The Matheson Trust is an educational charity based in London dedicated to further and disseminate the study of comparative religion

Comparative religion

Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the world's religions...

, especially from the point of view of the underlying harmony of the major religious and philosophical traditions of the world.

History

The Matheson Trust was established in London in 1974 by Donald Macleod Matheson

Donald Macleod Matheson

Donald Macleod Matheson CBE was Secretary to the National Trust from 1934 to 1945. Active within the Traditionalist School as a translator and author, he founded The Matheson Trust for the study of comparative religion.-Life:Born into an aristocratic Scottish family, Matheson was educated at...

 CBE

CBE

CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...

 (1896-1979), who in addition to his work as a civil servant was active as a translator of Perennialist

Traditionalist School

The term Traditionalist School is used by Mark Sedgwick and other authors to denote a school of thought, also known as Integral Traditionalism or Perennialism to denote an esoteric movement developed by authors such as French metaphysician René Guénon, German-Swiss...

 works, most notably Understanding Islam by Frithjof Schuon

Frithjof Schuon

Frithjof Schuon, was a native of Switzerland born to German parents in Basel, Switzerland. He is known as a philosopher, metaphysician and author of numerous books on religion and spirituality....

 and An Introduction to Sufi Doctrine by Titus Burckhardt

Titus Burckhardt

Titus Burckhardt , a German Swiss, was born in Florence, Italy in 1908 and died in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1984. He devoted all his life to the study and exposition of the different aspects of Wisdom and Tradition.He was an eminent member of the "traditionalist school" of twentieth-century authors...

.


Registered as a UK charity in 1982, the trust was for years active sponsoring academic research, lectures, film production and publications. As of January 2011 they have launched a new series of paperback publications, the Matheson Monographs, and a public website hosting the Matheson Library.

Matheson Trust associates have included, among others, Martin Lings

Martin Lings

Martin Lings was an English Muslim writer and scholar, a student and follower of Frithjof Schuon, and Shakespearean scholar...

, Charles Le Gai Eaton, William Stoddart

William Stoddart

William Stoddart is a Scottish physician, author and "spiritual traveller", who has written several books on the philosophy of religions. He has been called a “master of synthesis” and is one of the important writers on the Perennial Philosophy in the present day. For many years he was assistant...

 and Reza Shah-Kazemi

Reza Shah-Kazemi

Dr. Reza Shah-Kazemi is an author who specializes in comparative mysticism, Islamic Studies, Sufism and Shi'ism. He is the founding editor of the Islamic World Report and currently a Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies with the Department of Academic Research and Publications.He...

.

Matheson Monographs

Since 2008, The Matheson Trust had been co-producing publications with a number of kindred organisations and established publishers: The Prometheus Trust, Fons Vitae (KY), Archetype UK, but December 2010 saw the launch of an independent series, the "Matheson Monographs",
covering "scriptural exegesis, the modalities of spiritual and contemplative life, studies of particular religious traditions, comparative analyses, studies of traditional arts, crafts and cosmological sciences, contemporary scholarly expositions of religious philosophy and metaphysics, translations of both classical and contemporary texts and transcriptions of lectures by, and interviews with, spiritual and scholarly authorities from different religious and philosophical traditions".

Matheson Library

In March 2011 the Matheson Trust website was launched, hosting an online library of free selected books and articles, almost exclusively in English, including authors and sources as varied as Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah

Abdallah Bin Bayyah

Shaykh Abdallah bin Mahfudh ibn Bayyah He was born in Mauritania. Currently he teaches at King Abdul Aziz University in Saudi Arabia. He is a specialist in all four traditional Sunni schools, with an emphasis on the Maliki school of Madh'hab....

, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams

Rowan Williams

Rowan Douglas Williams FRSL, FBA, FLSW is an Anglican bishop, poet and theologian. He is the 104th and current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003.Williams was previously Bishop of Monmouth and...

, the Berzin archives, Charles, Prince of Wales

Charles, Prince of Wales

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...

, Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Jonathan Sacks

Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks, Kt is the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. His Hebrew name is Yaakov Zvi...

, James Cutsinger

James Cutsinger

James Sherman Cutsinger is a professor, author, and editor, whose works focus primarily on the subjects of traditionalism and Eastern Orthodoxy.-Traditionalism:...

