This work is a classic example of research in the field of the history of religion. Religious ideas are presented here not only in chronological order but are also united by a common understanding of the diversity of religious life across cultures and continents. Eliade masterfully employs the methods of comparative anthropology and demonstrates general trends in the development of religious ideas. "For the historian of religions, every manifestation of the sacred is significant: every ritual, every myth, every belief, and every image of the deity reflects the experience of the sacred and therefore carries within itself concepts of being, meaning, and truth."
The book presents religions and their traditions from the end of the ancient period to the late Middle Ages, and further to the Reformation and the Enlightenment.
The work also includes additional chapters on the religions of Ancient Eurasia, Tibet, magic, alchemy, and the Hermetic tradition.