Rudolf Otto’s phenomenological study of religion has had an immense influence on the study of religion, as has his phrase mysterium tremendum et fascinans. His ideas were influential to foundational scholars in the discipline such as Joachim Wach and Mircea Eliade. His ideas have been received favorably in fields such asmysticism and psychology. Critics, however, note that his work is overly Christian, fails to consider the societal and cultural embedding of religious belief, and attempts a sweeping, global theory of religion that overlooks the subtleties of historical and local specifics.