The purpose of this volume is to provide a comprehensive survey of the historical relationship of theWestern religious traditions to science from the time of the Greeks of the fifth century before Christ to thelate twentieth century. The editors’ decision to limit the volume’s coverage to the West reflects both ourown professional backgrounds and our belief that, underlying the diversity of the several streams that havefed Western civilization, there exists a basic substratum, formed by the West’s dual heritage of the classicalworld of Greece and Rome and the monotheistic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The morethan one hundred articles that we have commissioned demonstrate that, within that heritage, science andreligion have enjoyed a varied and multifaceted association. From the beginning, the editors intended toproduce a volume that would provide a convenient summary of recent historical scholarship. In assigning thearticles, we have been fortunate in enlisting the cooperation of many of the leading scholars in the field.Our contributors have been drawn from a variety of backgrounds. No single point of view—in respect toeither religion or historical interpretation—can be said to monopolize these pages. While many of ourcontributors share the view of the editors that the historical relationship of science and religion has been acomplex one—sometimes harmonious, sometimes conflictive, often merely coexisting—others retain a lessbenign view of Western religions as they have interacted with science. Moreover, readers will find someoverlap in the subjects treated. Rather than strive vigorously to avoid duplication, we have commissionedseveral essays that deal with different aspects of the same subject. Our desire throughout has been that eacharticle should provide a comprehensive treatment of its subject.

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