Merck Manuals: World Religions

Compiled for reference, for practical helpfulness and for the sheer enjoyment of browsing through the Bible's riches.

Represents a fresh, ecumenical approach to theological reference. Written with an emphasis on clarity and concision, all entries are designed to help the reader understand and assess the specifically theological significance of the most important concepts.

Covers the key people, movements, institutions, practices, and doctrines of Roman Catholicism from its earliest origins. Focusing on the living faith and its historical and social background, this volume provides academic and college students with the tools to help them understand this multifaceted religion.

Explores the movement that began in Europe in the 16th century, established itself in opposition to the Roman Catholic Church, spread around the world, and today lives on in thousands of individual denominations and church organizations. A comprehensive work on Protestantism, this invaluable reference covers its history, concepts, people, events, and major organizations worldwide.

A concise, full-color dictionary that provides helpful insights into the world of the Bible.

A quick-reference guide to the Bible. Entries consist of the main people, places, customs, religious and cultural aspects, events, and institutions of the Bible.

Helps readers dig deeply into the Bible to analyze the foundations of Judaism, Christianity, Western civilization, and the teachings of Jesus. This comprehensive guide also leads readers through the Old Testament, the foundation for both Judaism and Christianity and the moral and political cornerstone for many nations of the Western world.

The Handy Christianity Answer Book takes an accessible, enlightening and informative look at one of the world's most important religions.

Every single individual whose name is listed in the Bible is listed here in order of their appearance in the Bible with their dates, a concise description of their lives and significance, and references to where they occur in the text.

Israel is a modern country with a short history set into the lengthy story of Jewish history. This 3rd Edition explores that history with an emphasis on the period since Israel's independence in 1948. It is a complex story of a people and their modern state, established thousands of years after the destruction of the old one. The story of the independent state of Israel is narrated against the backdrop of exile, anti-Semitism, Zionism, and the Holocaust--all of which have helped shape the nature of the current state.

This multicultural reference work on Jewish folklore, legends, customs, and other elements of folklife covers specific artifacts, rituals, ceremonies, biblical figures, and legends-in addition to broad topics such as humor, folk dance, costumes, and folk narratives.

2nd Edition, explores a religion with a 2,000-year recorded history that has been a part of the culture of almost every country around the globe. Encapsulating Jewish language, laws, literature, arts, theology, ritual, land, culture, and personalities, this authoritative volume offers readers access to Judaism from both a historical and contemporary perspective.

Includes hundreds of special articles covering subjects in analytical depth, as well as short biographies of the major figures in the story of Judaism.

This unparalleled Companion provides a comprehensive and authoritative guide to Islamic law to all with an interest in this increasingly relevant and developing field. The volume presents classical Islamic law through a historiographical introduction to and analysis of Western scholarship, while key debates about hot-button issues in modern-day circumstances are also addressed.

The Britannica Guide to Islam tracks the long and illustrious history of the Islamic faith through the age of the caliphates, the Islamic golden age, the Ottoman Empire, and into the twenty-first century. It also examines the impact of Islamic beliefs and thought, literature, and art and architecture, providing a complete guide to this often-misunderstood religion

Provides a comprehensive introduction to the history of this turbulent region. Spanning from pre-Islam to the present day, it explores the evolution of Islamic institutions and culture, the influence of the West, modernization efforts in the Middle East, the struggle of various peoples for political independence, the Arab-Israel conflict, the reassertion of Islamic values and power, the issues surrounding the Palestinian Question, and the Middle East post-9/11 and post-Arab uprisings.

Rich historical content is partnered with coverage of the issues, countries, and people that are important in todays world, allowing for an assessment of Islams influence on all areas of human activity throughout the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

In about 550 A-to-Z entries, this Encyclopedia explores the terms, concepts, personalities, historical events, and institutions that helped shape the history of the religion and the way it is practiced today. An informative introduction provides readers with an overview of Islam, and a chronology, a detailed bibliography complete the work.

Essential overview for everyone who wants to understand what Islam is and what it means today.

Featuring more than sixty brand new maps, photographs, diagrams and charts, this is an essential companion to any study on the key religions of the world.

Get to know the foremost minds within technology, medicine, military, religion, and entertainment. Each figure's life and accomplishments are put into context, showing how their contributions changed the world we live in.

A reference with historical and biographical focus -- fills the gap, with a worldwide scope covering not only Christianity, but all faiths that have monastic traditions, including but not limited to Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism.

In hundreds of thoughtful, informative entries, this 4th Edition outlines the numerous philosophers, personalities, social issues, and cultural histories of religious practices throughout American history.

This exhaustive reference covers the known ancient gods, many heretofore obscure or known only from mythological literature, with a focus on their origins, histories, and functions.

Presents the religious affiliations and beliefs of prominent philosophers, in A-Z entries. Biographical information is given with a special focus on his or her religious upbringing, practice, and beliefs (or lack thereof). Each entry also contains a summary of the points each philosopher made concerning God and religion, typically gathered from a study of the philosopher's writings.

A theological dictionary that presumes the contribution of the Western tradition but moves beyond it to embrace and explore a full range of global expressions of theology.

Examines the key sacred texts and foundational documents of the world's primary religions, from ancient times to the present, providing researchers with a fresh perspective on how critical religious texts have influenced both the past and the present.

A comprehensive, authoritative source of information about the calendars and holidays of the world's religions. It also provides concise information about the beliefs, practices, and history of major religions.

