Religion and World Civilizations: How Faith Shaped Societies from Antiquity to the Present [3 Volumes]

Table of Contents:

General Introduction: Religion and Its Influence on Human Societies
Chronology
Volume 1: Ancient and Early Medieval Worlds
Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations
Akhenaten's Rejection of Polytheism
Babylonian Astronomy and Astrology
Bar Kokhba Revolt
Building of the Anu Ziggurat in Uruk
Building of the Egyptian Pyramids
Building of the First Temple on Mount Moriah-Solomon's Temple
Building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem
Canaanite Gods and Goddesses
Canaanite Temples
Council of Jamnia
Development of Synagogues as Centers of Jewish Religious Life
Development of the Hebrew Palestinian Canon
Egyptian Book of the Dead
Elevation of the Persian Language
Epic of Gilgamesh and Mesopotamian Religion
Establishment and Influence of the Essenes
Establishment of the Avesta
Establishment of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah
Great Jewish Revolt
Hammurabi's Code
Hebrew Bible and Slavery
Influence of Zoroastrianism
Mani and the Foundation of Manichaeism
Mesopotamian Creation Story
Mesopotamian Flood Narratives
Mesopotamian Magic and Witchcraft
Mesopotamian Religious Influences on the Hebrews
Origins of Zoroastrianism
Possible Zoroastrian Influences on Judaism and Christianity
Reign of King David
Reign of Sargon of Akkad
Religion and Warfare in the Ancient Near East
Religious Significance of Ur
Revolt of the Maccabees
Sassanian Religious Literature
Saul as the First King of Israel
Temple Complexes at Uruk
Ziggurats and Temples
Zoroastrian Dualism and Monotheism
Ancient China and India
Ajanta Caves
Ancient Chinese Oracle Bones
Ashoka and the Spread of Buddhism
Chandragupta II and the Rise of Vaishnavism
Chinese Creation Myths
Compilation of the Bhagavad Gita
Compilation of the Upanishads
Confucianism as the State Religion
Creation of Taoism
Emergence of Buddhism in China during the Han Dynasty
Founding of Buddhism by Siddhartha Gautama
Fourth Buddhist Council
Great Bath and the College of Priests
Great Buddhist University at Nalanda
Influence of the Rigveda
Kinnar in Ancient Indian Religious Texts
Life and Influence of Confucius
Mahavira and the Foundations of Jainism
Mandate of Heaven
Mythic Origins of the Caste System
Qin Dynasty and the Banning of Religion
Sacred Cows in Hinduism
Theravada Buddhism
Third Buddhist Council
Tomb of the First Emperor of the Qin
Vedic Creation Myths
Vedic Gods
Vedic Priesthood
Ancient Greece
Closure and Destruction of Ancient Greek Temples by Christian Authorities
Compilation of the Septuagint
Cult of Alexander the Great
Cult of Asklepios in Epidauros
Cults of Foreign Gods in Ancient Greece
Funerary Customs and Festivals in Honor of the Dead
Greek Language and the New Testament
Greek Mythology
Hellenic and Hellenistic Mystery Religions
Iliad and Odyssey
Origin and Influence of the Oracle of Delphi
Platonic Influences on Christianity
Religion in the Hellenistic World
Religious Purposes and Functions of Greek Temples
Religious Significance and Purpose of the Parthenon
Religious Significance of Panhellenic Athletic Festivals
Religious Significance of Wine
Sacred Wars
Trial of Socrates
Twelve Olympians
Warfare and the Intervention of the Gods
Worship of Minoan and Mycenaean Gods and Goddesses
Ancient Rome
Augustus, Octavian, and the Establishment of the Cult of the Emperor
Bacchanalia
Christian Persecution
Conversion of Constantine
Council of Nicaea
Deification of Roman Emperors
Edict of Milan
Establishment of the Coptic Church
Establishment of the New Testament Canon
First Use of the Title dominus et deus, Master and God, by the Emperor Domitian
Haruspices
Influence of the Bishop of Rome
Jerome's Translation and Publication of the Vulgate
Jesus, the Apostles, and the Origins of Christianity
Julius Caesar Declared parens patriae and Subsequently Deified
