This is a fifteen volume comparative religion reference founded under the general editorship of Mircea Eliade and substantially revised in a second edition by Lindsay Jones, not merely reprinted, with entries updated and added across all fifteen volumes. Its track record is mixed in one respect worth naming plainly: Eliade's own framework for comparative religion is debated partly because historians have documented his association with Romania's fascist Iron Guard movement in the 1930s, a fact historians weigh when reading his editorial choices, and the second edition responded in part to that dated framing rather than simply reprinting it. What has held up is the basic reference function: named contributors writing within their own specialties, each entry carrying its own bibliography a reader can check independently. It remains a strong source for cross cultural facts about deities, religious movements and comparative phenomena. Its limits are the limits of any reference work compiled at one moment: an entry summarizes a field's state at time of writing, and a claim resting on very recent research or a live specialist controversy may have moved past what any one entry says.
Facts
Citation
AuthorMircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.)
PublisherMacmillan Reference
Publication Year2005
URLhttps://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/encyclopedia-religion
Source Typeencyclopedia
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
A peer reviewed, multi volume comparative religion reference from an academic press, edited by named scholars in the field, the standard cross tradition encyclopedia used by researchers across religious studies. NotesPeer-reviewed comparative-religion reference (2nd ed., 15 vols.); authoritative for deities, religions and cross-cultural religious phenomena.
Claims Backed By This Source (13,158 claims)
This source backs 13,158 claims across the atlas. As facts: 7,083 well-attested, 1 partially Attested, 83 scholarly debate, 5 popular myth - corrected, 6 open question. As cited relationships: 2,885 holds, 80 connected, 6 critiqued Here, 3 rejected Here, 6 held Differently. Plus 3,000 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Articles, 2,358 claims: 2,005 well-attested, 1 partially Attested, 100 holds, 27 connected, 225 general references.
- Doctrines, 1,465 claims: 793 well-attested, 50 scholarly debate, 3 popular myth - corrected, 322 holds, 2 connected, 4 critiqued Here, 2 rejected Here, 4 held Differently, 285 general references.
- Pantheons, 1,378 claims: 1,144 well-attested, 10 scholarly debate, 85 holds, 21 connected, 118 general references.
- Deities, 1,116 claims: 162 well-attested, 5 scholarly debate, 478 holds, 471 general references.
- Practices, 843 claims: 472 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 189 holds, 181 general references.
- Beliefs & Restrictions, 630 claims: 49 well-attested, 413 holds, 1 critiqued Here, 167 general references.
- Figures, 555 claims: 160 well-attested, 3 scholarly debate, 194 holds, 198 general references.
- Religions, 417 claims: 73 well-attested, 2 scholarly debate, 276 holds, 1 connected, 65 general references.
- Prayers, 324 claims: 136 well-attested, 89 holds, 99 general references.
- Sacred Objects & Ritual Items, 294 claims: 174 well-attested, 1 open question, 60 holds, 59 general references.
- Regions, 251 claims: 156 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 1 holds, 7 connected, 86 general references.
- Animals & Totems, 249 claims: 77 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 1 open question, 112 holds, 58 general references.
- Open Questions, 230 claims: 189 well-attested, 14 connected, 27 general references.
- Rituals, 225 claims: 160 well-attested, 3 scholarly debate, 26 holds, 36 general references.
- Scriptures & Texts, 225 claims: 32 well-attested, 102 holds, 91 general references.
- Cities, 194 claims: 98 well-attested, 2 scholarly debate, 17 holds, 77 general references.
- Historical Figures, 189 claims: 118 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 20 holds, 1 critiqued Here, 49 general references.
- Subcategories, 171 claims: 121 well-attested, 50 general references.
- Religious Symbols, 156 claims: 75 well-attested, 1 popular myth - corrected, 55 holds, 25 general references.
- Realms, 128 claims: 84 well-attested, 3 scholarly debate, 18 holds, 23 general references.
- Sacred Sites, 108 claims: 25 well-attested, 46 holds, 37 general references.
- Hymns & Liturgical Texts, 101 claims: 17 well-attested, 49 holds, 35 general references.
- Disciplines, 85 claims: 49 well-attested, 16 holds, 20 general references.
- Incense, 83 claims: 39 well-attested, 2 open question, 16 holds, 26 general references.
