Kingdom of God and the Son of Man

Dr Rudolf Otto (1869-1937) was a German theologian, philosopher, and historian of religion. He taught at the Universities of Göttingen and Breslau, then settled in Marburg in 1917. His theories on religion were influenced by his journeys to Africa and Asia to study non-Christian faiths and by the writings of Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Schleiermacher. In The Idea of the Holy (1917), Otto coined the term "numinous" to designate the nonrational element of religious experience - the awe, fascination, and blissful exultation inspired by the perception of the divine. His other books include Mysticism East and West (1926) and India's Religion of Grace and Christianity (1930).

• Notes to the English EditionsBook One: The Kingdom of God in Christ's PreachingPart I: The Antecedents of Jesus' Preaching of the KingdomPart II: The Kingdom of God as Preached by JesusPart III: The Original Element in Jesus' Preaching of the Kingdom Compared with the Message and Person of John the BaptistPart IV: Detailed Consideration of the Message that the Kingdom is at HandBook Two: The Kingdom of God and the Son of ManBook Three: Christ's Last Supper as the Consecration of the Disciples for Entrance into the Kingdom of GodBook Four: The Kingdom of God and the 'Charisma'Book Five: AppendicesIndex of NamesReference IndexFull List of Contents

... a volume which is very readable - despite the nearly seven decade gap between the publication of the second edition and this reprint - written in both language and style that should appeal to most. Although some potential readers will not be attracted to this work due to the datedness of Otto's hypothesis and evidence, this volume still deserves close attention because of its widespread influence upon subsequent eschatological - especially 'realized eschatology' popularized by C.H. Dodd - and Historical Jesus studies.