Mithraism in the Roman Empire and Its Possible Influences on Early Christianity
Mystery Religions in Ancient Rome
Nicene Christianity Declared the State Religion of the Roman Empire
Numa Pompilius Establishes the Religious Institutions of Rome
Paganism in Ancient Rome
Pantheon of Roman Gods and Goddesses
Plebeians in Rome Eligible for Priesthood: Lex Ogulnia
Religion and the Roman Household
Religious Nature of Stoicism
Religious Role of the Vestal Virgins
Sexual Renunciation in Early Christianity
Sol Invictus
Thracian Religion in the Roman World
Byzantium
Battle of Manzikert
Byzantine Conflicts with Islam
Byzantine Understandings of the Arab Conquests
Byzantium and the First Crusade
Caesaropapism and Papocaesarism
Conquest of Jerusalem by the Sassanians
Constantine I and the Founding of Constantinople
Council of Chalcedon (451)
Council of Constantinople (381)
Council of Ephesus (431)
Fall of Constantinople (1453)
Founding of Mount Athos
Hagia Irene
Hagia Sophia
Iconoclasm
John of Damascus and the Defense of Icon Veneration
Massacre of Latin Christians in Constantinople
Origins of the Cult of the Virgin Mary
Patriarch of Constantinople
Pentarchy
Photian Schism, 219
Religious Concerns over Byzantine Games, 220
Repairing the Schism between the Churches of Constantinople and Rome
Sack of Constantinople
Sassanian Conflict with the Byzantine Empire
Schism of 1054
Third Samaritan Revolt
Three Chapters Controversy
Veneration and Production of Icons
Early Medieval Europe (500-1000)
Battle of Tours
Benedict of Nursia
Carolingians and the Papacy
Charlemagne and the Conversion of the Saxons
Christian Holy War before the Crusades
Christian Pilgrimage to 1000
Conversion of Clovis to Christianity
Conversion of the Lombards to Christianity
Donation of Constantine
Founding of the Holy Roman Empire
Gregorian Chant
Medieval Cathedral Architecture (300-1100)
Medieval Papacy (500-1000)
Merovingians
Monasticism
Music in Christian Thought and Practice (300-1000)
Papacy of Gregory the Great
Significance of Relics
Viking Religion
Volume 2: Medieval and Early Modern Worlds
Medieval Europe (1000-1450)
Albigensian Crusade
Christianity and the Founding of Medieval Universities
Christian Pilgrimage from 1000 to 1500
Christian Theology and the Jews
Christian Views on Prostitution
Crusading and Religious Conversion
Cult of the Virgin Mary in the Middle Ages
Development of Canon Law
English Participation in the Crusades
Expulsion of the Jews from England
Founding and Influence of the Cluny Monastery
Founding and Influence of the Mendicant Orders
Fourth Lateran Council
Gregorian Reform
Impact of the Baltic Crusades
Investiture Controversy
Italian Crusades
Joan of Arc's Impact on the Hundred Years' War
Judaism in Medieval Europe
Latin Translations of the Qur'an
Medieval Cathedral Architecture (1100-1500)
Medieval Papacy (1000-1500)
Muslims in Medieval Europe
Origins of the Crusading Movement
Peace and Truce of God Movements
Pilgrimage in the Eleventh Century and the Origins of the Crusading Movement
Prester John of the Indies
Punishment of Heresy
Religious Music in the Middle Ages (1000-1500)
Symbolism of Medieval Liturgy
Theological Impact of the Writings of Thomas Aquinas
Theology of Thomas Aquinas
Unam Sanctam Proclaims Papal Supremacy
Medieval Arab Civilization
Abbasid Caliphate
Arab Conquest of the Sassanian Empire
Arab Conquests and the Spread of Islam
Arabic Language and the Qur'an
Compilation of the Qur'an
Concepts of Dar al-Harb and Dar al-Islam
Construction of the Dome of the Rock
Dhimmi Status
Fall of Baghdad and the End of the Caliphate
Hadith
Islam and Arab Dietary Laws
Mecca-Medina War
Methodologies of Tazkiyat al-Nafs in Sufism
Muhammad and the Foundations of Islamic Religion
Muhammad and the Foundations of the Islamic State
Muhammad and the Unification of the Arab Tribes
Origins and Impact of Zakat on Early Islamic Society
Origins and Influence of Sufism
