Sociology of Religion - Joachim Wach

Jul 6, 2026

Uploaded by Skyler

Sociology of Religion by Joachim Wach presents an outline for teaching and understanding the sociology of religion. Drawing on the author’s engagement with religion as an integrating factor in human society, the work argues for bridging the gap between religious study and the social sciences through methodological development and cultural anthropology. The structure moves from methodological prolegomena to religious experience and its expression, including theoretical doctrine, practical cultus, and sociological forms such as communion, then continues toward the relations between religion, society, religious organization, the state, and religious authority.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages515

Reading Time21 h 38 min

AccessFree to download

List of Abbreviations

Part I. Methodological Prolegomena

The Method

The Field

Religion and Society

Part II. Religious Experience and Its Expression

Religious Experience and its Forms of Expression

Theoretical Expression: Doctrine

Practical Expression: Cultus

Sociological Expression: Communion; Co

ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY EDITIONS: SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION Volume 16 SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION JOACHIM WACH First published in 1947 by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd. This edition first published in 2019 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 1947 Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-0-367-02386-7 (Set) ISBN: 978-0-429-02545-7 (Set) (ebk) ISBN: 978-0-367-08585-8 (Volume 16) (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-367-08586-5 (Volume 16) (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-429-02317-0 (Volume 16) (ebk) Publisher’s Note The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent. Disclaimer The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and would welcome correspondence from those they have been unable to trace. SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION By JOACHIM WAGH First published 1947 TO ROBERT PIERCE CASEY In Friendship and Gratitude “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery.”—EPH. iii, 9. “The divine can mean no single quality, it must mean a group of qualities, by being champions of which in alternation, different men may all find worthy missions.” —WILIAM JAMES, The Varieties of Religious Experience. THIS BOOK IS PRODUCED IN COMPLETE CONFORMITY WITH THE AUTHORIZED ECONOMY STANDARDS PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY WILLIAM CLOWESAND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BECCLES. PREFACE The introduction to the sociology of religion, Einfiihrung in die Religionssoziologie, which the author published in German in 1931, has been given a favourable reception. This approbation, as well as the desire to prepare an outline in English for his lectures on the sociology of religion inan American university, has prompted him to continue his efforts. The following sketch is intended to serve as a basis for lectures in class; hence its concentrated presentation. Problems allied to ours are discussed in systematic and historical theology and in the science of religion, in political theory and the social sciences, in philosophy and psychology, in philology and anthropology. The author, a student not of the social sciences but of religion, is convinced of the desirability of bridging the gulf which still exists between the study of religion and the social sciences, an enterprise in which an important role will be played by cultural anthropology. He considers his contribution more as a modest attempt at a synthesis than an inventory with any claim to completeness. Personal experience has aided the author in realizing the vital importance and significance of religion as an integrating factor in human society and in understanding its function in the contemporary crisis of civilization in East and West. Notwithstanding the existence of many preliminary studies and monographs by a great number of eminent scholars, the present attempt had to develop its own methodology. The author is conscious of many shortcomings, which the expert in some of the fields concerned will easily discover. Ut desint vires, tamen sit laudanda voluntas. A word might be said regarding the arrangement of the following outline. The topics are prese

FAQs

What is the purpose of Joachim Wach’s outline in this book?

The outline is designed as a concentrated basis for lectures in class, forming a bridge between the study of religion and the social sciences.

How does Wach classify religious experience and its expression?

Religious experience is presented through theoretical expression (doctrine), practical expression (cultus), and sociological expression (communion and related forms).

What role does cultural anthropology play in Wach’s approach?

Cultural anthropology is identified as an important means for bridging the gap between religious study and the social sciences.

Jul 6, 2026

Uploaded by Skyler