- Paperback: 512 pages
- Publisher: University of Chicago Press; New edition edition (1 April 1981)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0226204014
- ISBN-13: 978-0226204017
- Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 15 x 3.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 310,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
 Trade In this Item for up to £3.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in A History of Religious Ideas: From the Stone Age to the Eleusinian Mysteries v. 1 for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £3.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
"No one has done so much as Mr. Eliade to inform literature students in the West about 'primitive' and Oriental religions...Everyone who cares about the human adventure will find new information and new angles of vision."--Martin E. Marty, "New York Times Book Review"
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a delightful scholarly work, yet at the same time written and presented in such a way that the content and issues raised are easily understood by the lay person. The academic nature is not compromised as we are taken on a journey from the birth of man and his quest for an understanding of his place in a chaotic environment to the Mystery Schools of Ancient Greece. On the way we explore the birth of organised religion in Ancient Sumer, journey through the desert with Moses to meet Yahweh and trek out of the Caucasus Mountains into the Indus Valley to witness the inception of The Vedas. On the way we brush shoulders with Osiris, Zarathustra, the enigmatic Dionysus and recall the adventures and insights of some of the Old Testament prophets.
For the student of religion this is a superb insight into the development of gods as supernatural masters, the creation of structured social patterns and also highlights their reasons for coming into being. For the academic Eliad provides, in this volume, an excellent reference and resource book for all levels of understanding.
With many references and footnotes this book is an invaluable asset for both student and tutor alike.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book reminds me of Joseph Campbell's Masks of God series in the way it is presented. Lots of facts and theories, but very readable. Eliade hasn't assumed that you are reading this book because you are a theologian or going for your Master's degree but for the common person with a beginning interest in Religious History.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
The human and the spiritual
31 Dec 2003
Format:Paperback
Mircea Eliade has spent a lifetime exploring the origins, meaning and mysteries of mankind's spiritual inner being. He is the Joseph Campbell of religion - not myth. This first volume was ably translated (from the French) into clear and direct English - a hallmark of his writing. It is difficult to speak knowingly of neolithic religion because the evidence is largely circumstantial and evolutionary. That is, we divine from our own religious present what must have existed prior to the forming of current ideas.
One of his main points is that peoples around the world, for whatever reason, seemed to be instinctually drawn toward the worship of something - an object, animal, human or unseen god or goddess. In this first volume he explores various cultures and their beliefs - the Mayas, Greeks, Iranians, neolithic man, Egypt, other Middle East groups...a dazzling array of cultures and societies. As the imagination grew, so did belief in an unseen world.
Of particular interest is the section on ancient Israeli beliefs and the origins of Yahweh. The chapters on religion in Greece were notable for their abundant detail. Even in the most isolated areas, the same rites and beliefs emerged - the idea of sacrifice, the belief in another life, the battle of good vs evil, the idea of holy representatives and eventually the thought of eternal life.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Very informative, yet easy to read and understand.
15 Jun 1998
Format:Paperback
This book reminds me of Joseph Campbell's Masks of God series in the way it is presented. Lots of facts and theories, but very readable. Eliade hasn't assumed that you are reading this book because you are a theologian or going for your Master's degree but for the common person with a beginning interest in Religious History.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful
10 Jan 2001
Format:Paperback
This is a superb series on the history of religion, and incidentally serves as a fine introduction to comparative religion. The only real weakness is in this first volume: I've never like the treatment of paleolithic religion here, which seems abrupt. But this caveat is far too minor to dissuade anyone from reading these wonderful books.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Religious History > Other Religions
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Comparative Religion
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > History
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Philosophy
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Philosophy
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Cultural Studies > History of Ideas
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