Origins of Jihad
Rashidun Caliphate
Religious Significance of the Holy Land to Muslims
Sex and Medieval Islamic Law
Shariah
Survival of Zoroastrianism after the Arab Conquest
Umayyad Caliphate
Medieval Spain (300-1500)
Camino de Santiago
Conquest of Granada
Convivencia
Crusading Indulgences in Medieval Iberia
Expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal
Founding of the Spanish Military Orders
Great Mosque of Córdoba
Ignatius Loyola and the Founding of the Jesuits
Islamic Conquest of Spain (711)
Life and Influence of Moses Maimonides
Life for Jews in Medieval Spain
Reconquista
Santiago Matamoros (the Moor Slayer)
Spain and the Discovery of the New World
Spanish Inquisition
Toledo School of Translators
Crusader States (1098-1291)
Apocalypticism and the Crusader States
Banking and the Templars
Byzantine-Crusader Split at the Siege of Antioch (1098)
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Conquest of Jerusalem (1099)
Conversion of the Hospitallers to a Military Order
Ecclesiastical Councils and the Crusades
Fall of Acre (1291)
Fall of Edessa (1144)
Fall of Jerusalem (1187)
Founding of the Knights Templar
Hospital of Jerusalem
Law in the Crusader States
Life for Jews in the Crusader States
Life for Muslims in the Crusader States
Missionary Efforts
Muslim and Christian Friendship
Pilgrimage and Pilgrimage Sites
Relations with Non-Latin Christians, Muslims, and Jews
Relations with the Byzantine Empire
Religious Architecture in the Crusader States
Religious Art in the Crusader States
Religious Significance of the Holy Land to Latin Christians
Medieval Asian Civilizations
Application of Shariah in India
Arrival and Spread of Sufism in Medieval India
Arrival of Buddhism in China
Buddhism and the Development of Printing in China
Chinese Buddhist Pilgrims to India
Ellora Caves at Maharashtra
Establishment of the Sultanate of Delhi
Genghis Khan and Religious Toleration
Genghis Khan's Religious Beliefs
Guru Nanak and the Foundation of Sikhism
Impact of Indian Religion on Mainland Southeast Asia
Impact of Indian Religion on the Island Societies of Southeast Asia
Imperial Repression of Buddhism in China
Islam in Sri Lanka
Jainism in Medieval India
Medieval Religious Temples in India
Mongol Impact on Dar al-Islam
Muslim Views of Medieval Hindu Religious Practices
Nestorian Influences on the Mongols
Nestorianism in Medieval India
Origin and Early Influence of the Bhakti Movement
Religious Significance of the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang
Religious Toleration in the Gupta Empire
Sati in Medieval India
Spread of Islam in Indonesia
Sufi Influences on Music in Medieval India
Tarmashirin Khan's Conversion to Islam
Uzbek Khan's Conversion to Islam
Women and Medieval Hinduism
Women and Religion in Medieval East Asia
Zoroastrianism in Medieval Central Asia
Medieval Africa (300-1500)
African Traditional Religion
Cathedral of Maryam Seyon and the Ark of the Covenant
Coptic Christianity in the Middle Ages
Crusading in North Africa, 219
Ethiopian Orthodoxy's "Judaic Rites,"
Ezana of Axum's Conversion to Christianity
Frumentius and the Conversion of Ethiopia
Garima Gospels
Hypatia's Murder in Alexandria
Ibn Tumart Establishes the Almohad Movement and Dynasty
Impact of Christianity on African Art
Islam and the Ghana Empire
Islam in Medieval Ethiopia
Kebra Nagast
Missionary Efforts of the Nine Saints
Myth of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
Rock-Cut Churches of Ethiopia
Sabbatarian Controversy
Spread of Christianity in North Africa
Medieval Central and Eastern Europe
Bogomil Heresy First Appears in Bulgaria
Boris of Bulgaria Converts to Christianity
Danish Crusades against Pagan Estonia
Foundation of the Rila Monastery
Foundation of the Sázava Abbey
Gniezno Summit
Impact of the Baltic Crusades on North European Paganism
Jogaila and the Conversion of Lithuania to Christianity
