The Encyclopedia of Religion, Volume 15

Volume 15 covers the concluding portion of the encyclopedia’s alphabetical sequence, beginning with Tradition and ending with the entry on Ulrich Zwingli. Its articles illustrate the methodological breadth characteristic of the complete work: individual religious traditions are studied alongside general concepts such as transcendence, transmigration, truth, symbolism, ritual, and religious authority.

A defining feature of the encyclopedia is its cross-cultural scope. Entries draw upon Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, East Asian religions, indigenous traditions, classical Mediterranean religions, and numerous regional religious systems. Rather than presenting religion solely in doctrinal terms, the volume considers mythology, ritual, social organization, sacred geography, symbolism, philosophy, mysticism, and historical transformation.

Volume 15 is therefore valuable not simply as a dictionary of religious terminology but as a substantial scholarly reference source for comparative religion, religious history, anthropology of religion, theology, philosophy, and Buddhist Studies. Together with the other volumes of the encyclopedia, it provides an extensive framework for understanding religious phenomena across civilizations and historical periods.