'Religion' and the Religions in the English Enlightenment
'Religion' and the Religions in the English Enlightenment
The origin of the modern perception of religion can be traced to the Enlightenment. This book shows how the concepts of "religion" and "the religions" arose from controversies in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century England. The birth of "the religions," conceived of as sets of beliefs and practices, created a new science of religion in which the various "religions" could be studied and impartially compared. Harrison gives a detailed historical picture of the emergence of this concept and how it led to the discipline of comparative religion.
Reviews & endorsements
"Professor Harrison has produced a meticulously documented, systematically organized, and challenging monograph. His use of the printed literature and sources of the period is exemplary. Although a demanding exercise in intellectual history, this book is profoundly significant for scholars concerned with English religious thought." Albion
Product details
February 2011Adobe eBook Reader
9780511877230
0 pages
0kg
This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Antecedents
- 2. 'Religion', revelation, and the light of nature: Protestants and Platonists
- 3. The religious instinct and priestly corruptions: Lord Herbert and deism
- 4. Sacred history and religious diversity
- 5. From sacred history to natural history
- Epilogue
- Notes
- References.