- Religious Offices, 83 claims: 55 well-attested, 18 holds, 10 general references.
- Cultures, 82 claims: 43 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 16 holds, 22 general references.
- Tattvas, 80 claims: 60 well-attested, 20 general references.
- Religious Roles & Titles, 78 claims: 22 well-attested, 9 holds, 47 general references.
- Mythical Creatures, 70 claims: 42 well-attested, 28 general references.
- Schools of Theology, 68 claims: 42 well-attested, 10 holds, 6 connected, 1 rejected Here, 2 held Differently, 7 general references.
- Plants, 67 claims: 35 well-attested, 2 holds, 30 general references.
- Body Parts, 58 claims: 37 well-attested, 3 holds, 18 general references.
- Esoteric Texts, 53 claims: 39 well-attested, 5 holds, 9 general references.
- Denominations, 44 claims: 8 well-attested, 5 holds, 31 general references.
- Categories, 42 claims: 26 well-attested, 16 general references.
- Empires & Polities, 42 claims: 30 well-attested, 6 holds, 6 general references.
- Other Writings, 42 claims: 21 holds, 21 general references.
- Holidays & Festivals, 41 claims: 20 holds, 21 general references.
- Mantras, 38 claims: 5 well-attested, 4 holds, 29 general references.
- Colors, 37 claims: 24 well-attested, 13 general references.
- Organizations, 37 claims: 26 well-attested, 4 holds, 7 general references.
- Sacred Foods, 37 claims: 19 well-attested, 9 holds, 9 general references.
- Directions, 35 claims: 15 well-attested, 2 holds, 18 general references.
- Culture Groups, 30 claims: 14 well-attested, 5 holds, 11 general references.
- Sections, 30 claims: 15 well-attested, 15 general references.
- Sacred Dances, 26 claims: 7 well-attested, 6 holds, 13 general references.
- Bodies of Water, 21 claims: 13 well-attested, 3 holds, 5 general references.
- Religious Dress & Vestments, 20 claims: 13 well-attested, 4 holds, 3 general references.
- Custodians & Museums, 13 claims: 7 well-attested, 4 holds, 2 general references.
- Chinese Animals, 12 claims: 12 general references.
- Historical Periods, 12 claims: 5 well-attested, 3 holds, 4 general references.
- Sacred Architecture, 12 claims: 3 well-attested, 5 holds, 4 general references.
- Sacred Sound, 12 claims: 8 well-attested, 2 holds, 2 general references.
- Textual Witnesses, 12 claims: 4 holds, 8 general references.
- Gemstones, 11 claims: 3 well-attested, 1 open question, 3 holds, 4 general references.
- Incantations, Spells & Curses, 11 claims: 7 well-attested, 1 holds, 2 connected, 1 general references.
- Secret Societies, 11 claims: 9 well-attested, 2 general references.
- New Religious Movements, 10 claims: 7 well-attested, 2 holds, 1 general references.
- Religious Organization & Structure, 9 claims: 1 well-attested, 8 general references.
- Sacred Geometry, 9 claims: 2 well-attested, 5 holds, 2 general references.
- Subtle Energies, 9 claims: 5 well-attested, 2 holds, 2 general references.
- Calendars, 8 claims: 4 well-attested, 2 holds, 2 general references.
- Pilgrimage Routes, 8 claims: 2 well-attested, 6 general references.
- Sources, 8 claims: 8 well-attested.
- Languages, 7 claims: 1 well-attested, 5 holds, 1 general references.
- Archetypes, 5 claims: 5 general references.
- Countries, 5 claims: 3 well-attested, 2 general references.
- Metals, 5 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 holds, 2 general references.
- Religious Movements, 5 claims: 1 well-attested, 3 holds, 1 general references.
- Studies, 5 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 open question, 1 holds, 1 general references.
- Artifacts & Relics, 4 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 popular myth - corrected, 1 general references.
- Wars & Conflicts, 4 claims: 2 well-attested, 2 general references.
- Myths & Sacred Narratives, 2 claims: 2 holds.
- Numbers, 2 claims: 2 general references.
- Performance Works, 2 claims: 1 holds, 1 general references.
- Planets, 2 claims: 2 general references.
- Psi Phenomena, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Religious Events, 2 claims: 2 holds.
- Scripts & Magical Alphabets, 2 claims: 1 holds, 1 general references.
