'Religion' and the Religions in the English Enlightenment
'Religion' and the Religions in the English Enlightenment
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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
November 1990Hardback
9780521385305
288 pages
235 × 160 × 25 mm
0.565kg
Available
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.