King Stephen and the Conversion of Hungary
Mieszko I and the Conversion of Poland to Christianity
Mission of Cyril and Methodius to Moravia
Moscow as the Third Rome
Slavic Paganism in Medieval Eastern Europe
Survival of Thracian Religion in Southeast Europe
Synod of Split
Vladimir the Great's Christianization of the Kievan Rus'
Seljuk and Ottoman Civilizations
Abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate
Armenian Genocide
Collapse of the Ottoman Empire
Conquests of Alp Arslan
Defeat of the Ottomans at the Second Siege of Vienna (1683)
Establishment and Influence of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum
Establishment of the Ottoman Caliphate
Establishment of the Secular Republic of Turkey
Founding and Influence of the National Vision Movement on Modern Turkey
Ghazis
Janissaries
Jews under Ottoman Rule
Jihad, World War I, and the Ottoman Empire
Millet System
Ottoman Conquest of the Byzantine Empire
Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Religious Architecture
Pre-Islamic Turkish Religion
Seljuk Conflict with Shiite Fatimid Egypt
Seljuk Empire
Seljuk Invasion of Asia Minor (Eleventh Century)
Sultan Ahmed Mosque
Turkification and Islamization of Asia Minor
Major Pre-Columbian Civilizations
Aztec Cult of Huitzilopochtli and the Foundation of Tenochtitlán
Aztec Pantheon of Gods
Conquest of the Aztec Empire
Death of Huayna Capac and the Largest Known Number of Inka Human Sacrifices
Doña Marina's Conversion to Christianity and the Conquest of the Aztecs
Flower Wars
Inka Mummification
Inka Pantheon of Gods
Maya Bloodletting Rituals
Maya Pantheon of Gods
Religion and Warfare in Pre-Columbian Societies
Scale of Aztec Human Sacrifice
Spiritual Reasons for Aztec Human Sacrifice
Women and the Inka Religion
Women and the Maya Religion
Volume 3: Early Modern and Modern Worlds
Early Modern Europe (1450-1750)
Anabaptist Promotion of the Separation of Church and State
Augsburg Confession
Catholic and Counter Reformations
Christian Inspirations of the Great Composers
Copernicus's Publication of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
Council of Trent
Criticism of Religion during the Enlightenment
Divine Right of Kings
Edict of Nantes
European Witch Craze
Expulsion of the Moriscos
French Wars of Religion
Galileo Forced to Recant His Theories
Henry VIII and the Founding of the Church of England
Impact of the Printing Press on the Protestant Reformation
John Calvin and the Spread of Calvinism
Martin Luther and the Origins of the Reformation
Martin Luther on Holy War against the Turks
Peace of Westphalia
Resettlement of the Jews in England
Thirty Years' War
Vincent de Paul and His Charitable Legacy
Women and the Protestant Reformation
Early North America (to 1865)
American Jewish Views of Slavery and Abolition
Barbary Pirates War and U.S. Views of Islam
Charles G. Finney and the Revivalism Movement
Christian Abolitionists
Christianity and the Founding Fathers
Early Missionary Efforts to Convert Native Americans
First Amendment
Founding of Maryland
Founding of Mormonism
Founding of Pennsylvania
French Protestant Settlements in Sixteenth-Century Florida
Great Awakening
Great Disappointment
Jesuit Missionaries in Canada
John Brown's Holy War against Slavery
Native American Religion
Protestant Work Ethic
Quakers and Abolition
Quakers and the Role of Women in the Church
Religion and the American Civil War
Religious Origins of Manifest Destiny
Religious Vision of Tenskwatawa
Rise of African American Churches
Second Great Awakening
Slave Religion
Temperance Movement
Transcendentalism
Modern North America (since 1865)
Anti-Abortion Movement
Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan
Billy Graham Crusades
Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Crisis
Charles Parham and the Beginnings of Pentecostalism
Christianity and Prohibition
Decline in Church Affiliation
Father Damien of Molokai's Care of Lepers
