Comparative History

If you’re interested in learning about world religions, this book is the place to start. Packed with informative fact sheets and answers to common questions, this beginner’s guide fills you in on the most important aspects of each religion. You’ll learn about fascinating histories, rituals, and festivals as you grow to better understand the belief systems that offer meaning and purpose to billions of people around the globe.

If you put aside what you think you know about Jesus and approach the Gospels as though for the first time, something remarkable happens: Jesus emerges as a teacher of the transformation of consciousness. Cynthia Bourgeault is a masterful guide to Jesus' vision and to the traditional contemplative practices you can use to experience the heart of his teachings for yourself.

Before Europe claimed to discover the world, al-Biruni had already measured it. Long before the European Age of Discovery, long before Mercator’s maps, colonial Indology, modern anthropology, or the scientific study of comparative religion, a Persianate Muslim scholar from Central Asia was asking questions centuries ahead of his time. How large is the Earth? How can a civilization understand another without reducing it to rumor? How do calendars reveal the soul of a people? How can religion be compared without mockery? How can stones, metals, and minerals be studied through measurement ...

Mircea Eliade Explained: Sacred and Profane, Myth of the Eternal Return, Hierophany, Shamanism, Initiation Rites, and the Structure of Religious Consciousness in Modern Life is a comprehensive and accessible guide to one of the most influential scholars of religion in the twentieth century. Designed for students, thinkers, and curious readers alike, this in depth exploration unpacks Eliade’s major ideas and shows why his work continues to shape conversations about myth, symbolism, spirituality, and modern meaning. Through clear explanations and structured analysis, this book examines ...

Ahmed Rashid, called “Pakistan’s best and bravest reporter” by Christopher Hitchens, brings the shadowy world of the Taliban and its impact on Afghanistan and the Middle East and Central Asia into sharp focus in this modern classic. Rashid offers an authoritative account of the Taliban’s rise to power, its role in oil and gas company decisions, and the effects of changing American attitudes toward the Taliban. He also describes the new face of Islamic fundamentalism and explains why Afghanistan has become the world center for international terrorism.

For 3,000 years, one God has shaped the destiny of nations, toppled empires, inspired revolutions, and transformed the world. Yet his full story has never been told — until now. The Rise of Yahweh: The Untold History of the World’s Most Enduring God is a sweeping, cinematic journey through the greatest epic in human civilization. Blending archaeology, ancient mythology, biblical history, comparative religion, and world-shaping events, this book reveals the astonishing rise of a desert storm‑god who became the most powerful and influential deity in history. From the Bronze Age to the ...

NEW YORK TIMES AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER From two winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, “who have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity” “A wildly ambitious work that hopscotches through history and around the world...

Commissioner Mentz has constructed an enlightening exploration of Comparative Philosophy, delving into the history, correlations, and profound insights found within the realms of religion, ethics, myths, and virtues across Eurasia, Africa, and Native religions. This captivating book unveils the intricate tapestry of human thought and belief systems, offering a comprehensive but brief understanding of diverse philosophical and metaphysical traditions that have shaped our world. Drawing from extensive research and a global perspective, the book traces the historical development and ...

In the late twentieth century, fundamentalism has emerged as one of the most powerful forces at work in the world, contesting the dominance of modern secular values and threatening peace and harmony around the globe. Yet it remains incomprehensible to a large number of people. In The Battle for...

In an era of hardening religious attitudes and explosive religious violence, this book offers a welcome antidote. Richard Holloway retells the entire history of religion - from the dawn of religious belief to the 21st century - with deepest respect and a keen commitment to accuracy. Writing for those with faith and those without, and especially for young listeners, he encourages curiosity and tolerance, accentuates nuance and mystery and calmly restores a sense of the value of faith.

Gods: A History of the Sacred traces humanity’s great religious adventure from prehistory to the present day. From the spirits and ancestors of the Palaeolithic world to the gods of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, India, China, Africa, and pre-Columbian America; from the emergence of the one God in Israel to Christianity and Islam; from ancient temples to the new forms of sacredness that have arisen in modernity. With a historical and anthropological perspective, and in a clear, engaging, and rigorous style, this book explores how different cultures have understood the divine, how they have ...

Virtually all human societies were once organized tribally, yet over time most developed new political institutions which included a central state that could keep the peace and uniform laws that applied to all citizens. Some went on to create governments that were accountable to their constituents. We take these institutions for granted, but they are absent or are unable to perform in many of today’s developing countries—with often disastrous consequences for the rest of the world.

In A History of Religion, Bob Kowalski accomplishes the feat of synthesizing millennia of human spiritual seeking into a cohesive and captivating narrative. This is not just another chronology of gods and rituals, but a profound investigation into how the religious phenomenon has both shaped and been shaped by the human journey from the dawn of consciousness to the dilemmas of the 21st century. The scope of the work is remarkable. Kowalski begins his narrative in the most remote times, sensitively exploring the first manifestations of spirituality in the Paleolithic, the emergence of ...

The Devil, Satan, Lucifer, Mephistopheles - throughout history the Prince of Darkness, the Western world's most powerful symbol of evil, has taken many names and shapes. Jeffrey Burton Russell here chronicles the remarkable story of the Devil from antiquity to the present. While recounting how past generations have personified evil, he deepens our understanding of the ways in which people have dealt with the enduring problem of radical evil. Russell uncovers the origins of the concept of the Devil in various early cultures and then traces its evolution in Western thought from the time of the ancient Hebrews through the first centuries of the Christian era. Next he turns to the medieval view of the Devil, focusing on images found in folklore, scholastic thought, art, literature, mysticism, and witchcraft.

A fascinating, accessible introduction to Islam from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Zealot Though it is the fastest growing religion in the world, Islam remains shrouded by ignorance and fear. What is the essence of this ancient faith? Is it a religion of peace or war? How does...

Backed by Brazil’s wealthy agribusiness groups, a growing evangelical movement, and an emboldened military and police force, Jair Bolsonaro took office in 2019. Driven by the former army captain’s brand of controversial, aggressive rhetoric, the divisive presidential campaign saw fake news and misinformation shared with Bolsonaro’s tens of millions of social media followers.

From the winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize for Economics and the authors of the international bestseller Why Nations Fail "Why is it so difficult to develop and sustain liberal democracy? The best recent work on this subject comes from a remarkable pair of scholars, Daron Acemoglu and James A...

Fukuyama examines the effects of corruption on governance, and why some societies have been successful at rooting it out. He explores the different legacies of colonialism in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and offers a clear-eyed account of why some regions have thrived and developed more quickly than others. And he boldly reckons with the future of democracy in the face of a rising global middle class and entrenched political paralysis in the West.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The acclaimed author of Zealot examines humanity’s quest to make sense of the divine in this “timely, riveting, enlightening, and necessary” (HuffPost) history of our understanding of God. “A fascinating exploration of the interaction of our humanity and God...

Moving from the Paleolithic age to the present, Karen Armstrong details the great lengths to which humankind has gone in order to experience a sacred reality that it called by many names, such as God, Brahman, Nirvana, Allah, or Dao. Focusing especially on Christianity but including Judaism...