
The Abrahamic Religions: A Very Short Introduction
Charles L. Cohen
Connected by their mutual—if differentiated—veneration of the One God proclaimed by Abraham, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam compose a family of related traditions. The Abrahamic ...
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African American Religion: A Very Short Introduction
Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
African American Religion: A Very Short Introduction explores the history and circumstances of African American religion through three examples: conjure, African American ...
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African Religions: A Very Short Introduction
Jacob K. Olupona
African Religions: A Very Short Introduction offers a wide-ranging look at the myriad indigenous religious traditions on the African continent, drawing on archeological ...
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Agnosticism: A Very Short Introduction
Robin Le Poidevin
Agnosticism: A Very Short Introduction asks if there is more to agnosticism than merely the absence of belief. What is agnosticism? Who were the first to call themselves ...
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Angels: A Very Short Introduction
David Albert Jones
Angels: A Very Short Introduction outlines prominent stories and speculations about angels in Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and post-Christian spiritualties. What are angels? ...
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Anglicanism: A Very Short Introduction
Mark Chapman
Anglicanism: A Very Short Introduction highlights the diversity of contemporary Anglicanism by exploring its history, theology, and structures. Although originally united by ...
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Antisemitism: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
Steven Beller
Antisemitism, as hatred of Jews and Judaism, has been a central problem of Western civilization for millennia. Antisemitism: A Very Short Introduction untangles the history of the ...
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The Apocryphal Gospels: A Very Short Introduction
Paul Foster
The Apocryphal Gospels: A Very Short Introduction explores their origins, discovery, and discusses how the various texts have been interpreted both by the Church and beyond. ...
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Thomas Aquinas: A Very Short Introduction
Fergus Kerr
Thomas Aquinas: A Very Short Introduction is an introduction to this early thirteenth century Italian Catholic priest's work. Placing Aquinas in an historical context, it ...
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Atheism: A Very Short Introduction
Julian Baggini
Atheism is often considered to be a negative, dark, and pessimistic belief that is characterized by a rejection of values and purpose and a fierce opposition to religion. Atheism: A Very ...
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Augustine: A Very Short Introduction
Henry Chadwick
Augustine: A Very Short Introduction traces the development of Augustine's thought, discussing his reaction to the thinkers before him, and themes such as freedom, creation, ...
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The Bible: A Very Short Introduction
John Riches
The Bible: A Very Short Introduction looks at the importance accorded to the Bible by different communities and cultures. Why has the Bible generated such a variety of uses and ...
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The Book of Common Prayer: A Very Short Introduction
Brian Cummings
The Book of Common Prayer is one of the most influential books in history. For nearly six centuries, it has formed the order of worship for established Christianity in England, and is now ...
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The Book of Mormon: A Very Short Introduction
Terryl L. Givens
The Book of Mormon: A Very Short Introduction examines the Book of Mormon primarily in terms of the claims that its narrators make for its historical genesis, its purpose as a ...
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Buddha: A Very Short Introduction
Michael Carrithers
The Buddha: A Very Short Introduction examines the complex and sometimes conflicting information that Buddhist texts give about the life and teaching of the Buddha. What can we ...
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Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
Damien Keown
Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction introduces the reader to the teachings of the Buddha and to the workings of Buddhism in daily life. It looks at the distinctive features of ...
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Buddhist Ethics: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
Damien Keown
Buddhist Ethics: A Very Short Introduction brings together two largely independent fields of knowledge: Buddhism and ethics. It begins by explaining Buddhist ethical teachings ...
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Calvinism: A Very Short Introduction
Jon Balserak
Calvinism: A Very Short Introduction explores major ideas associated with the Calvinist system of thought. Beginning during the Protestant Reformation in cities like Zurich, ...
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Catholicism: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
Gerald O'Collins
Despite a long history of external threats and internal strife, the Roman Catholic Church remains a vast and influential presence in our modern world. But what were its origins, and how has ...
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Christian Art: A Very Short Introduction
Beth Williamson
Christian Art: A Very Short Introduction explores the work of major artists such as Memling, Holbein, El Greco, and Rossetti, and well-known examples including the frescoes of ...
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Christian Ethics: A Very Short Introduction
D. Stephen Long
Christian Ethics: A Very Short Introduction presents a discussion of the relationship between Christian ethics, modern, and postmodern ethics, and explores practical issues ...
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Christianity: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
Linda Woodhead
At a time when Christianity is flourishing in the Southern hemisphere but declining in much of the West, Christianity: A Very Short Introduction offers an important overview of the world's ...
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Confucianism: A Very Short Introduction
Daniel K. Gardner
To understand China, it is essential to understand Confucianism. First formulated in the sixth century bce, the teachings of Confucius would come to dominate Chinese society, politics, ...
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The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
Timothy H. Lim
The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Very Short introduction discusses the cultural significance of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the religious, political, and legal ...
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The Devil: A Very Short Introduction
Darren Oldridge
Focussing specifically on the Christian Devil, The Devil: A Very Short Introduction explores the many guises and roles he played in the Bible. He has fascinated writers and theologians ...
