The Invention of Sacred Tradition

by James R. Lewis (Editor), Olav Hammer (Editor)

The dictionary definition of tradition refers to beliefs and practices that have been transmitted from generation to generation, however, 'tradition' can rest simply on the claim that certain cultural elements are rooted in the past. Claim and documented historical reality need not overlap. In the domain of religion, historically verifiable traditions coexist with recent innovations whose origins are spuriously projected back into time. This book examines the phenomenon of 'invented traditions' in religions ranging in time from Zoroastrianism to Scientology, and geographically from Tibet to North America and Europe. The various contributions, together with an introduction that surveys the field, use individual case studies to address questions such as the rationale for creating historical tradition for one's doctrines and rituals; the mechanisms by which hitherto unknown texts can enter an existing corpus; and issues of acceptance and scepticism in the reception of dubious texts.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

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Reviews

[Stephen Sorensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of essays that explore the invention of religious traditions. It's heavily geared towards religious scholars but people with a general interest in religion might enjoy it too.

The chapters cover these topics:
1) Scientology
2) Carlos Castaneda
3) Mormonism
4) The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
5) The Anti-Cult Movement
6) The Moonies
7) New Testament Forgery
8) Rosicrucianism
9) Zoroaster
10) The Urantia Book
11) Tibetan Treasures
12) Pseudo-Dionysius
13) Old Testament works
14) Paganism

I was tempted to knock off a star because Chapter 8 didn't strike me as fitting into the grander scheme of the book, and Chapter 11 gave me a similar feeling but at least the author made efforts to explain why it didn't neatly fit the theme. I thought some chapters could have been summarized better at the start or end, but overall this was collection of essays on invented religious traditions was good enough to warrant all five stars.

The book has footnotes. It has an index at the end.