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[German Version] From the early Middle Ages to the modern period, hierarchical European society was based on distinct estates (Ger. Stände). An estate-based society differs from modern society based on class or strata, which arose in the 19th century, in the extreme closure of the estates: membership in an estate passed from one generation to the next, there was relatively little mobility between the estates (though some…

[German Version] (Jun 22, 1897, Breslau – Aug 1, 1990, Amsterdam). In 1939 Elias published his most significant work, Über den Prozeß der Zivilisation (ET: The Civilizing Process: The History of Manners, 1978), though the work remained virtually unnoticed until a new edition was published in 1969. Elias was concerned with devel…

[English Version] I. Religionsgeschichtlich S. – sozial und rechtlich geschlossene Gruppen, die einen durch Herkunft, gesellschaftliche Funktion, Lebensstil und häufig eigene Kultformen bestimmten Rang in der Gesellschaft einnehmen – entwickeln sich erst in stratifizierten Gesellschaften. Die Träger polit. und rel. Herrschaft bilden in ihnen administrative Hierarchien. Während es z.B. in Israel vor der Entstehung des Königtums keine deutlich unterscheidbaren sozialen Schichten und S. gab, existierten in den zeitgl…

[German Version] I. Sociology – II. Comparative Study of Religions – III. Ethics I. Sociology “Elite” – from Lat. eligere “to elect” – designates a select group of persons who stand out from the crowd by virtue of distinctive features such as consanguinity, age (Old a…

[German Version] I. History of Religions – II. Dogmatics – III. Sociology and Social History …

[German Version] I. Study of Religion – II. History – III. Sociology – IV. Practical Theology – V. Missiology …

[German Version] I. Terminology The word society ( societas, société) has changed from a term denoting particular forms and modes of human coexistence to a term (in both sg. and pl.) denoting the totality of human coexistence; it has thus become the basic term of the theoretical sciences that deal with human coexistence. The German equivalent, Gesellschaft (from OHG sal, “room,” and selida, “dwelling place”), suggests ties that arise from sharing the same room (cf. Gesel…