Edwin Oliver James (1888 – 1972) was an anthropologist in the field of

comparative religion Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study of religion yie ...

. He was Professor Emeritus of the History and Philosophy of Religion in the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, Fellow of

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

and Fellow of King's College London. During his long career he had been Professor of History and Philosophy of Religion at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

, Lecturer at the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...

and Wilde Lecturer at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. James received his education at

Exeter College, Oxford (Let Exeter Flourish) , old_names = ''Stapeldon Hall'' , named_for = Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter , established = , sister_college = Emmanuel College, Cambridge , rector = Sir Richard Trainor ...

and at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, where he studied under the noted

egyptologist Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , '' -logia''; ar, علم المصريات) is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religiou ...

Sir

William Matthew Flinders Petrie Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie ( – ), commonly known as simply Flinders Petrie, was a British Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts. He held the first chair of Egypt ...

. James was also a member of the

Folklore Society The Folklore Society (FLS) is a national association in the United Kingdom for the study of folklore. It was founded in London in 1878 to study traditional vernacular culture, including traditional music, song, dance and drama, narrative, arts an ...

, serving as its President from 1930 to 1932.

Works

*Evolution and the Fall (1923) *The Beginnings of Man (1928) *The Christian Faith in the Modern World. A Study in Scientific Theology. *A History of Christianity in England *Christian Myth And Ritual: A Historical Study (1933) *Origins of Sacrifice: A Study in Comparative Religion (1933) *Thieves of Mercy (1934) poems *The Old Testament in the Light of Anthropology (1935) *The Origins of Religion (1937) *Comparative Religion: An Introductory and Historical Study (1938) *Primitive Belief and Ritual *The Social Function of Religion (1948) *The Concept of Deity. The Wilde Lectures (1950) *Marriage and Society (1952) *History of Religions (1956) *Prehistoric Religion: A Study in Prehistoric Archaeology. (1957) *Myths and Ritual in the Ancient Near East (1958) *The Beginnings of Religion: An Introductory & Scientific Study (1958) *The Cult of the Mother Goddess: An Archaeological and Documentary Study (1959) *The Comparative Study of Religions of the East (Excluding Christianity and Judaism). *The Ancient Gods: The History and Diffusion of Religion in the Ancient Near East and the Eastern Mediterranean (1960) *Nature and Function of Priesthood: A Comparative and Anthropological Study (1961) *Seasonal Feasts and Festivals (1961) *Sacrifice and Sacrament (1962) *The Worship of the Sky-God, A Comparative Study in Semitic and Indo-European Religion (1963) *Marriage Customs Through the Ages (1965) *From Cave to Cathedral : Temples and Shrines of Prehistoric, Classical and Early Christian Times (1965) *The Tree of Life: An Archaeological Study (1966) *Christianity and other religions (1968) *Creation and Cosmology: a historical and comparative inquiry (1969)

References

External links

A memoir of EO James, by David Brown
1888 births 1972 deaths Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Alumni of University College London Academics of University College London Academics of the University of Leeds Academics of King's College London Fellows of King's College London British anthropologists British historians of religion Anthropologists of religion Anthropology educators British theologians Anthropology writers 20th-century English historians 20th-century anthropologists Presidents of the Folklore Society Scholars of comparative religion {{reli-anthropologist-stub