Handbook of Freemasonry - Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion Paperback

About the Book

The Brill Handbook of Freemasonry is a pioneering work that brings together, for the first time, leading scholars on Freemasonry-the largest, oldest, and most influential secret society in the world.

Book Synopsis

Freemasonry is the largest, oldest, and most influential secret society in the world. The Brill Handbook of Freemasonry is a pioneering work that brings together, for the first time, leading scholars on Freemasonry. The first section covers historical perspectives, such as the origins and early history of Freemasonry. The second deals with the relationship between Freemasonry and specific religious traditions such as the Catholic Church, Judaism, and Islam. In the third section, organisational themes, such as the use of rituals, are explored, while the fourth section deals with issues related to society and politics - women, blacks, colonialism, nationalism, and war. The fifth and final section is devoted to Freemasonry and culture, including music, literature, modern art, architecture and material culture.

Review Quotes

Lo Handbook offre una veduta estremamente ampia e circostanziata della Massoneria come soggetto di studio, proponendo un approccio estremamente ancorato al rigore documentario e senza concedere o togliere nulla ai diversi soggetti affrontati, secondo una linea di indagine scevra da apriorismi partigiani e antiscientifici o, di converso, da ostilità più o meno inconfessate. Di fatto, uno degli scopi di questo imponente saggio è proprio quello di risultare intellegibile e soprattutto scientificamente utile sia agli addetti ai lavori, sia a quegli storici che, pur non essendo esperti di vicende libero-muratorie, hanno necessità di trovare una guida affidabile e ben documentata su tale soggetto di studio. In questo senso la liberazione degli studi massonici come dominio di ricerca pienamente autonomo, sdoganato da riserve confessionali o persecutorie, ma anche riportato a quella necessaria competenza professionale, che così lo riscatta finalmente da un certo (e ampiamente praticato) dilettantismo, merita una forte attenzione. - Antonio C. D. Panaino in: HIRAM no.1, 2015.

About the Author

Henrik Bogdan, Ph.D. (2003), is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at University of Gothenburg. He is the author of Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation (2007), and co-editor of several works, including Occultism in a Global Perspective (2013).

Jan A.M. Snoek, Ph.D. (1987) in the Sciences of Religions, University of Leiden (The Netherlands), is attached to the Institute for the Sciences of Religions at the University of Heidelberg (Germany), and published widely about the development of masonic rituals. Among his publications are Initiating Women in Freemasonry, The Adoption Rite (Brill, 2012).

Contributors include: Marijo Ariens-Volker, José A. Ferrer Benimeli, Henrik Bogdan, Matthew Crow, James Stevens Curl, Malcolm Davies, Mark J.R. Dennis, Robert A. Gilbert, Jessica Harland-Jacobs, Kristiane Hasselmann, Arturo de Hoyos, Massimo Introvigne, Margaret Jacob, Guy Liagre, Pierre Mollier, Robert Jan van Pelt, Charles Porset, Andrew Prescott, Cecile Révauger, François Rognon, Matthew Scanlan, Jan A.M. Snoek, David Stevenson, Jeffrey Tyssens, Jean-François Var, Daniel Weinbren, and Thierry Zarconne.