, Gavin D'Costa

Gavin D'Costa

Professor Gavin D'Costa, BA, PhD is a Professor of Catholic Theology at the University of Bristol, Great Britain. He was Head of the Theology & Religious Studies Department , and has lectured at Bristol since 1993....

, Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Seyyed Hossein Nasr is an Iranian University Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, and a prominent Islamic philosopher...

, Harry Oldmeadow

Harry Oldmeadow

Kenneth "Harry" Oldmeadow is an Australian author, editor and educator whose works focus on Eastern religion and philosophy.-Biography:Qualifications: BA Hons , Dip Ed , MA Hons , PhD...

, the journal Sacred Web

Ali Lakhani

M. Ali Lakhani is a writer, lawyer, and editor whose works focus on Islam and the Traditionalist School.-Biography:Born in England in 1955, Lakhani was educated at The King's School, Canterbury before getting his undergraduate and graduate degrees in law from Cambridge University...

, Huston Smith

Huston Smith

Huston Cummings Smith is a religious studies scholar in the United States. His book The World's Religions remains a popular introduction to comparative religion.-Education:...

, Timothy Winter

Timothy Winter

Timothy John "Tim" Winter , also known as Abdal Hakim Murad, is a British Sufi Muslim researcher, writer and teacher. His profile and work have attracted media coverage both in the Muslim World and the West...

 (Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad), The Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths

The Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths

The Woolf Institute is a research institute based in Cambridge, UK, for teaching, research and dialogue in the encounter between Jews, Christians and Muslims....

 and others. Documents are free to browse and download, most in PDF format, with a few articles in HTML.


As of September 2011, there are nearly 200 holdings in the library.

Audio Library

One of the purported aims of the Matheson Library is to use existing contemporary media technologies to make available resources from ancient traditions, either in the form of recitation of traditional scriptures or in the scholarly transmission of the doctrines and insights pertaining to the different religions. An ongoing hear! project aims to convert scholarly texts and other texts of interest into MP3

MP3

MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...

 format, to be made available through the Audio section of the library.

Publications

• Christianity & Islam: Essays on Ontology and Archetype, by Samuel Zinner, 2010. ISBN 978-1-908092-01-4
• The Living Palm Tree: Parables, Stories, and Teachings from the Kabbalah, by Mario Satz, translated by Juan Acevedo, 2010. ISBN 978-1-908092-00-7
• Louis Massignon: The Vow and the Oath, by Patrick Laude, translated by Edin Q. Lohja, 2011. ISBN 978-1-908092-06-9
• The Gospel of Thomas: In the Light of Early Jewish, Christian andIslamic Esoteric Trajectories, by Samuel Zinner, 2011. ISBN 978-1-908092-04-5
• Sacred Royalty: From The Pharaoh to The Most Christian King, by Jean Hani
  Jean Hani
  Jean Hani is a French philosopher and Traditionalist author, professor emeritus of Greek civilization and literature at the University of Amiens.-Life and Works:Very little is known about Jean Hani's personal life other than his year of birth...
  
  , translated by Gustavo Polit, 2011. ISBN 978-1-908092-05-2
• Ascent to Heaven in Islamic and Jewish Mysticism, by Algis Uždavinys, 2011. ISBN 978-1-908092-02-1

External links

• Official website
• Samuel Zinner's blog
• Ten Thousand Films

Institutions and Initiatives

A Common Word Between Us and You A Common Word Between Us and You A Common Word between Us and You is an open letter, dated 13 October 2007, from leaders of the Muslim faith to leaders of the Christian faith. It calls for peace between Muslims and Christians and tries to work for common ground and understanding among both faiths, in line with the Qur'anic... Studies in Comparative Religion Studies in Comparative Religion Studies in Comparative Religion was a quarterly academic journal published from 1963–1987 that contained essays on the spiritual practices and religious symbolism of the world's religions. The journal was notable for the number of prominent Perennialists who contributed to it... Temenos Academy Temenos Academy Temenos Academy is a teaching organisation in London dedicated to creative spirituality.Its origin was in 1980, when the Temenos Review was launched by Kathleen Raine, Keith Critchlow, Brian Keeble and Philip Sherrard to publish creative work which acknowledged spirituality as a prime need for...

