Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Volume 1: A—Art

Arranged alphabetically from A to Art, the volume contains both concise entries and extensive comparative essays. Topics include philosophical concepts such as the Absolute, action, agnosticism, altruism, analogy, and appetite; religious doctrines and institutions such as Abhidhamma, Advaita, altar, ancestor-worship, anointing, apostasy, monastic authority, and theological schools; and anthropological or ethical themes including abandonment and exposure, adoption, adultery, ancestor cults, animism, and social customs. Major comparative articles examine the same phenomenon across multiple civilizations and religious traditions, including Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Persian, Greek, Roman, Chinese, Japanese, and Indigenous contexts.