Takes a look at the role of religion in society; unpacking and evaluating the significance of religion in and on human history; and tracing and outlining the social forces and influences that shape religion.

Provides information on current religious practices around the world with an emphasis on how religions impact the daily lives of their followers.

Covering approximately 5,000 years of history, this revised resource offers an accessible, reliable introduction to the rich and diverse history of India. Includes Indian history and culture, as well as the roots of the country's contemporary society and politics.

Provides accessible, informative and authoritative entries to answer any major question about Hinduism, its mythology, practices, customs and laws.

Offers easy access to the terms, concepts, personalities, historical events, institutions, and movements that helped shape the history of Buddhism and the way it is practiced today.

Focuses on the most significant groups within this religion, noteworthy teachers and their contributions, the religions and cultural movements that enriched its history, and the spread of Hindu thought and practice around the world.

With more than 5,000 entries totaling over a million words, this is the most comprehensive and authoritative dictionary of Buddhism ever produced in English. This text bridges the major Buddhist traditions to provide encyclopedic coverage of the most important terms, concepts, texts, authors, deities, schools, monasteries, and geographical sites from across the history of Buddhism.

In the most comprehensive atlas of Native American history and culture available, the story of the North American Indian is told through maps, photos, art, and archival cartography. Organized by region, this encyclopedic reference details Indian tribes in these areas: beliefs, sustenance, shelter, alliances and animosities, key historical events, and more.

Contains case studies, by leading experts, of hunting and gathering peoples, in major world regions, plus thematic essays on prehistory, social life, gender, music and art, health, religion, and indigenous knowledge. Surveys the complex histories of hunter-gatherers’ encounters with colonialism and the state, and their ongoing struggles for dignity and human rights as part of the worldwide movement of indigenous peoples.

The story of American Indians in the 20th century is an inspiring tale of survival and rebirth from the depths of defeat. At the dawn of the 20th century, the Indian was seen by non-Indians as the "Vanishing Red Man," a symbol of nostalgia, a figure of the past with no future. Yet not only have American Indians adapted and survived, but they have brought their talents and unique cultural perspectives to many fields.

From ancient rock drawings to today's urban living, this text traces the rich heritage of indigenous people. A fascinating mix of biography, pre-contact and post-contact history, current events, Tribal Nations histories, enlightening insights on environmental and land issues, arts, treaties, languages, education, movements, and more.

Contains entries providing clear and authoritative coverage of the most significant people, ideas and events of world history.

A comprehensive chronology of entries that span the millennia from prehistoric times to the year 2000.

A chronology of world history through March 2018.

The ultimate resource for World History, this 6 volume work covers hundreds of topics on great events, notable people throughout history, and more.

Long considered the standard reference source for information on holidays and other events, this 6th edition includes more than 3,500 holidays, festivals, commemorations, holy days, feasts and fasts, and other observances from all parts of the world. A key resource for anyone seeking information on different cultures, countries, and ethnic groups.

Encompasses all aspects of archaeology, including the nature and diversity of archaeology as a scientific discipline, the practice of archaeology, archaeology in the everyday world, and the future of the discipline.

Provides a unique guide to the ideas, arguments and history of the discipline, combining anthropological theory and ethnography. Includes substantial entries, short biographies of important figures in anthropology, and glossary items.

An accessible, authoritative, no-nonsense guide to the key concepts in one of the most widely used methodologies in social science: Ethnography.

Devoted exclusively to the history, culture, mythology and language of the island of Ireland, its 5000 A to Z entries include Celtic gods and goddesses, bards, beasts, literary allusions, proverbial sayings, idiomatic phrases and expressions, characters from Irish literature ancient and modern, resonant place-names, and individuals and events of 'iconic' stature in Irish history. A significant number of entries relate to contemporary Irish life and culture.

20th edition; Much loved for its wit and wisdom since 1870, this text takes you on a captivating adventure through its trademark blend of language, culture, myth, and legend.

Covering everything from cryptozoology and the Yeti to witchcraft, earth mysteries, folklore, ghosts, human oddities, the occult, parapsychology, spiritualism, and UFOs, a comprehensive resource looks a wide range of unexplained phenomena in a volume containing objective, informative, and up-to-date entries.

Myths and legends, with their fantastical settings and parade of exotic creatures and beautiful immortals, have inspired some of the most popular works in the National Gallery Collection. This text leads the modern viewer through these important aspects of Western art.

Untangles knotty theories and sheds light on abstract concepts, and is perfect for anyone with a general interest in how our social, political, and ethical ideas are formed, as well as students of philosophy and politics.

This is the leading, full-scale comprehensive dictionary of philosophical terms and thinkers to appear in English in more than half a century. Written by a team of more than 550 experts and now widely translated, it contains approximately 5,000 entries ranging from short definitions to longer articles. It is designed to facilitate the understanding of philosophy at all levels and in all fields.

Coverage of ethical theory as pursued among English-speaking philosophers.

An important resource for those needing to understand the key concepts in philosophy and ethics and their relevance to current issues. It covers a wide range of philosophical ideas including often-neglected non-European traditions such as African philosophies and Islamic ethics.

Brings together short, accessible snapshots of the people who have shaped Western thought from the ancient Greeks to today. The snapshots, written by the world's leading experts, describe a major thinker's life and work with suggestions for further reading on each one