Description
Book SynopsisProfessor Geo Widengren (1907–1996), holder of the chair in History of Religions and Psychology of Religions at Uppsala University between 1940 and 1973, is one of Sweden’s best-known scholars in the field of religious studies. His involvement in the start of the IAHR and publications on topics such as the phenomenology of religions, Iranian studies and Middle Eastern Religions make Widengren one of the founding fathers of the History of Religions as an academic discipline. This volume pays tribute to Widengren’s academic achievements and critically discusses his work in light of the latest academic findings and research.
Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors part 1: Thesis and International Work 1 Geo Widengren: A Portrait of a Swedish Historian of Religions Göran Larsson 2 Hebrew Laments in the Light of Mesopotamian Material Göran Eidevall 3 Professor Geo Widengren, IAHR Vice-President 1950–1960, IAHR President 1960–1970, IAHR Honorary Life Member 1996 Tim Jensen and Satoko Fujiwara part 2: Iranian Cultures, Languages and Religions 4 Geo Widengren and the Study of Iranian Religion Anders Hultgård 5 The Eclipse of Geo Widengren in the Study of Iranian Religions Albert de Jong 6 “King and Saviour”: Geo Widengren’s Early Contributions (1938–1955) to the History of Iranian Religions Mihaela Timuş part 3: A Phenomenological Approach 7 Geo Widengren and Swedish Phenomenology of Religion versus Italian Comparative Historical Typology Giovanni Casadio 8 The World of Religion: A Reevaluation of Geo Widengren’s Phenomenology of Religion Clemens Cavallin part 4: Method, Criticism and a Public Intellectual 9 The Reception and Criticism of Geo Widengren in the Nordic Countries: The Debate over the Origin of Religion René Gothóni and Göran Larsson 10 Before the Bible: Middle-Eastern Religions and the Origins of Christianity in the Works of Geo Widengren Christer Hedin 11 Tor Andræ and Geo Widengren: Perspectives and Purposes of the Study of the History of Religions Jan Hjärpe 12 Africa and America Revisited: A Critical Analysis of Widengren’s Comparative Method Daniel Andersson Part 5: Manichaeism and Gnosticism 13 Widengren, Gnosticism, and the Religionsgeschichtliche Schule Einar Thomassen 14 Geo Widengren and Manichaeism Chiara O. Tommasi Part 6: Postscript 15 Geo Widengren as Researcher and Public Intellectual: A Meta-Reflection Göran Larsson Appendix A: Letters between Raffaele Pettazzoni and Geo Widengren (1948–1959) Appendix B: Letters between Helmer Ringgren, Geo Widengren and Ugo Bianchi (1959–1970) Geo Widengren’s Bibliography Index
