The Divine Library: A Comprehensive Reference Guide to the Sacred Texts and Spiritual Literature of the World [Paperback]

Rufus C. Camphausen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1992

This directory to the primary religious literature of past and present cultures includes references to available editions, translations, and commentaries. 

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is a concise directory to a wide variety of religious texts. More than 120 entries delineate important works of religious literature of yesterday and today. Bibliographical references to available editions, translations, and commentaries along with a glossary and indexes make this a comprehensive, accessible guidebook. Unfortunately, pronunciation is not given for names and terms, which may be a disadvantage for the lay reader. This should be a useful addition to the religious/philosophy collections of most libraries.
- Ravonne A. Green, Emmanuel Coll. Lib., Franklin Springs, Ga.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"This is a concise directory to a wide variety of religious texts. More than 120 entries delineate important works of religious literature of yesterday and today. Bibliographical references to available editions, translations, and commentaries along with a glossary and indexes make this a comprehensive, accessible guidebook. Unfortunately, pronunciation is not given for names and terms, which may be a disadvantage for the lay reader. This should be a useful addition to the religious/philosophy collections of most libraries."
(Library Journal (Sunday , March 01, 1992) ?Ravonne A. Green, Emmanuel Coll. Lib., Franklin Springs, Ga.
)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions; First edition (June 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892813512
• ISBN-13: 978-0892813513
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,535,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable guide to a wealth of literature, October 19, 2000

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Divine Library: A Comprehensive Reference Guide to the Sacred Texts and Spiritual Literature of the World (Paperback)

Whether you are a spiritual seeker or a lover of great literature--or both--you will find Camphausen's "Divine Library" to be an essential guide. An amazingly concise and informative "mini-encyclopedia," the book contains chronologically-ordered entries on major works of sacred literature.

This is truly a multifaith and multicultural guide, spanning the globe and the millennia. The Qur'an, the Pop Wuj (or Popol Vuh) of the Quiche Mayas, the Kojiki of Japan, the New Testament, the Dhammapada, the Zohar--all these and more are in here. Camphausen also includes texts--such as the Iliad or the Kalevala of Finland--which, despite their theological and supernatural content, are not always recognized as sacred literature. He treats each text respectfully and accurately, and frequently provides useful bibliographic references.

The book's many reproductions of sacred art make it a rich visual feast. Also noteworthy are the reproductions of pages from the actual works being described; Camphausen shows us the cuneiform of the Gilgamesh epic, the Egyptian hieroglyphics of the Pyramid Texts, and a wealth of other writing systems.

At just over 200 pages, this is far from a complete guide. Where, for example, is Mary Baker Eddy's "Science and Health"? The Urantia Book? The Principia Discordia? I'm sure other readers could cite additional oversights; perhaps these could be corrected in a future edition.

Despite these oversights, "The Divine Library" is an outstanding reference work. It is a book that I turn to frequently, and I highly recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too much political correctness, too little scholarship., November 10, 2008

By 

Mark D. Bernhard "Mark" (Tokushima, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Divine Library: A Comprehensive Reference Guide to the Sacred Texts and Spiritual Literature of the World (Paperback)

I ordered a copy of this book because I am doing translations of Buddhist texts into English and thought it sounded like a good reference work. What I got was relatively useless to me, though maybe it would be helpful to a junior high school student in his/her Social Studies class. The most useful aspect of the book was the mis-titled "Wheel of Time" chapter, which is really just a timeline grouping major religious works and events throughout recorded history by centuries. After that, the book is simply a collection of one or two-paragraph descriptions of the works, with major emphasis placed on the Asian works and only a glossing of everything else. The Q'ran, for example, is accompanied by a photograph of an illustrated page of a 14th century manuscript. The photo takes up one whole page. The description, including the reading list, takes up less. I have come across websites and Wikipedia entries that are more informative and insightful. Following each entry is a "suggested reading list" of one or two published works, which gives the reader the impression that Camphausen didn't do much research. Then again, given the brief and uninsightful descriptions he gives of each work, one has to wonder if he even bothered reading ANY of the books he recommends.
Perhaps the most irritating thing is Camphausen's politically correct opinions and observations, which have the effect of taking what could otherwise pass for an introductory reference work on the world's religions and reducing it to New Age-biased fluff. This seems most strongly aimed at the Christian works, chastising them for their un-PC treatment of Eve, Mary Magdelaine and others.
All-in-all, for a book touting itself as a "comprehensive reference guide," I have to say that The Divine Library is neither comprehensive, nor useful as a reference.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Place To Start, January 8, 2008

By 

Survivors Edge, LLC "Survivors Edge, LLC" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Divine Library: A Comprehensive Reference Guide to the Sacred Texts and Spiritual Literature of the World (Paperback)

Even the Introduction was interesting. I've always said we can't make truth, untrue. It is fascinating how many of the "Sacred Texts" hold some of the same truths. Regardless of your faith system, you truly should know what others use as their references. The book explains diplomatically what texts say without negotiating validity. Do you know where your sacred text came from? Was it an original work? Was it pieced together from older texts? Was it repackaged to suit the leaders of your faith system? OK, so the last question isn't specifically answered, and I'm glad it wasn't, but the book is a great place to start to investigate such questions.