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
2,885Showing 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
3,000Articles
A Chapel Built From a God's Own WoodA Closed Tradition Sensationalised by OutsidersA Commentary That Broke With Liberal ProtestantismA Confident Peak Draws the Reaction That Follows ItA Contested Status Inside Turkish Religious AdministrationA Desert Called Wirikuta and the Claims Filed Against ItA Faith Recorded by an Outsider, Kept by InsidersA Genealogy From the Sun Goddess Reaches Japan's First EmperorA King Titled God Manifest Dies the Year His Own Suppression Was UndoneA King's Dream and the Dance It Is Said to Have Given ManipurA King's Suppression of Jewish Practice Ignites the Revolt That Created HanukkahA Kingship Two Traditions of Scholarship Both Reached ForA Lecture Series Strips the Gospel to Three ThemesA Legendary Founder's Traditional Accession Date Still Marks a National HolidayA Method Outlives Its Teacher in a Student's NameA Monk's Forty Years and the Mountain That Named a Nation's BuddhaA Name Given by an Explorer and a Fishery Remade by an IntroductionA New Year That Survived RemovalA Point of Contact Survives Even a Fallen ReasonA Prophecy Read Two WaysA School He Founded Outlasts Him, Then Meets a Sharp ReactionA Scripture That Is Spoken, Not PrintedA Third Month Fair and the Ordination a Boy Is Expected to CompleteA Young Cleric's Recognition of the Bab Becomes the Night Two Religions Date Their Founding FromA Zurich Theologian Teaches Far Beyond ZurichAdinkra Within Akan Religious LifeAn Ethnography Written From Inside, Not About, the CommunityAnton Boisen and the Living Human DocumentAvoidance Speech After a Death: A Documented Cross-Cultural PatternBeads Counted by Hand, Arrived at More Than OnceBuried Texts, a Modern Discovery and a Category Under DisputeCaptivity Leads to an Empire's Translation BureauChief of the YeiColin Turnbull, the Molimo and What Fieldwork Could and Could Not ShowComparative Mythology and the Study of PantheonsComparing Religion Across CulturesDescent Rather Than Training, and What That Set ApartEight 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 Culture Showing 51 to 100 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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