- Ganas, 1 claims: 1 general references.
Well-attested
7,083Showing 1 to 50 of 2,903 entities carrying this claim.
Scholarly debate
83Showing 1 to 50 of 59 entities carrying this claim.
Popular myth - corrected
5Open question
6Sacred Objects & Ritual Items
Holds
2,885Articles
Eight Complete Manuscripts Behind the Greek, Hebrew and Coptic Bibles and One Illuminated HaggadahEight Formulas of Daily Liturgy, Two Turning on a Name Never PronouncedEight Formulas of Islamic Devotional Speech, Two of Them Recorded as ClosedEight Myths of Death, Descent and What FollowsEight Works That Argue About Religion From Outside ItEleven Classic Incense Resins from the Mediterranean, Mesoamerica and South AsiaEleven Peoples United by Language, Not Always by CultureEleven Traditions of Working Will Upon the WorldFifteen Formulas Spanning Theravada Recitation to a Vajrayana Class the Atlas Does Not ReproduceFifteen Systems of Healing, From Ancient Medicine to Contested Modern ClaimFifty Five Doctrines Naming a Right Way to LiveFifty Nine Pantheons That Do Not Fit a Named CategoryFifty Seven Doctrines of What Must Be Escaped and How the Traditions Escape ItFive Doctrines That Do Not Fit ElsewhereFive Formulas Counted by Repetition, From a Rosary Prayer to a Continuous Breath PracticeFive Myths of a Deluge Survived and a World Begun AgainFive Peoples Governed and Named by ThemselvesForty Doctrines of What Traditions Have Written Down as LawForty Four Letters of the Older Slavic Alphabet, Numbered by Its Own Order Rather than Greek'sForty Seven Letters of an Ornamental Nepalese Script With No Unicode Encoding of Its OwnForty Seven Letters of the Sanskrit Varnamala, a Table Built From the Throat to the LipsForty Seven Letters That Carried Sanskrit Scripture Into China and JapanForty Three Letters of the Slavonic Alphabet, Borrowed Mostly From Greek and Numbered by Its RulesForty Two Doctrines Asking Whether There Is a Self Behind ExperienceForty Two Doctrines of How the Universe Began and How It Is ArrangedFour Emanations in the Only Living Gnostic ReligionFour Manuscripts in Roll Form, From a Biblical Scroll to a Funerary PapyrusFour Positions on How a Mind Moves, or Fails to Move, a BodyFourteen Accounts of How the World or a People Came to ExistFourteen Concepts Naming How a Deed Carries ForwardLake Bosumtwi, a Crater Lake and Its TaboosNine Concepts From West and Central Africa and Its Atlantic DiasporaSeven Hymns Spanning Archaic Epic, Classical Philosophy and Late Antique RitualSeventeen Shapes Comparative Mythology Finds RecurringSeventy Five Doctrines of What Traditions Say God IsSix Accounts of the Dead Who Remain and Can Be MetSix Fragrant Timbers Burned as Incense, From a Scriptural Spice to a South American Ceremonial WoodSix Myths of Cunning That Reverses the Expected OrderSix Peoples Named by Someone Else's ExpeditionSix Positions on What Makes a Thing, or a Person, the Same Over TimeSix Positions on Whether Human Choice Is Fixed by Prior CauseSixteen Systems That Read a Hidden Order Into the WorldTen Fields That Study Religion Rather Than Practise ItTen Plant Based Incense Materials, from Scriptural Aromatics to Closed Indigenous CeremonyThirty Eight Doctrines of How the Sacred Speaks and How That Speech Is Carried ForwardThirty Five Doctrines of Who Leads and What the Rites RequireThirty Five Letters of the Gurmukhi Painti, Three of Them Silent Vowel BearersThirty Five Letters Written in Vertical Columns, Several Sharing One Shape by DesignThirty Root Consonants of the Sum Cu, Plus Four Signs That Mark a VowelThirty Three Concepts of Where Belief Stops Belonging Showing 51 to 100 of 1,895 entities carrying this claim.
Connected
80Incantations, Spells & Curses
Showing 1 to 50 of 69 entities carrying this claim.
General References
3,000Showing 1 to 50 of 2,965 entities carrying this claim.
Essays About This Entity (1 essay)
The Books Holding Up the Atlas
The single most cited source in the atlas, at 2,410 citations
Read the EssayReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.