The Study of Religion in Colleges and Universities

The study of religion, traditionally sponsored by sectarian institutions, has within recent decades come to claim an increasingly larger share of attention in colleges and universities generally, and in the process the constituent intellectual disciplines have undergone significant changes. In this volume, twelve distinguished scholars take stock of the current state of the field and explore the prospects for future development.

The areas covered in the essays (with their authors) are biblical studies (Stendhal), Western religious history (Clebsch), philosophy of religion (Diamond), theology (McGill), Catholic studies (Preller), Jewish studies (Neusner), sociology of religion (Harrison), comparative religious ethics (Little), history of religions (Sullivan), religion and art (Turner), and religion and literature (Driver). A “practical commentary” on the current state of the field (Gustafson) concludes the volume.

Taken together, the essays provide an overview of the subject matter of religion study that should enable scholars of religion to situate and define their own work while helping others to appreciate the claims that work has upon the resources and concerns of colleges and universities.

Originally published in 1970.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.