Can the histories of the great religious traditions help us to predict their futures? Are broad common patterns discernable within the developments of Hinduism, Chinese religion, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam? In
Cycles of Faith
, noted historian of religion Robert Ellwood makes the case that the five largest world religions all move through the stages of Apostolic, Imperial, Devotional, Reformation, and Folk Religion.
is a completely revised edition of Ellwood's 1988 book,
The History and Future of Faith
. Ellwood's readable text can provide a useful, theoretical framework to many classes in religious studies.