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Geoffrey Parrinder

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Geoffrey Parrinder
Born(1910-04-10)April 10, 1910
DiedJune 16, 2005(2005-06-16) (aged 95)
Occupationsacademic and minister

Edward Geoffrey Simons Parrinder (April 10, 1910 – June 16, 2005)[1] — known as E.G. Parrinder or Geoffrey Parrinder — was a professor of Comparative Religion at King's College London, a Methodist minister, and the author of over 30 books on world religions.[2] At least one, What World Religions Teach Us (1968), achieved bestseller status. He was an authority, and pioneering researcher, on West African indigenous religions.

Biography

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Parrinder was born in Hertfordshire, England; he studied for Methodist ministry at Richmond College and the Faculté de Théologie Protestante in Montpellier, France.[3]

Between 1933 and 1940 he worked as a missionary in Benin and Côte d'Ivoire, and he spent another year there after WWII.[3] He became an authority on indigenous West African religions.[4]

After serving in the Channel Islands and publishing his first book, he travelled to Nigeria to teach at the new University College of Ibadan, Nigeria.[3]

In 1958 he returned to England; from then until his retirement in 1977, he taught the comparative study of religion at King's College London.[5] Among his students there was the future Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

He was also a co-founder, secretary and president of the British Association for the History of Religions.[3]

He traveled widely in Africa, and in India, Pakistan, Ceylon, Burma, Israel, Jordan and Turkey and held lecturing appointments in Australia, India and America and at Oxford.

