Contents: List of Maps 8 Foreword 11 A Chronology of World Religions 12 Part 1: The Ancient World 14 Megaliths 16 Babylonia and Sumeria 18 Religion in Ancient Egypt 20 The Early City Religions 22 The Religions of Ancient Greece 25 Roman Religion 28 Zoroastrianism 30 Part 2: Hinduism 32 The Origins of Hinduism 34 Hindu Temple Worship 36 Hinduism and the Sacred 38 Hinduism in the Modern World 40 Jainism 42 Part 3: Buddhism 44 The Origins of Buddhism 46 What is Buddhism? 48 Buddhism Spreads beyond India 50 Buddhism in the Modern World 52 Confucianism and Taoism 54 Part 4: Judaism 58 Origin of the Jewish People 60 The Kingdom of Israel 62 Jewish Dispersions 64 The Jewish Diaspora 67 Judaism and the Rise of Islam 68 Anti-Semitism and Messianism 70 Jewish Emancipation 72 Judaism in the USA 74 The Holocaust 76 Part 5: Christianity 80 Palestine under the Herods 82 Judaism and the Early Church 84 The Early Growth of Christianity 86 Christianity Becomes Official 88 Christendom in 1050 ce 92 The European Reformations 94 Christianity in the Americas c. 1750 96 An Age of Missions 98 The Mormons 102 Christianity Today 104 Part 6: Islam 108 Muhammad 110 The Early Growth of Islam 112 Islam in the Subcontinent 114 Islam in South-east Asia 116 Islam and Africa 120 Islam in Modern Asia 123 Islam in the Modern World 126 Sikhism 128 Part 7: World Religions Today 132 Japanese Religions 134 Religion in China Today 136 What are Indigenous Religions? 140 New Religious Movements 144 Modern Pilgrimage 148 Jerusalem: The Holy City 152 What is the Hajj? 154 Further reading 156 Gazetteer 157 Index 174.