A History of the World's Religions

by David S. Noss, Blake R. Grangaard

Overview

A History of the World's Religions bridges the interval between the founding of religions and their present state, and gives students an accurate look at the religions of the world by including descriptive and interpretive details from original source materials. Refined by over forty years of dialogue and correspondence with religious experts and practitioners around the world, A History of the World's Religions is widely regarded as the hallmark of scholarship, fairness, and accuracy in its field. It is also the most thorough yet manageable history of world religion available in a single volume. A History of the World’s Religions examines the following topics:

• Some Primal and Bygone Religions
• The Religions of South Asia
• The Religions of East Asia

• The Religions of the Middle East

This fourteenth edition is fully updated throughout with new images and inset text boxes to help guide students and instructors. Complete with figures, timelines and maps, this is an ideal resource for anyone wanting an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the world’s religions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138211681
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/03/2018
Edition description:	14th ed.
Pages:	678
Product dimensions:	7.44(w) x 9.69(h) x (d)

About the Author

David S. Noss taught in the Religion and Philosophy Department of Heidelberg College from 1950 until his retirement in 1989, although he continued teaching students and advising faculty until his passing in 2010.

Blake Grangaard earned his B.A. from St. Olaf College, M.Div. from Luther Theological Seminary and Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. He was a pastor for almost 10 years before turning to academia. He is currently a Professor of Religion at Heidelberg University, USA.

Table of Contents

Brief Contents

Part 1 Some Primal and Bygone Religions

1: Religion in Prehistoric and Primal Cultures

2: Bygone Religions That Have Left Their Mark on the West

Part 2 The Religions of South Asia

3: Early Hinduism: The Passage from Ritual Sacrifice to Mystical Union

4: Later Hinduism: Religion as the Determinant of Social Behaviour

5: Jainism: A Study in Asceticism

6: Buddhism in Its First Phase: Moderation in World Renunciation

7: The Religious Developments of Buddhism: Diversity in Paths to Nirvana

8: Sikhism: A Study in Syncretism

Part 3 The Religions of East Asia

9: Native Chinese Religion and Daoism

10: Confucius and Confucianism: A Study in Optimistic Humanism

11: Shinto: The Native Contribution to Japanese Religion

Part 4 The Religions of the Middle East

12: Zoroastrianism: A Religion Based on Ethical Dualism

13: Judaism in Its Early Phases: From Hebrew Origins to the Exile

14: The Religious Developments of Judaism

15: Christianity in Its Opening Phase: The Worlds and Work of Jesus in Apostolic Perspective

16: The Religious Development of Christianity

17: Islam: The Religion of Submission to God: Beginnings

18: The Shīʿah Alternative and Regional Developments

Preface

Just as the Nazi Holocaust incinerated naive assumptions about human nature and historical progress, so the flaming collapse of the World Trade Center in 2001 shattered assumptions about status quo, religion, and peace.

Those of us who inquire into the history of the world's religions soon become aware that from the perspective of some of the religions the study of history is bound to be fruitless. Religions are about "what matters most" and to some that means transcending the temporal and in effect abandoning the search for meaning in the historical scene. Picking up a book like this may signify a desire to confirm that view, but it is more likely to signify a kind of bias, an underlying hope that the transcendent/immanent may indeed manifest itself in historical events—that the study of any religion should include its historical influence in social/political arenas as, for example, ethical policy in regard to the earth's resources and the degree to which all of humankind is in its purview. Given our biases, our best course is to try to present the views of others fairly. Will knowledgeable believers find our characterizations accurate?

My elder brother, John B. Noss, spent ten years preparing the first (1949) edition of this book. At that time he found that most publications in the field tended to focus on the biographies of the founders and then jumped to comparing and evaluating the religions' contemporary practices. His preface to the first edition spoke of two special needs to be met: the first was to include "descriptive and interpretative details from the original source materials" and second "to bridge the interval between the founding of religionsand their present state" (italics mine).

Those who have used successive editions will recognize an increasing attentiveness to those needs. Primary source materials are not spliced in as undigested chunks but carefully embedded in interpretative commentary. Now color-highlighted, and sometimes further emphasized in color-framed quotations, the sources gain even more of the prominence they deserve. Illustrations have come to play a larger part: in addition to classic art and architecture, there are now depictions of ceremonial realia and explanations of ritual practices. Extended teaching captions go beyond the perfunctory identifications of the subjects.

Resisting trends toward the abbreviating and "dumbing down" of college textbooks to accommodate diminished reading skills, this edition maintains a standard of thoroughness. Instead of abridgement, it offers enhancements: highlighted terms keyed to chapter-end glossaries, reinforcement of key ideas in color-framed quotations, line drawings to relieve solid columns of text, and the inclusion of some novels and light reading suggestions in the bibliography.

Many teachers find a kind of liberation in putting a thorough text in the hands of students. This ensures a ready and reliable reference, relieves the pressure on the instructor to "cover" everything in lectures, and frees up the class time for questions and discussions on topics of immediate interest.

The author is grateful for editorial assistance and expertise in ancient intellectual history generously contributed by David J. Noss of Washington, D.C. Special thanks are also due to Ross Miller, Carla Worrier, and Louise Rothman of Prentice Hall and to Lee Shenkman and Janet Stone of Victory Productions.

David S. Noss

Editorial Reviews

Over the last few decades, the professional study of religion has fetishized difference and denied sameness. It has also chosen to focus on the local and to ignore the global. As a field, we have allergically avoided the "big picture." But not here. Noss and Grangaard have given us a marvelous text on precisely this big picture and this more generous view of human history. Jeffrey J. Kripal holds the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University, USA, and is author of Comparing Religions: Coming to Terms, with Ata Anzali, Andrea R. Jain, and Erin Prophet.

Having utilized many editions of A History of World Religions in undergraduate Religious Studies classes, I eagerly await each new edition. The updates, glossaries and encyclopedic information are invaluable. I won't assign any other textbook but this one! Amy Fisher, Interfaith Center, Suffolk University, USA.

A History of the World's Religions is particularly valuable in that it traces the historical evolution of the world's religions. It also answers three crucial existential questions: What do adherents of each religious tradition think? What do they feel? And how do they act? I have yet to find a better resource to introduce the major world religions. Dr. Mark Etling, School for Professional Studies, Saint Louis University, USA.

From the Publisher

A textbook for introductory college courses in the history of religions, published since 1949 as Man's religions. Surveys the origins, development, and divisions of the major religions of India, the Orient, and the Middle East. Each chapter includes a glossary, most with pronunciation indicated. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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