Scholars and Authors

René Guénon René Guénon René Guénon , also known as Shaykh `Abd al-Wahid Yahya was a French author and intellectual who remains an influential figure in the domain of metaphysics, having written on topics ranging from metaphysics, sacred science and traditional studies to symbolism and initiation.In his writings, he... Ananda Coomaraswamy Ananda Coomaraswamy Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy was a Ceylonese philosopher and metaphysician, as well as a pioneering historian and philosopher of Indian art, particularly art history and symbolism, and an early interpreter of Indian culture to the West... Frithjof Schuon Frithjof Schuon Frithjof Schuon, was a native of Switzerland born to German parents in Basel, Switzerland. He is known as a philosopher, metaphysician and author of numerous books on religion and spirituality.... Titus Burckhardt Titus Burckhardt Titus Burckhardt , a German Swiss, was born in Florence, Italy in 1908 and died in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1984. He devoted all his life to the study and exposition of the different aspects of Wisdom and Tradition.He was an eminent member of the "traditionalist school" of twentieth-century authors... Martin Lings Martin Lings Martin Lings was an English Muslim writer and scholar, a student and follower of Frithjof Schuon, and Shakespearean scholar... Leo Schaya Leo Schaya Leo Schaya was an author and scholar whose works focused on the Sufi tradition, the Kabbalah, and the Traditionalist School.-Biography:Born in Switzerland, Schaya lived much of his adult life in Nancy, France...

Charles le Gai Eaton Charles le Gai Eaton Charles Le Gai Eaton was born in Lausanne, Switzerland and raised as an agnostic by his parents. He received his education at Charterhouse and at King's College, Cambridge. He worked for many years as a teacher and journalist in Jamaica and Egypt... Jean-Louis Michon Jean-Louis Michon Jean-Louis Michon is a French traditionalist scholar and translator who specializes in Islamic art and Sufism. He has worked extensively with the United Nations to preserve the cultural heritage of Morocco.-Biography:... William Stoddart William Stoddart William Stoddart is a Scottish physician, author and "spiritual traveller", who has written several books on the philosophy of religions. He has been called a “master of synthesis” and is one of the important writers on the Perennial Philosophy in the present day. For many years he was assistant... Huston Smith Huston Smith Huston Cummings Smith is a religious studies scholar in the United States. His book The World's Religions remains a popular introduction to comparative religion.-Education:... Seyyed Hossein Nasr Seyyed Hossein Nasr Seyyed Hossein Nasr is an Iranian University Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, and a prominent Islamic philosopher... Jean Borella Jean Borella Jean Borella is a Christian philosopher and theologian. Borella's works are deeply inspired by Ancient and Christian Neoplatonism, but also by the Traditionalist School of René Guénon and Frithjof Schuon.-Early years:...

Professor David F. Ford David F. Ford David Frank Ford is an academic and public theologian. He has been the Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge since 1991... Jean Hani Jean Hani Jean Hani is a French philosopher and Traditionalist author, professor emeritus of Greek civilization and literature at the University of Amiens.-Life and Works:Very little is known about Jean Hani's personal life other than his year of birth... James Cutsinger James Cutsinger James Sherman Cutsinger is a professor, author, and editor, whose works focus primarily on the subjects of traditionalism and Eastern Orthodoxy.-Traditionalism:... Algis Uždavinys Algis Uždavinys Algis Uždavinys was a prolific Lithuanian philosopher and scholar. His work pioneered the hermeneutical comparative study of Egyptian and Greek religions, especially their esoteric relations to Semitic religions, and in particular the inner aspect of Islam... bs:Rusmir Mahmutćehajić Harry Oldmeadow Harry Oldmeadow Kenneth "Harry" Oldmeadow is an Australian author, editor and educator whose works focus on Eastern religion and philosophy.-Biography:Qualifications: BA Hons , Dip Ed , MA Hons , PhD... Reza Shah-Kazemi Reza Shah-Kazemi Dr. Reza Shah-Kazemi is an author who specializes in comparative mysticism, Islamic Studies, Sufism and Shi'ism. He is the founding editor of the Islamic World Report and currently a Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies with the Department of Academic Research and Publications.He... Ali Lakhani Ali Lakhani M. Ali Lakhani is a writer, lawyer, and editor whose works focus on Islam and the Traditionalist School.-Biography:Born in England in 1955, Lakhani was educated at The King's School, Canterbury before getting his undergraduate and graduate degrees in law from Cambridge University...