602004 SE Research: Systematic Theology (Protestant theology) (2026W)
West-östliche Mystik. Lektüren und Forschungskolloquium zu Rudolf Ottos Klassiker von 1926
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Tu 01.09.2026 12:00 to Fr 25.09.2026 12:00
- Deregistration possible until Mo 30.11.2026 12:00
Details
max. 15 participants
Language: German
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
Participants are kindly requested to register in advance.
The seminar schedule will be finalized at the beginning of the semester. We will meet in several block sessions and organize a joint workshop with a research seminar (Oberseminar) at Leipzig University.
- N Monday 19.10. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 2 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Assessment and permitted materials
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
Careful and sustained reading of the assigned texts; regular attendance; active and engaged participation. Participants should also be willing, if possible, to take part in the joint Vienna–Leipzig workshop on Mysticism East and West.
Examination topics
Reading list
The principal text for the semester is:
Rudolf Otto, West-östliche Mystik. Vergleich und Unterscheidung zur Wesensdeutung (Gotha, 1926; 2nd ed. 1929).The first two editions are usually still available at reasonable prices through antiquarian booksellers or as print-on-demand reprints. Their acquisition is therefore recommended. A digital scan of the text will also be provided for use during the seminar.The posthumous third edition (edited by Gustav Mensching) is strongly discouraged and is largely unsuitable for the purposes of this seminar, as it constitutes a substantially abridged and extensively revised version of Otto's original text.Additional primary sources and secondary literature will be announced and made available during the seminar.
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Mo 12.10.2026 11:49
This research seminar takes this development as an opportunity to revisit one of the great classics of modern scholarship on mysticism. In 1926—exactly one hundred years ago—Rudolf Otto published West-östliche Mystik (Mysticism East and West), the most extensive work of his career. A decade after his internationally celebrated masterpiece The Idea of the Holy (1917), Otto presented a comprehensive comparative study of the medieval Christian theologian Meister Eckhart and the Indian philosopher Śaṅkara, offering a profound interpretation and analysis of mystical thought that attracted wide international attention.
What makes this work particularly remarkable is not only its comparative perspective, extending far beyond the boundaries of European religious and intellectual history, but also its bold engagement with post-Kantian philosophy and modern conceptions of mysticism, where the book ultimately develops its most original and far-reaching insights.
The research seminar is open to all students and researchers who would like to undertake a close reading of this challenging, unconventional, and intellectually demanding work during the winter semester. Previous knowledge of philosophy, theology, or Indology is highly welcome but not required.
The seminar is closely connected with current activities in Rudolf Otto scholarship and is organized in partnership with a theological and philosophy of religion research seminar at Leipzig University, whose participants will likewise be reading Mysticism East and West. Depending on the course of the seminar, digital exchange formats and a workshop are planned.
During the first seminar meeting, we will jointly determine the seminar format and finalize the semester schedule. The program is expected to include several block sessions and a workshop.
Participants are warmly invited to present papers or research reports related to ongoing or prospective research projects connected with the seminar topic. Such presentations may be incorporated into the semester program by prior arrangement and will provide an opportunity for collective discussion.