This book by an Emory University professor consists of scholarly speeches, articles, and reports written over a period of fifty years and is united by a common theme — the study of the complex relationship that has developed between law and religion in different cultures and in different eras. The author assumes that in any society law and religion have certain elements in common, namely ritual, tradition, authority and universality. In the course of historical evolution, both instances mutually enriched each other. While law has always given religion a social dimension, religion spiritualises law and makes people value it. This thesis is proven using rich historical, philosophical, sociological, as well as theological material. The author pays special attention to the problems of religion and law in Russia, to the analysis of which one part of the book is dedicated.