Founding of the Jehovah's Witnesses
Founding of the Nation of Islam
Ghost Dancing and the Wounded Knee Massacre
Health and Prosperity Gospel
Impact of Religious Universities in the United States
Islam in the United States
Madalyn Murray O'Hair Files Suit to End Prayer and Biblical Readings in Public Schools
Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement
Methodism and Race
Methodist Ordination of Women
Native American Religions in Modern North America
Publication of The Fundamentals
Religion's Impact on Criminal Victimization in the United States
Religious Impact of Immigration to the United States
Scopes Monkey Trial
Scott Hahn's Conversion to Catholicism
U.S. Lutherans Apologize for Anti-Semitism
William J. Seymour and the Azusa Street Revival
Early Modern and Modern Africa
Afrikaner Religious Beliefs and the Colonization of South Africa
Animism in Modern Africa
Arrival of Christianity in the Kingdom of Congo
Christian Missionary Schools in Colonial Africa
Communist Persecution of Religion in Africa
Conflict between Christians and Muslims in Modern Africa
Divination in Modern Africa
Establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate in Western Africa
Ethiopia's Catholic Interlude
European Christian Missionaries and the Scramble for Africa
Expansion of Islam in West Africa
Gays, Lesbians, and Religion in Modern Africa
Islamization under Idris Alawma
Maji Maji Rebellion
Prophecy and Legacy of Simon Kimbangu
Protestant Missions in Africa
Religion and Female Genital Mutilation in Modern Africa
Modern Europe
Abdication of Pope Benedict XVI
Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust
Catholic and Protestant Conflict in Ireland
Charles Darwin's Publication of On the Origin of the Species
Communist Persecution of Religion in Eastern Europe
Communist Persecution of Religion in the Soviet Union
Dreyfus Affair
Festival of Reason and De-Christianization in France
First Vatican Council
Florence Nightingale's Influence on Modern Nursing
Founding of the Red Cross
Founding of the Salvation Army
Impact of the Holocaust
Lambeth Conference and Birth Control
Oxford Movement
Pogroms in Russia
Publication of Evangelium Vitae
Religion and the Spanish Civil War
Second Vatican Council
Syllabus of Errors
William Wilberforce and the Abolition Movement in Britain
Early Modern and Modern Middle East
Apostasy Laws in the Modern Middle East
Blasphemy Laws in the Modern Middle East
Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Effects of the Six-Day War on Zionism
Founding of Modern Israel
Founding of Saudi Arabia
Founding of the Baha'i Faith
Founding of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood
Hamas and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Ibn Abd al-Wahhab and the Beginning of Salafism
Impact of Zakat in the Modern Middle East
Islamic Modernism
Islamic Revolution in Iran
Jewish Messianic Movements
Origins of Wahhabism
Persecution of Yazidis
Relations of the Modern Coptic Church with the Egyptian Government
Rise of the Islamic State
Saudi Arabian Efforts to Spread Wahhabism
Sayyid Qutb's Influence on the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood
Six-Day War
Yom Kippur War
Zionism
Early Modern and Modern East Asia
Buddhism in Asia since 1945
Buddhist Violence and the Fall of Tibet
Chinese Rites Controversy
Chinese Suppression of the Uighurs
Christian Missionary Efforts in China
Communist Persecution of Religion in China
Communist Persecution of Religion in Indochina
Creation of the Underground Catholic Church in China
Development of the Cao Dai Religion in Vietnam
Francis Xavier's Mission to Japan
Islam in Maritime Southeast Asia (Nusantara)
Japan's Emperor Renounces His Divinity
Religion and the State in Communist China
Shintoism and Japanese Involvement in World War II
Taiping Rebellion
Tokugawa Shogunate's Anti-Christian Policies
Early Modern and Modern India
Akbar I and Religious Toleration in the Mughal Empire