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Fundamentalism: A Very Short Introduction
Malise Ruthven
Fundamentalism: A Very Short Introduction investigates its historical, social, religious, political, and ideological roots, and tackles the polemic and stereotypes surrounding ...
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Global Islam: A Very Short Introduction
Nile Green
Global Islam: A Very Short Introduction looks at the methods used by individuals, organizations, and states to spread multiple versions of Islam around the world. Since the ...
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The Hebrew Bible as Literature: A Very Short Introduction
Tod Linafelt
The Hebrew Bible, or Christian Old Testament, can be celebrated as among the classics of world literature. The stories of Jacob and David present the earliest surviving examples of literary ...
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Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
Kim Knott
Hinduism is practised by nearly 80 per cent of India’s population, and around 70 million people outside India. Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction offers an overview of this major religion, ...
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Humanism: A Very Short Introduction
Stephen Law
Humanism: A Very Short Introduction explores how humanism uses science and reason to make sense of the world, looking at how it encourages individual moral responsibility and ...
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Islam: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
Malise Ruthven
Islam: A Very Short Introduction examines why Islam has such major divisions between movements such as the Shi'ites, the Sunnis, and the Wahhabis, and the central importance of ...
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Islamic History: A Very Short Introduction
Adam J. Silverstein
Why does Islamic history matter? Islamic History: A Very Short Introduction answers this question by introducing the story of Islamic history, the controversies surrounding its study, and ...
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Jesus: A Very Short Introduction
Richard Bauckham
Jesus: A Very Short Introduction explores the figure of Jesus through the four Gospels of the New Testament. These ancient texts provide historical evidence for his life and ...
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Jewish History: A Very Short Introduction
David N. Myers
For millennia, Jews have defied odds by overcoming the travails of exile, persecution, and recurring plans for their annihilation. Jewish History: A Very Short Introduction points to two ...
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Judaism: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
Norman Solomon
Who are the Jews? What does the term ‘Jewish’ mean? How has Judaism developed? How will Judaism change in the future? Judaism: A Very Short Introduction outlines the basics of practical ...
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Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction
Joseph Dan
Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction looks at the history and character of the systems developed by adherents of the Kabbalah and examines the key ancient texts of this ...
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The Koran: A Very Short Introduction
Michael Cook
The Koran: A Very Short Introduction explores the significance of the Koran both in the modern world and in traditional Muslim culture, by looking at the Koran as codex, as ...
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Martin Luther: A Very Short Introduction
Scott H. Hendrix
Martin Luther: A Very Short Introduction details Luther's life, writings, world, and legacy. It explains the religious reformation and his importance, emphasizing the political ...
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Martyrdom: A Very Short Introduction
Jolyon Mitchell
Martyrdom: A Very Short Introduction provides a historical analysis of the concept of martyrdom to shed light on how it has evolved and the different ways in which it is used ...
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Methodism: A Very Short Introduction
William J. Abraham
Methodism: A Very Short Introduction traces Methodism from its origins in the work of John Wesley and the hymns of his brother, Charles Wesley, in the 18th century, right up to ...
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Miracles: A Very Short Introduction
Yujin Nagasawa
What exactly is a miracle? What types of miracles are believed in the world’s great religions? What do recent scientific findings tell us about miracles? Can we rationally believe that ...
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Monasticism: A Very Short Introduction
Stephen J. Davis
Monasticism is a social and religious phenomenon that originated in antiquity, which remains relevant in the 21st century. Monasticism: A Very Short Introduction discusses the history of ...
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Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction
Richard Lyman Bushman
Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction sets out to examine a religion with over 12 million adherents that still baffles outsiders nearly 170 years after the founder' death. How ...
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Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction
Jonathan A.C. Brown
Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction provides an introduction to the major aspects of Muhammad's life and its importance, giving both the Muslim and Western historical ...
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The New Testament: A Very Short Introduction
Luke Timothy Johnson
The New Testament: A Very Short Introduction locates the New Testament in its historical and literary context and explains why the religious experiences of the first Christians ...
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The New Testament As Literature: A Very Short Introduction
Kyle Keefer (ed.)
The New Testament as Literature: A Very Short Introduction uses a literary framework — plot, character, narrative, and genre — to illuminate the language, structure, and ...
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The Old Testament: A Very Short Introduction
Michael D. Coogan
The Old Testament: A Very Short Introduction explains the differences between the Bible of Jewish tradition and the Old Testament of Christianity, and also examines the ...
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Orthodox Christianity: A Very Short Introduction
A. Edward Siecienski
To many in the West, Orthodoxy remains shrouded in mystery, an exotic and foreign religion that survived in the East following the Great Schism of 1054 that split the Christian world into ...
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Paganism: A Very Short Introduction
Owen Davies
This Very Short Introduction explores the meaning of paganism from the ancient world to the present day through a chronological overview of attitudes towards its practices and ...
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Paul: A Very Short Introduction
E. P. Sanders
Paul is the most powerful human personality in the history of the Church. A missionary, theologian, and religious genius, in his epistles he laid the foundations on which later Christian ...
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