Stanley Stowers taught in the areas of ancient Mediterranean religion and philosophy and the theory of religion at Brown University from 1981 until his retirement in 2013. He has written five books and some sixty articles and chapters in books. He directed many dissertations in the areas of Christianity and religion in the Roman Empire, Hellenistic philosophy, and the study of religion.

History and the Study of Religion offers a valuable and far-reaching analysis of theory and religious history. Among its greatest strengths is its orientation of religious studies firmly within the realm of the humanities and social sciences and as a decidedly cross-disciplinary endeavor. In short, History and the Study of Religion solidifies Stowers' legacy as a generational leader in the field.

• Acknowledgments 1. History and the Study of Religion Part 1: Religion as a Social Kind2: Realism and Anti-Realism About Religion3. Theorizing Social Kinds4. Theorizing Religion as a Social Kind Part 2: Religion and Social Theory5. Social Theory: The Search for the Magic Glue and the Status of Religion6. Thinking the Ontology of Religion: Toward a Better Social Ontology Part 3: Christian Formation in the Ancient Mediterranean as a Test Case7. Early Christianity as Evidence for Socially Superior Religion8. The Formation of Christianity: Freelance Literate Experts, Literate Experts with Political-Institutional Power, and Non-Expert Insiders9. Explaining the Evidence of Ancient Christian Formation 10. Concluding Arguments: Does Kinds Theory Aid Social Ontological Analysis? Index

Stanley Stowers taught in the areas of ancient Mediterranean religion and philosophy and the theory of religion at Brown University from 1981 until his retirement in 2013. He has written five books and some sixty articles and chapters in books. He directed many dissertations in the areas of Christianity and religion in the Roman Empire, Hellenistic philosophy, and the study of religion.

History and the Study of Religion offers a valuable and far-reaching analysis of theory and religious history. Among its greatest strengths is its orientation of religious studies firmly within the realm of the humanities and social sciences and as a decidedly cross-disciplinary endeavor. In short, History and the Study of Religion solidifies Stowers' legacy as a generational leader in the field.

• Acknowledgments 1. History and the Study of Religion Part 1: Religion as a Social Kind2: Realism and Anti-Realism About Religion3. Theorizing Social Kinds4. Theorizing Religion as a Social Kind Part 2: Religion and Social Theory5. Social Theory: The Search for the Magic Glue and the Status of Religion6. Thinking the Ontology of Religion: Toward a Better Social Ontology Part 3: Christian Formation in the Ancient Mediterranean as a Test Case7. Early Christianity as Evidence for Socially Superior Religion8. The Formation of Christianity: Freelance Literate Experts, Literate Experts with Political-Institutional Power, and Non-Expert Insiders9. Explaining the Evidence of Ancient Christian Formation 10. Concluding Arguments: Does Kinds Theory Aid Social Ontological Analysis? Index

Stanley Stowers taught in the areas of ancient Mediterranean religion and philosophy and the theory of religion at Brown University from 1981 until his retirement in 2013. He has written five books and some sixty articles and chapters in books. He directed many dissertations in the areas of Christianity and religion in the Roman Empire, Hellenistic philosophy, and the study of religion.

History and the Study of Religion offers a valuable and far-reaching analysis of theory and religious history. Among its greatest strengths is its orientation of religious studies firmly within the realm of the humanities and social sciences and as a decidedly cross-disciplinary endeavor. In short, History and the Study of Religion solidifies Stowers' legacy as a generational leader in the field.

• Acknowledgments 1. History and the Study of Religion Part 1: Religion as a Social Kind2: Realism and Anti-Realism About Religion3. Theorizing Social Kinds4. Theorizing Religion as a Social Kind Part 2: Religion and Social Theory5. Social Theory: The Search for the Magic Glue and the Status of Religion6. Thinking the Ontology of Religion: Toward a Better Social Ontology Part 3: Christian Formation in the Ancient Mediterranean as a Test Case7. Early Christianity as Evidence for Socially Superior Religion8. The Formation of Christianity: Freelance Literate Experts, Literate Experts with Political-Institutional Power, and Non-Expert Insiders9. Explaining the Evidence of Ancient Christian Formation 10. Concluding Arguments: Does Kinds Theory Aid Social Ontological Analysis? Index