences with Rudolf Otto’s idea of holiness and the concept of the mysterium tremendum, which will be traced in part via analysis of the original significant words in Greek and Hebrew texts. The thesis will be designed in such a way as to work, systematically, through the relevant texts from Longinus’s treatise on the sublime through eighteenth-century theorists’ work and contemporary writings, identifying sources for information, analysis, and literary criticism. As the thesis develops, I will consider the 4 philosophical and religious thinking of Immanuel Kant and also Friedrich Schleiermacher’s influence on Otto. Later parts of the thesis engage with discussions of the sublime and the numinous in contemporary thought. I will now go on to explain the origins of the concepts of the sublime and the numinous. The concept of the sublime first emerges in a treatise entitled Peri Hypsous (περι ψπσυς), the date and authorship of which remain uncertain.1 However, Timothy Costelloe shows that the work is ‘routinely ascribed to the [Greek] author called Longinus, a rhetorician, literary scholar, and philosopher of the first or third century AD’, and this thesis thus attributes the work to Longinus.2 Following a translation of Peri Hypsous in 1674 by the French poet and critic Nicolas Despreaux Boileau (1636-1711), literary theorists began to take a serious interest in the concept, and the theoretical challenges it presents continue to stimulate debate in subject areas across the arts and humanities. 3 Unlike the sublime, the numinous and mysterium tremendum emerged in the writing of Rudolf Otto (1869-1937) with the publication of his work Das Heilige (1917), translated as The Idea of the Holy, which I describe below. Recent years have seen an upsurge in writings on the sublime and the numinous and a renewed interest in both of these concepts, as my literature review reveals. The rationale for this thesis is twofold. First, the sublime is a concept, although not without its critics, which nominates itself as that which is capable of elevating the mind and reaching beyond the ordinary in life. The mystery it invokes captivates the imagination, demanding attention and continued explanation. Constituents
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