Author | Erwin Fahlbusch, John Mbiti (editor), Jaroslav Jan Pelikan (editor), Jan Milic Lochman (editor) and Lukas Vischer (editor) |
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Original title | Evangelisches Kirchenlexikon |
Translator | Geoffrey W. Bromiley |
Language | English |
Subject | Christianity |
Publisher | William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Brill Publishers |
Awards | Multiple award-winning |
ISBN | ISBN:9789004169678 |
Website | https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/browse/encyclopedia-of-christianity |
The Encyclopedia of Christianity is a five-volume English translation of the third revised edition of Evangelisches Kirchenlexikon (1986-1999).[1][2]
The work present both the history and the current situation of the Christian faith today and throughout the 2,000 years of Christian history.[3] These works were published by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company and by Brill Publishers.[4][5]
Several scholars have work on it from many countries and cultural backgrounds, like Geoffrey W. Bromiley (English Language Editor), John Mbiti, Erwin Fahlbusch, Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Jan Milic Lochman and Lukas Vischer, David B. Barrett (Statistical Editor).[4][6] These volumes were published from 1998 to 2008,[6] and also an online version is available on Brill's website.[5] According to J. Scott Horrell the work was made by international authors:
The Encyclopedia of Christianity is an extraordinary achievement, highly recommended to all serious students. Once again, however, one observes the paucity of third-world scholars. One puzzles why Branko Nikolistsch (Berlin) and Ekkehard Zipser (Hamburg) were selected to write on “Guatemala,” or Michael von Brück on “India” and “Hinduism.” Of the more than three hundred authors fewer than ten are noted as living outside Europe and North America, although John Mbiti from Kenya and Emilio Castro in Switzerland do represent their continents. Likewise few Eastern Orthodox scholars are included. A more representative participation remains a challenge in future editions for this exceptional resource, already the most comprehensive encyclopedia of Christendom available.[7]
The Encyclopedia of Christianity Vol. 3 was nominated as the Book of the Month.[8] Rudolph W. Heinze states that "meticulous cross-referencing and up-to-date bibliographies are another positive feature of an encyclopedia which should become a standard reference work replacing classic works such as the New Shaff Herzog encyclopedia and its 1955 extension, the Twentieth-century encyclopedia of religious knowledge.[9]