Illustrated History of Religion

Author: [British] John Bowker
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The Cambridge Illustrated History of Religion is both academically substantial and aesthetically pleasing, differing from previous religious history books with its unique charm. The Cambridge Illustrated History of Religion, comprising nearly 400,000 words, is a religious history book co-authored by religious studies experts from around the world. It not only introduces major world religions but also covers regional religions. In terms of the arrangement of articles, this book differs from other religious history books that prioritize the three major world religions—Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam—as the main focus. Instead, it presents Asian religions as the central subject, starting with India, followed by China, Japan, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. It covers religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, and then introduces Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Islam, and emerging religions. In terms of length, the book dedicates nearly half of its text, approximately 150,000 words, to Asian religions. This was unprecedented in previous religious history books. In terms of content, the book not only details the historical development of each religion but also introduces their status in modern society until the end of the 20th century and their future trends, offering unique insights. Additionally, it explores the influence of the history, philosophy, politics, ethnicity, and secular culture of relevant countries or regions on these religions. In terms of writing style, the book adopts deconstructionist methods popular in contemporary academia to deconstruct the history of all the aforementioned religions. This distinctive narrative approach makes it feel less like a static exposition of religious history and more like an examination of these religions within the vast river of history, appropriately reflecting their historical roles and impacts. As a richly illustrated religious history book, the Cambridge Illustrated History of Religion features 250 black-and-white and color illustrations. The images are striking, clear, and accompanied by concise captions. The maps and text-embedded inserts included in the book expand its content. The book is well-structured, with an introduction, summaries of chronological tables of major religious events, chronological tables, a bibliography, and an index. This makes it an excellent reference book for researchers in diplomacy, religion, and history; for general readers, it is a great book for easily understanding complex and profound religious issues and their history. It is well-known that the "Cambridge Histories" have long enjoyed a high academic reputation worldwide due to their rigorous and scholarly approach. The Chinese translator of the Cambridge Illustrated History of Religion possesses strong academic foundations, and the translation is accurate and fluent, effectively conveying the cultural nuances of the original work. It is said that to respect the original and ensure translation quality, the compilers of the book spent considerable time and effort revising and proofreading the manuscript, even meticulously annotating all non-English letters with phonetic transcriptions. Religion has shaped human culture and has influenced every aspect of our lives. The Cambridge Illustrated History of Religion shows how major belief systems in the world have emerged from specific cultures and how they collectively interact with and influence dominant socio-political and economic environments. Led by Professor John Bowker and co-authored by a team of outstanding scholars and experts, this Cambridge Illustrated History of Religion provides a comprehensive and systematic introduction to the history of world religions and offers detailed discussions on major events in the history of world religions.