Geoffrey Parrinder

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.

• 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]
  • as e-book (1995); Oneworld Publications ISBN 1-85168-094-2
• 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