Encyclopedia of Christianity - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195223934 ISBN 13: 9780195223934

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2005

Synopsis

There are numerous reference volumes dealing with Christianity. Remarkably, however, until now there has been no one-volume encyclopedia dedicated Christianity on a global scale.

This exhaustive work presupposes no prior knowledge of Christianity, and can usefully be consulted by Jews and Muslims, people of other faiths or no faith at all. It covers all forms of Christianity throughout history and the world. Over 300 major articles by distinguished international contributors are linked through a novel series of pointers that provide different angles on topics and show the connections between them. The contributors include the leading experts on the topics under consideration, which range from regional surveys to portraits of denominations and sects, explorations of theological and moral questions, relationships with other faiths, and a "Who's Who" of Christianity. In addition to the main articles, helpful "fact boxes" present basic factual material, often in the form of lists, bringing together information that is often surprisingly difficult to find: creeds, councils, popes, miracles and parables of Jesus, religious orders, and much more. This remarkable resource, more than ten years in the making, fills a major gap in the literature on world Christianity.

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Reviews

Grade 9 Up–Christianity cant be crammed into a box–but much of it fits into this Bible-size book. General readers will find most of the articles accessible, well written, and substantial, but not overwhelming. Major topics (e.g., Arts, Communication, Death, Diversity, Ethics, Mission, Prayer, Story, Symbols) appear in 33 Gateway articles. Appealing features include 166 boxes with statistics, lists, and fascinating byways, and a Whos Who of 400-plus figures (deficient in females) in addition to the full articles afforded major players. Other articles cover wide-ranging topics (e.g., Ecotheology, Environmental ethics, Love, the Roman empire, Mysticism, Science, Pilgrimage, Satan, Poverty, Sin, Wars of religion, Sexuality, Homosexuality, and Gay and lesbian theology). Like Martin Martys masterly summation of Christianity in North America, articles on regional Christian churches and on relations between Christianity and other major world religions are extended and thoughtful. Bibliographies follow each article. The marginal symbols for cross-referencing are not improvements on the usual bold or italic type. Small errors and omissions are unavoidable (two errors in index entries for Taizé; there is no mention of Santeria, though other Afro-Caribbean syncretizing sects are discussed), but they do not detract from the undeniable achievement of this remarkable resource.–Patricia D. Lothrop, St. Georges School, Newport, RI
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The more than 300 stylish and informative articles collected in this encyclopedia make a fascinating introduction to Christianity through the ages and around the world. The distinguished contributors include Oxford University professor John Barton, Georgetown University ethicist Cynthia B. Cohen and University of Chicago emeritus Martin Marty. If some of the essays-such as those on "persecution" and "saint"-are a tad predictable, others are delightfully counterintuitive. Elizabeth J. Harris's contribution on "Buddhism and Christianity" shows that church fathers were aware of Buddhism by the second century and suggests Buddhist monasticism may have shaped Christian monasticism. Carolyn J.B. Hammond moves from Christian understandings of God's activity in human history to the question of human suffering in an entry on historiography. A delightfully quirky essay on "Community Arts," by Rod Pattenden, shows the mission of the local church is reshaped when churches sponsor artists-in-residence. Twenty-one stunning color plates help inflate the price-tag, but they are well worth it. (There are also 96 black and white illustrations.) Call-out boxes explain Latin and Greek theological term, catalogue papal encyclicals and list famous Marian apparitions. Caveat lector: those readers who come to reference books expecting ideological neutrality won't find it here. The essay on "Women in Christianity," for example, was written by Rosemary Radford Ruether and suggests that many Catholics find the Church's teaching on gender "unacceptable and even incomprehensible." Overall, this encyclopedia is a must-have for any Christian reference shelf.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195223934
• ISBN 13: 9780195223934
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 1406
• Editor: Bowden John