Books

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  • West African Religion: Illustrated from the Beliefs and Practices of Yoruba, Ewe, Akan and Kindred Peoples (1949); London: Epworth Press
    • 2nd edition (1961) as West African Religion: A Study of the Beliefs and Practices of Akan, Ewe, Yoruba, Ibo and Kindred Peoples
  • African Psychology (1951) [6]
  • Religion In An African City (1953)
  • African Traditional Religion, London: SPCK, (1954) .[3]
    • 2nd edition (19??)
    • 3rd edition (1970); Harper Forum Books/Greenwood Pub. Group ISBN 0-8371-3401-3
  • The Story Of Ketu (1956)
    • 2nd edition as The Story Of Ketu: An Ancient Yoruba Kingdom (1967); Ibadan University Press
  • Witchcraft: European and African (1958), London: Faber & Faber, (1963), (1970) ISBN 0-571-09060-5
    • Also published as Witchcraft: A Critical Study Of The Belief In Witchcraft From The Records Of Witch Hunting In Europe Yesterday And Africa Today
  • An Introduction to Asian Religions (1958); S.P.C.K
  • The Bible and Polygamy: A Study of Hebrew and Christian Teaching (1958); S.P.C.K
  • A Daily Bible and Prayerbook (1960); S.P.C.K
  • Worship in the World's Religions (1961, 1974)
  • Comparative Religion (1962); Allen & Unwin
    • 2nd edition (1975); Praeger
  • The Faiths of Mankind: A Guide to The World's Living Religions (1965); Crowell
    • Revised (1967) as The Handbook of Living Religions Arthur Barker Ltd (England)
    • Revised (1974) as The World's Living Religions; Pan Macmillan
  • A Book of World Religions (1965); Hulton Educational Publications
  • Jesus in the Qur'an (1965); New York: Barnes & Noble; London: Faber & Faber [7]
  • The Christian Approach to the Animist (1966); Edinburgh House Press [Pamphlet]
  • The Christian Debate: Light from the East (1966); Doubleday & Co
  • African Mythology, Hamlyn Publ Group Ltd (1967), ISBN 0-600-00042-7 [8]
  • The Significance of the Bhagavad-Gītā for Christian Theology [Lecture] (1968); Dr. Williams's Trust
  • What World Religions Teach Us (1968) [6]
  • Religion in Africa (1969); Penguin
    • 2nd edition (1976) as Africa's Three Religions; Sheldon Press
  • Avatar and Incarnation: A Comparison of Indian & Christian Beliefs, London: Faber & Faber, (1970), Oxford University Press. (1982) ISBN 0-19-520361-5
  • Man and His Gods: Encyclopaedia of the World's Religions (1971)
    • U.S. title: Religions of the World: From Primitive Beliefs to Modern Faiths; Madison Square Press
    • Revised edition (1983) as World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present; Facts on File, ISBN 0-87196-129-6
  • Upanishads, Gita, and Bible: A Comparative Study of Hindu and Christian Scriptures, Harper & Row (1972), ISBN 0-06-131660-1 [8]
  • A Dictionary of Non-Christian Religions, Westminster John Knox Press (1973), ISBN 0-664-20981-5
  • Right and Wrong (1973) [6]
  • The Indestructible Soul: The Nature of Man and Life after Death in Indian Thought (1973); Allen & Unwin
  • The Bagavad Gita: A Verse Translation, Sheldon Press: London (1974), ISBN 0-85969-018-0, Dutton Books (1975), ISBN 0-525-47390-4, Oneworld Publications (1996) ISBN 1-85168-117-5
  • Something After Death? (1974); NCEC
  • The Wisdom of the Forest: Selections from the Hindu Upanishads, New York: New Directions, (1976), ISBN 0-8112-0606-8 [6]
  • Mysticism in the World's Religions Sheldon Press in UK: (1976), ISBN 0-85969-085-7. Oxford University Press in USA: 1977, ISBN 0-19-502185-1. Oneworld Publications: 1995, ISBN 1-85168-101-9
  • The Wisdom of the Early Buddhists (1977); Directions [9]
  • Sex in the World's Religions, Oxford University Press. (1980), ISBN 0-19-520202-3
    • Revised edition (1996) as Sexual Morality in the World's Religions, Oneworld Publications ISBN 1-85168-108-6 [8]
  • Encountering World Religions: Questions of Religious Truth, Crossroad Pub. Co. (1987), ISBN 0-8245-0826-2
  • A Dictionary of Religious and Spiritual Quotations (1990); Routledge
    • 2nd edition (2000) as The Routledge Dictionary of Religious and Spiritual Quotations; Routledge ISBN 0-415-23393-3
  • Collins Dictionary of Religious & Spiritual Quotations (1992); HarperCollins
  • Son of Joseph: The Parentage of Jesus, T. & T. Clark Publishers, Ltd. (1993), ISBN 0-567-29213-4 [8]
  • A Concise Encyclopedia of Christianity (1998); Oneworld Publications ISBN 1-85168-174-4 [8]
  • The Sayings Of The Buddha (1998); Ecco
  • Wisdom of Jesus, Oneworld Publications (2000), ISBN 1-85168-225-2 [8]
  • In the Belly of the Snake: West Africa Over Sixty Years Ago, Methodist Publishing House (2000), ISBN 1-85852-179-3 [6]
  • West African Psychology: a Comparative Study of Psychological and Religious Thought, James Clarke Company, (2002), ISBN 0-227-17053-9

References

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  1. ↑ King, Ursula (5 August 2005). "Obituary: Geoffrey Parrinder". The Guardian.
  2. ↑ Geoffrey Parrinder (2000). The Routledge Dictionary of Religious & Spiritual Quotations. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-23393-4.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Walls, Andrew F. "Parrinder, Geoffrey". Dictionary of African Christian Biography. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  4. ↑ Ogunbiyi, O. O. (21 May 2022). "African Traditional Religion and Humanities' Scholarship: The Contributions of Edward Geoffrey Parrinder and Kofi Asare Opoku". Springer. The Palgrave Handbook of African Traditional Religion. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  5. ↑ John Pritchard (2016). Methodists and their Missionary Societies 1900-1996. Routledge. p. 5-PT52. ISBN 978-1-317-09702-0.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Geoffrey Parrinder". Thrift Books. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  7. ↑ "Geoffrey Parrinder". Simon and Schuster. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Books by Geoffery Parrinder". World of Books. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  9. ↑ "Geoffery Parrinder". New Directions Books. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
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