Jonathan Z. Smith on Religion

Jonathan Z. Smith (19382017) was unquestionably one of the most important and influential voices of critical reflection within the academic study of religion in the last century. His work explored the nature and history of religious phenomena across culturesfrom ancient Jewish practices to Maori cults, from early Christianity to mass suicide in the twentieth centurywhile critiquing the assumptions underlying the very category of "religion." This important volume offers the first full critical assessment of the influence of Jonathan Z. Smiths thought on the subject of religion. Christopher I. Lehrich systematically examines and develops a critical overview that will assist others in engaging more fully with Smiths scholarship. This book is an essential reading for students and scholars interested in the work of Jonathan Z. Smith as well as the history of religion more broadly.