Religion: Books

Provides a concise history of each critical term, explores the issues raised by the term, and puts the term to use in an analysis of a religious work, practice, or event. Moving across Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Native American and Mayan religions, contributors explore terms ranging from experience, territory, and image, to God, sacrifice, and transgression.

A comprehensive, authoritative source of information about the calendars and holidays of the world's religions. It also provides concise information about the beliefs, practices, and history of major religions.

This encyclopedia presents the religious affiliations and beliefs of prominent philosophers, in A-Z entries.

The King James or 'Authorized' Version was commissioned in 1603 when James became King of England. It was first published in 1611 and attained a unique authority, gradually superseding all previous versions. The first Cambridge printing was in 1629, establishing a tradition of care for the accuracy of the text that has been maintained to this day. The "KJV" is a classic of the English language and is still a very widely accepted translation.

A quick-reference guide to the Bible. Entries consist of the main people, places, customs, religious and cultural aspects, events, and institutions of the Bible.

A guide to the leading men and women who have influenced the course of Christian history, including the founding fathers, saints, popes, monarchs, philanthropists, theologians, missionaries, and heretics. The book encompasses both Eastern and Western churches and the lives and opinions of personalities who have shaped the past twenty Christian centuries, from Jesus of Galilee to Pope John Paul II, and from Paul of Tarsus to Mother Teresa.

Includes all the people mentioned by name in the New Testament as well as some who remain unnamed like the centurions at Capernaum and Calvary, together with certain political and religious groups, such as the Sadducees and the Essenes. Contains comprehensive historical, geographical and archaeological background on each entry and full interpretive analysis of the varying versions of the Gospels.

Contains the complete historical, geographical and archaeological context of each entry.

Compiled for reference, for practical helpfulness and for the sheer enjoyment of browsing through the Bible’s riches.

The first atlas of the Bible to treat its subject geographically rather than historically, this unique work features the main biblical sites, such as Galilee, the Judean desert and the Jerusalem hills, illustrated with colour maps. The history and main features of each region and site are described, and references are made throughout to incidents from the Old and New Testaments.

Provides a unique introduction to Buddhism by examining categories essential for a nuanced understanding of its traditions.

Provides accessible, informative and authoritative entries to answer any major question about Hinduism, its mythology, practices, customs and laws.

Provides a clear and systematic guide to a rich heritage of legend, folklore and tradition that is crucial to understanding Judaism. It describes the main characters and the tales that have grown up around them; Jewish methods of Biblical interpretation; the framework of Jewish law, literature and poetry; the festivals of the Jewish Year; the different languages and sub-groups within the Jewish community; and the many countries in which Jews have lived, as well as the importance of the Holy Land.

This multicultural reference work on Jewish folklore, legends, customs, and other elements of folklife covers specific artifacts, rituals, ceremonies, biblical figures, and legends-in addition to broad topics such as humor, folk dance, costumes, and folk narratives.

Includes hundreds of special articles covering subjects in analytical depth, as well as short biographies of the major figures in the story of Judaism.

Essential overview for everyone who wants to understand what Islam is and what it means today.

The Koran, the holy scripture of Islam, is the record of Muhammad's oral teaching delivered between the years immediately preceding the Hegira in AD 622 and the Prophet's death in AD 632.

This compelling volume introduces the current generation of moderate reformist thinkers and activists within Islam, the intellectual traditions they carry on, and the reasons why reformist movements have been overshadowed by fundamentalist, revolutionary, and jihadist movements in the Islamic world today.