ABSTRACT
The book now before the reader is not a History of Religion, but an Introduction to the History of Religion: its object is not to place a history of religion before the student, but to prepare him for the study of that history, to familiarise him with some of the elementary ideas and some of the commonest topics of the subject. Much which would fill a large part of a history of religion finds no place in this Introduction: thus, for instance, religions such as Christianity, Moham medanism, Buddhism, which are the outcome of the teaching of their individual founders, are not included within the scope of this book. But these religions-which, on the analogy of “ positive ” law, i.e. law enacted by a sovereign, have been termed Positive religions-were all designed by their founders to supersede certain existing religions, which, not being enacted by the authority of any single founder, but being practised as a matter of custom and tradition, may be called customary religions. It is with these religions, their customs and institutions, that this Introduction deals.