Aligarh Movement
Anti-Sikh Riots and the Assassination of Indira Gandhi
Ayodhya Debates and Mumbai Riots
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar and the Dalit Buddhist Movement
Building of the Jama Masjid in Delhi
Christian Missionary Efforts in India
Faraizi Movement
Founding of Pakistan
Hindu-Muslim Conflict and the Partition of India
Hindu Reformers in the Nineteenth Century
Indian Councils Act of 1909
Indian Law Abolishes the "Untouchables" Class
Influence of Sikh Gurus
Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian Independence Movement
Mother Teresa Founds the Missionaries of Charity
Muslim Separatism in India
Myth of Thuggee
Ram Mohun Roy's Criticism of Traditional Indian Marriage Practices
Swaminarayan and the Establishment of the Swaminarayan Sampraday
William Carey and British Imperial Efforts to Abolish Sati in Modern India
Latin America
Abolition Movement and Christianity
Bartolomé de las Casas as "Protector of the Indians"
Christianization of Latin America
Communist Persecution of Religion in Latin America
Cristero War
European Expansion in the Americas and Crusading Ideology
Growth of Protestantism in Latin America
Impact of the New Laws of 1542
Liberation Theology
Mexican Revolution and the Catholic Church
Muslims in Latin America
Order of Santiago in Mexico
Practice of Voodoo
Religion and Divorce in Latin America
Religion of Maria Lionza in Venezuela
Santeria, Candomblé, and Catholicism in the Americas
Spiritism in Brazil
About the Editor and Contributors
Index

Looks at how religious belief has influenced 24 distinct societies and cultures spanning from the ancient world to the present day.
This work provides a three-volume overview of the ways in which religious faith has shaped societies from the ancient world until the present. Each volume focuses on a different era of world history, ranging through the ancient, medieval, and modern worlds, and includes essays that focus on religious themes from different geographical regions. For example, volume one offers a section with essays considering religion in ancient Rome, while volume three offers a section with essays considering religion in modern Africa. Such a layout makes it simple for a reader to find information about a particular religion in a particular era and place.

Altogether, this work gathers more than 500 essays from more than 150 scholars offering scholarly introductions to religious people, places, and events that have influenced the development of societies over the course of recorded human history.

• Contains focused sections considering the impact of religion on 24 distinct cultures around the world spanning the course of recorded human history.
• Offers three volumes divided by eras (ancient, medieval, and modern) and civilizations (e.g. Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations, Medieval Arab Civilization, Medieval Africa, Pre-Columbian Societies, Modern North America, etc.), allowing for easy navigation.
• Each of the 24 sections contains essays offering scholarly introductions to important religious figures, beliefs, people, places, and events and their impact on the societies in which they exist.
• Each essay also provides a Further Reading section to guide the reader to worthwhile research resources on the subject in question.

An indispensable resource for readers investigating how religion has influenced societies and cultures, this three-volume encyclopedia assesses and synthesizes the many ways in which religious faith has shaped societies from the ancient world to today.

Review Citations:

• Choice 03/01/2024 (EAN 9781440874239, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:Holt, Andrew
Andrew Holt is Professor of History at Florida State College at Jacksonville. His books include Great Events in Religion: An Encyclopedia of Pivotal Events in Religious History (2016).