THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF MYSTERY IN RUDOLF OTTO’S METAPHYSICS
Analele Universităţii din Craiova seria Filosofie January 31, 2024 Marius Cucu, Oana Lenţa
Rudolf Otto's metaphysical theology treats the sacred not as a question to be answered but as an invitation to become aware of encountering sacrality. The irrational aspect of mystery is embraced, and knowledge becomes an acceptance of what cannot be known about mystery. The numinous state of mysterium tremendum lies beyond reason, conventional ethics, and causal relations, and is metaphysically undefinable. Its reality, confirmed by empirical pragmatism's impact on human conscience, might be better approached through negative theology. Otto's terminological analysis of divine mystery confirms a dimension of human spiritual life that remains undefinable by reason and argumentative logic.