Before Religion: A History of a Modern Concept, by Brent Nongbri, (IJFM 33:3, Fall 2016), pp. 275 + ix.

—reviewed by H. L. Richard

 

This is an outstanding introduction to the development of the concept of religion, and how problematic a casual usage of the term can be. Nongbri’s emphasis is on “ancient religions,” but his data includes a focus on the development of the modern concept of “world religions.” 

 

Seven succinct chapters drawing on and documenting insights from many other scholars build a compelling case against “religion” as a universally valid category. As Nongbri says in his introduction,

 

The idea of religion as a sphere of life separate from politics, economics, and science is a recent development in European history, one that has been projected outward in space and backwards in time with the result that religion appears now to be a natural and necessary part of our world. This appearance, however, turns out to be a surprisingly thin veneer that dissipates under close historical scrutiny. The following chapters are an attempt to offer such scrutiny. (7)

 

After a first chapter discussing modern usage of the term religion, Nongbri attacks the use of this term in translations from ancient texts. Th is amounts to a fascinating and insightful analysis of three terms, the Latin religio, the Greek thrēskeia and the Arabic dīn. Modern translations of these terms as “religion” are shown to be invalid from their original contexts. The discussion of “religion” in the Qu’ran should deeply impact

current thought on Islam and insider movements.

 

The third chapter looks at four ancient developments that have been suggested as the origin of the concept of religion. These four are the revolt of the Maccabees, Cicero’s analysis of Roman gods, Eusebius’ Christian analysis of true and false beliefs, and early Islam. Nongbri’s conclusion after analyzing these matters is that “introducing ‘religion’ into these discussions would seem to cause more problems than it solves, as ancient peoples had different ways of conceptualizing themselves and others” (64).

 

Chapter four considers “Christians and ‘Others’ in the Pre-Modern Era,” which amounts to three case studies of how earlier Christians did not employ the modern construct of “religion.” The first is a study of Mani and Manichaeism, which is often seen today as a religion even though earlier Christians always categorized it as a Christian heresy. The second study is of Islam as another Christian heresy, particularly as seen in the writings of John of Damascus. Finally, there is the fascinating case of Buddha being treated as a Christian saint (as explained in the story of Barlaam and Ioasaph). Rather than conceptualizing a “Buddhist religion,” Buddha ended up being inducted (with significant  alterations as a Christian saint!

 

Chapter five presents an analysis of European developments leading to the modern concept of “religion.” The Reformation played a pivotal role here, along with the

integral development of nation-states in Reformation and post-Reformation history. Jean Bodin and John Locke are then considered as key figures in turning the concept of “religion” into a private personal aff air separate from the state. Nongbri quotes William T. Cavanaugh’s analysis of the post-Reformation “wars of religion;” that calling “these conflicts ‘Wars of Religion’ is an anachronism, for what was at issue in these wars was the very creation of religion as a set of privately held beliefs without direct political relevance” (98, quoting from “‘A Fire Strong Enough to Consume the House’: Th e Wars of Religion and the Rise of the State,” Modern Theology 11 (1995), p. 398)

 

Chapter six looks at “New Worlds, New Religions, World Religions.” Brief discussions of “religion” in India, South Africa and Japan lead into the development of the concept

of “world religions,” a term that seems to have been used first in 1864 (125). Nongbri concludes that

 

textbooks, departmental websites of universities, and the media tend to present the model of World Religions as a self-evident fact: these religions are “simply there,” and classifying them in this way is a natural or neutral activity. I have shown, however, that there is nothing natural or neutral about either the concept of religion or the framework of World Religions. (129)

 

Chapter seven returns to ancient religions, and “The Modern Origins of Ancient Religions.” How Greek and Roman data came to be considered under the category of “religion” and the development of the concept of ancient Mesopotamian religion are analysed. This leads to a discussion in the conclusion of the consequences of reading our modern ideas into other cultures. Nongbri does not argue for ceasing to use the term religion, nor is he opposed to referring to “religion as a second-order, redescriptive concept.” When using the term religion he’s concerned we’re aware of what we are doing and that we “avoid giving the impression that religion really was ‘out there’ ‘embedded in’ or ‘diffused in’ the ancient evidence” (158).

This was a very easy book to review because the content is so well organized, so clearly stated, and so concisely summarized.

 

Although the data on World Religions is only a small part of the text, this is the best book I have found for introducing “religion” and ”world religions”and should be integrated into curricula dealing with those topics. The centrality of this topic for modern missiology is obvious, and this text demands a paradigm shift away from “conversion as a change of religion” to what is being called an “insider movement” approach. Nongbri is not pioneering new ideas, but provides an excellent statement of the current consensus in the field of religious studies.

 

Pull Out Quote

The centrality of the topic of religion for modern missiology is obvious, and this text demands a paradigm shift away from “conversion as change of religion” to what is being called an “insider movement” approach.

1. L. Richard is an independent researcher focused on the Hindu-Christian encounter. He has published numerous books and articles including studies of key figures like Narayan Vaman Tilak (Following Jesus in the Hindu Context, Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1998), Kalagara Subba Rao (Exploring the Depths of the Mystery of Christ, Bangalore: Centre for Contemporary Christianity, 2005), and R. C. Das (R. C. Das: Evangelical Prophet for Contextual Christianity, Delhi: ISPCK, 1995).