The World's Greatest Religious Leaders: How Religious Figures Helped Shape World History [2 volumes]

by Scott E. Hendrix (Editor), Uchenna Okeja (Editor)

Overview

This book provides reliable information about important world religious leaders, correcting the misinformation that can be on the internet.

Religious leaders have shaped the course of history and deeply affected the lives of many individuals. This book offers alphabetically arranged profiles of roughly 160 religious leaders from around the world and across time, carefully chosen for their impact and importance and to maximize inclusiveness of faiths from around the world.

Scholars from around the world, each one an expert in his or her field and all holding advanced degrees, came together to create an essential resource for students and for those with an interest in religion and its history. Every entry has been carefully edited in a two-stage review process, guaranteeing accuracy and readability throughout the work. Not strictly a biographical reference that recounts the facts of religious figures' lives, the book helps users understand how the selected figures changed history. The entries are accompanied by excerpts of primary source documents and suggestions for further reading, while the book closes with a bibliography of essential print and electronic resources for further research.

• Examines roughly 160 alphabetically arranged reference entries that detail how religious leaders from different faiths changed the history of the world
• Provides sidebars that discuss key events, offering background information and excerpts from consequential religious writings
• Offers suggestions for further reading after each entry, and closes with a bibliography of important print and electronic resources suitable for student research

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440841378
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/01/2018
Pages:	856
Product dimensions:	7.35(w) x 10.55(h) x 2.50(d)

About the Author

Scott E. Hendrix is associate professor of history at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Uchenna Okeja is associate professor of philosophy at Rhodes University, South Africa and a Fellow of the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study, South Africa.

Editorial Reviews

"[L]esser-known leaders abound. This is due, in part, to the impressively diverse scope of the work, with every major world religion represented, along with New Age, Wicca, satanism, and Native American faiths. . . . For college and public libraries." - Booklist

"[T]here is little competition on this topic, and postsecondary students of religion will want to spend time with these convenient volumes." - Library Journal

"This fresh look at the intersection of religion and society from the view of the personality frames the discussion in a way that will be most useful for introductory students interested in the topic." - ARBAonline

"Though many reference works on world religions provide an overview of the development of religious traditions, this title helpfully grounds religious developments in individuals. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers." - Choice

2018 Top Community College Resource - Choice

From the Publisher

06/01/2018
For this biographical dictionary, Hendrix (history, Carroll Univ., WI; Rational Magic) and Okeja (philosophy, Rhodes Univ., South Africa; Normative Justification of a Global Ethic) chose 159 historically influential religious figures. Two-thirds of the subjects are Christians; ten figures are pre-CE. Africa is well covered; South America is not. No leaders are listed for Rastafarians, Yazidis, Cao ðàists, Shinto, or Santeria. Bahá'í, Druze, Shia Islam, Sikhism, Thelema, Theosophism, Moon's Unification Church, Falun Gong, Manichaeism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Christian Science, Wicca, Scientology, Wahhabism, Zoroastrianism, and Satanism get one leader each. Jains, Mormons, Adventists, and the Nation of Islam have two each. The only modern pope is John Paul II. Jesus, certainly the Jew who most greatly shaped world history, does not appear under Judaism in the useful list of "Related Topics." Only Mira Bai (no other bhakti saints, such as Kabir, Surdas, or Tulsidas) and Adi Shankara represent traditional Hinduism (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi also has a profile); the Buddha's importance to Hinduism is not mentioned. A time line (ca. 2000 BCE—2013 CE), 159 sidebars, further reading after entries, and black-and-white illustrations add value. An effort to include women has been made, and the writing is generally clear and accessible, though there are occasional editorial and proofreading lapses. Some important figures are excluded: Ramakrishna, Erasmus, Gandhi, Benedict, Ignatius Loyola, Francis Xavier, Thomas à Kempis, and others. VERDICT Despite arguable weaknesses of selection, there is little competition on this topic, and postsecondary students of religion will want to spend time with these convenient volumes.—Patricia D. Lothrop, formerly of St. George's Sch., Newport, RI

Library Journal