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
7,083Articles
Three Gum Resins Burned as Incense, Two Fixed by a Single Temple RecipeThree Hymn Cycles Made for Worship Rather Than for ReadingThree Insular Gospel Books Decorated Beyond Anything Made Before ThemThree Jobs at OnceThree Leaves and Fragments Surviving From Codices Otherwise Lost, One Quranic and Two ChristianThree Manuscripts Scraped Clean to Carry a Second, Later TextThree Myths of a People's Ascent Through Earlier WorldsThree Painted Divinatory Books From the Pre-Conquest AmericasThree Phases in Every PassageThree Saviours, Not Only OneThree Schools Scholarship Groups as Classically GnosticThree Teachers, One FormulaThree Teachings, and the Argument About CombinationThree Thousand Years Is Too Long for One StoryThree Thousand Years, Read Mostly from TombsThree Traditions on One PeninsulaThree Traditions, Three MechanismsThree Verses, and the Weight They CarryThree Volcanic Lakes Read as Homes of the DeadThreefoldTime and Place That Are Not Like the RestTime That Comes Round AgainToledo, and the Translation of Three TraditionsToleration in 313, and a Bishop Who Refused an EmperorTomb-Sweeping, Hungry Ghosts, and the Family TableTotems, Guides, and the Animal as Symbol of SelfTracing a Gospel Back Through the Sermons That Made ItTrading a Feeling for a JudgmentTransmission Through a Community That Nearly EndedTreasure Texts, and the Argument Over ThemTurning, and the Institutions Built on ItTwelfth of the Twelve, the Sign of PlentyTwelve Concepts of Sacred Presence, Mostly Shinto's Own VocabularyTwelve Myths of a Single Event That Reshapes or Repairs the CosmosTwelve Positions on What Ultimately Exists, the Largest Grouping of Its KindTwenty Eight Doctrines of Death, Judgement and What FollowsTwenty Eight Formulas From Vedic Hymn to Chakra Seed Syllable, Three of Them ClosedTwenty Five Letters of the Mandaic Alphabet, Twenty Two Inherited and a True Vowel Set of Its OwnTwenty Five Techniques Spanning Every Major Contemplative LineageTwenty Nine Doctrines of How Faith and Political Power Have Claimed Each OtherTwenty Nine Doctrines of What Is Wrong With a Person Before Any Remedy Is AppliedTwenty One Myths Outside Every Other Myth GroupingTwenty Seven Myths of a Hero's Ordeal, Quest or WarTwenty Six Consonants of the Ethiopian Fidel, Each Written in Seven Vowel OrdersTwenty Two Concepts That Reason About Religion From Outside ItTwenty Two Letters Continuing the Paleo Hebrew Alphabet, Never Joined and Never a Final FormTwenty Two Letters of the Syriac Abjad, Six of Them Carrying a Hard and a Soft SoundTwilight Is a Translator's WordTwins as Blessing and Twins as Danger: The Yoruba and Igbo ContrastTwo Afterlives, Held at Once Showing 1201 to 1250 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
2,885Showing 1 to 50 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
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