Table of Contents

Introduction: the early history of religions John Bowker; 1. Indian religions and the Hindu tradition Gavin Flood; 2. Jainism Paul Dundas; Sikhism Eleanor Nesbitt; 3. Buddhism:Buddhist origins and South East Asia David Gosling; 4. Tibetan Buddhism Adrian Abbott; 5. Chinese Buddhism Roger Corless; 6. Japanese Buddhism Paul Ingram; 7. Korean Buddhism Youngsook Pak; 8. Chinese religion Yao Xinzhong; 9. Korean religions Yee-heum Yoon; 10. Japanese religion Jay Sakashita; 11. Judaism Jonathan Magonet; 12. Zoroaster to Parsis John Bowker; 13. Mediterranean religions: Greece and Rome David Bowker; 14. Egypt and Mesopotamia John Bowker; 15. Christianity David Edwards [including: Norse Religion, David Bowker]; 16. Islam Penelope Johnstone; Conclusion: religion in the modern world John Bowker.

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A superbly illustrated and richly informative history of world religions.

About the Author

An internationally renowned author, editor and series editor in the fields of comparative religion and world religion, John Bowker is currently Gresham Professor at Gresham College, London, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and North Carolina State University. He is a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and a former Professor of Religion at Lancaster University. Professor Bowker's recent books include What Muslims Believe (1995), The Oxford Dictionary of World Religion (1997) and The Complete Bible Handbook (1998). His previous books for Cambridge are Targums and Rabbinic Literature (1969), Jesus and the Pharisees (1973), The Problems of Suffering in the Religions of the World (1970; paperback 1975) and The Meanings of Death (1991; Canto paperback 1993).

Reviews

'As a broad brushstroke approach to the history of religions this collection of articles covers the ground comprehensively and well ... There is a pleasing and judicious use of inserts and boxes to break up the impact of solid text. The photographic illustrations are a stunning success, with striking images that help to raise the text into life. The chronological time-lines are also a useful feature ... It is pleasing that the entries are by writers of acknowledged quality in their fields.' Alan Race, Church Times 'This volume presents a large amount of information in an engaging way, offering much scholarly insight for the lay reader ... Useful for students, teachers, and general readers as an introduction to religious history, this work is recommended for public and college libraries.' Library Journal 'Some of the best and most reliable scholars have been enlisted to write about the traditions in which they have specialised, and they do so in a very accessible and deceptively simple way ... an attractive book that can be firmly recommended for library use and for personal pleasure.' Times Higher Education Supplement ' ... a beautifully produced book '. Reviews in Religion and Theology '... a scholarly work but written accessibly ... will inform the unspecialised reader of much information. it also raises a number of questions about how we write historically about religion in the context of culture, nationalism and politics.' Journal of Beliefs and Values