The Sacred and The Profane: The Nature of Religion
by Mircéa Eliade
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Famed historian of religion Mircea Eliade observes that even moderns who proclaim themselves residents of a completely profane world are still unconsciously nourished by the memory of the sacred. Eliade traces manifestations of the sacred from primitive to modern times in terms of space, time, nature, and the cosmos. In doing so he shows how the total human experience of the religious man compares with that of the nonreligious. This book serves as an excellent introduction to the history of show more religion, but its perspective also emcompasses philosophical anthropology, phenomenology, and psychology. It will appeal to anyone seeking to discover the potential dimensions of human existence. -- P. [4] of cover. show lessTags
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"E shenjta dhe profania" është ndoshta teksti më i famshëm e një nga më të rëndësishmit e këtij autori. Në të, Eliade analizon dy koncepte kyçe të fesë dhe mënyrën se si ky dualizëm (e shenjtë-profane) paraqitet në kultura e fe të ndryshme të historisë.
"E shenjta dhe profania" është ndoshta teksti më i famshëm e një nga më të rëndësishmit e këtij autori. Në të, Eliade analizon dy koncepte kyçe të fesë dhe mënyrën se si ky dualizëm (e shenjtë-profane) paraqitet në kultura e fe të ndryshme të historisë.
One of the seminal books of religious scholarship (not theology, but the study of religion as religion). Because its seminal, some of it is pretty basic, and other parts don't quite work cross-culturally. Still, this is one of the most important books in the study of religion, and is a very valuable read. Probably one of the most important for anyone seeking to understand how religions work. 7.5/10
A hugely influential book about the study of religion. Parts of it are no longer current, but it's still definitely worth reading and having around, due to the way it shaped the field.
Certainly interesting, and at points even fascinating, but too scholarly, too academic, for my taste.
An important book for those secular atheists that think they have no religious proclivities while they're tell you all about UFOs
One of the essential works of religion that can supplement any standard textbook on comparative or world religions: this is a classic text that students should read.
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Author Information

386+ Works 16,998 Members
Born in Bucharest, Rumania, Mircea Eliade studied at the University of Bucharest and, from 1928 to 1932, at the University of Calcutta with Surendranath Dasgupta. After taking his doctorate in 1933 with a dissertation on yoga, he taught at the University of Bucharest and, after the war, at the Sorbonne in Paris. From 1957, Eliade was a professor show more of the history of religions at the University of Chicago. He was at the same time a writer of fiction, known and appreciated especially in Western Europe, where several of his novels and volumes of short stories appeared in French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. Two Tales of the Occult "to relate some yogic techniques, and particularly yogic folklore, to a series of events narrated in the genre of a mystery story." Both Nights of Serampore and The Secret of Dr. Honigberger evoke the mythical geography and time of India. Mythology, fantasy, and autobiography are skillfully combined in Eliade's tales. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Le Sacré et le Profane
- Original publication date
- 1957 (German) (German); 1959 (English) (English)
- Publisher's editor*
- Daniël Mok, Julia Boulanger, Eva Moldauer
- Original language
- French
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 290
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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- ISBNs
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