What is Religion?

European Thought from Antiquity to the Present

AvPhilippe Borgeaud

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

Del i serien Classical Scholarship in Translation

322 kr

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Beskrivning

How should we explain differences in religious belief and practice? Philippe Borgeaud's ambitious intellectual history tells the story of how reflection on religious phenomena emerged, throughout the centuries, in European consciousness and scholarship. Christianity in particular, as Borgeaud shows, long wrestled with how to understand polytheistic cultures versus its own belief in a single omnipotent God. The Church Fathers, the author argues, sought to inherit the core of Graeco-Roman culture while rejecting its deities and religious practices; and patristic ideas were later adopted when Europeans travelling and colonising the world encountered ever more varied polytheistic traditions. At times detached, at times enchanted, these travellers' reflections provided the basis for the modern study of 'religions', and have since conditioned the mindset of anyone brought up in a European culture. The book concludes by arguing for the importance of liberation from these assumptions and instead considering religion as a form of 'play'.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2026-05-31
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Classical Scholarship in Translation
Antal sidor:204
Förlag:Cambridge University Press
ISBN:9781009220347
Översättare:Kachuck, Aaron

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Mer om författaren

Philippe Borgeaud was, until his retirement, Professor of the History of Ancient Religions at the University of Geneva where he is now an Honorary Professor in the Department of the Sciences of Antiquity. He is one of the world's leading scholars of the history of religion, originating in his study of ancient Greece. His books include The Cult of Pan in Ancient Greece (1988) and Mother of the Gods (2004).

Recensioner i media

'A delight to read, wonderfully informative, richly synthetic, challenging and stimulating. Borgeaud ranges widely, thinks deeply, consistently offers shrewd observations and provocative suggestions, while tracing the history of ideas about the nature of religion from antiquity to the present.' Bruce Lincoln, Caroline E. Haskell Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of the History of Religions, University of Chicago

Innehållsförteckning

1. Talking about Gods; 2. The Birth of Paganism; 3. Translating the Gods; 4. Sources of Comparison; 5. On the Ground; 6. The Destiny of the Figure; 7. The Logic of False Beliefs; 8. The Contagion of the Sacred; 9. Sloughing Off the Straitjacket.