In this paper, I revisit Heilerʼs thought and activity about the History of Religions as a preparation for the cooperation of Religions. Friedrich Heiler (1892-1967) was a leading figure in the phenomenological school of religion and, along with Rudolf Otto and Gerardus van der Leeuw, among the foremost scholars of religion during the Weimar Republic era. He also played an important role in the International Association of the History of Religions (IAHR) after World War II. However, his scholarly achievements were criticized for being Christocentric and to exhibit a strongly theological nature. This paper finds that Heilerʼs interest in his major work, Das Gebet (1918), was later overtaken over by liturgical reforms of the German High Church Movement, in which he played a leading role, and that for Heiler, the History of Religions is linked with his own religious movements. Heilerʼs creation of the German Mass forms a milestone, and Das Gebet was its preface. Heilerʼs activities stalled during World War II and afterward. The IAHR Congress in Rome (1955) tended to be limited to the academic study of old religious phenomena, while the Tokyo Conference (1958) and the Marburg Conference (1960), however, tended to engage with contemporary religions in terms of practical concerns. In particular, East-West intercourse was an important theme. This was a continuation of the problematics of the Eranos Congress, held before World War II, were Heiler played an important role.
Shunichi Miyajima (Sat,) studied this question.