Crimes of Perception - Hardcover

Although the more than 600 entries here focus mainly on heresy in the West, entries on heresies in the lands of Eastern Christianity are included because of their importance to Western thought. Excluded are heresies the author considers primarily political, social, technological, or scientific.

The 10-page introduction discusses how heresy has changed during the course of Western history. The encyclopedia entries are arranged from Abelard, Peter to Zwichau Prophets. Black Mass covers nearly three pages, Rasputin is one page, and Mormon Church gets less than a page. Jesus is among the heretics included. The author assesses Jesus as "an heretic in his own time, and a topic of controversy between conventional and alternative believers ever since." Cross-references are liberally provided; there is no index. Entries are well-written and provide a wealth of fascinating detail, but bibliographies at the ends of entries would have been useful.

Following the encyclopedia is a list of entries organized by topic, divided into such sections as Christian Heresies and Heretics by Historic Period, Biographies of the Heretics, and Suppression of Heresy. The book concludes with two bibliographies. "Suggestions for Further Reading" is extensive and divided into eight subject areas, such as "Witch Hunts and Persecution of Heretics," "Heretical and Esoteric Judaism," and "Occult Traditions: Alchemy, Astrology, Magic." The second bibliography lists four periodicals on alternative-reality traditions.

This book contains readable information about some important people, ideas, and practices in Western history. It should appeal to the informed layperson as well as the scholar.