Book Description

The conclusion of the three-volume history “rendered with the talent of one who is not only an academic writer but a novelist of considerable distinction” (David J. Levy, Times Higher Education Supplement). In A History of Religious Ideas. Mircea Eliade examines the movement of Jewish thought out of ancient Eurasia, the Christian transformation of the Mediterranean area and Europe, and the rise and diffusion of Islam from approximately the sixth through the seventeenth centuries. Eliade’s vast knowledge of past and present scholarship provides a synthesis that is unparalleled. In addition to reviewing recent interpretations of the individual traditions, he explores the interactions of the three religions and shows their continuing mutual influence to be subtle but unmistakable. As in his previous work, Eliade pays particular attention to heresies, folk beliefs, and cults of secret wisdom, such as alchemy and sorcery, and continues the discussion, begun in earlier volumes, of pre-Christian shamanistic practices in northern Europe and the syncretistic tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. These subcultures, he maintains, are as important as the better-known orthodoxies to a full understanding of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Acclaim for A History of Religious Ideas “Everyone who cares about the human adventure will find new information and new angles of vision.” —Martin E. Marty, The New York Times Book Review “The volumes would be worth buying for the critical bibliographies alone, but far more than this, they represent the culmination of years of impassioned scholarship.” —David J. Levy, Times Higher Education Supplement “This multivolume work should be an essential resource for generations to come.” —John Loudon, Parabola