PARRINDER, Edward Geoffrey Simons. New Barnet, Hertfordshire 10.4.1910 — 16.6.2005. British Scholar of Comparative Religion. Methodist minister. Son of a glove dealer, of a practising Wesleyan Methodist family. Educated in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, when 16 began working as a railway booking clerk. Interested in religion and mission studied 1929-32 at Richmond College, London. Ordained Methodist minister 1936. From 1933 almost 20 years missionary in Dahomey (now Benin) and Côte d’Ivoire. The war began when he was on furlough and he could not return to Dahomey. Instead, 1940-43 worked in Methodist circuit in Redruth, Cornwall and 1946-49 in French circuit in Guernsey, then to Nigeria, teaching at University College in Ibadan as Senior Lecturer. During furloughs passed B.A. and B.D. in London. Ph.D. 1946 London. From 1958 Reader, 1970 Professor of Comparative Study of Religion at King’s College in London, 1977 emeritus. Beside Africa also travelled in South Asia. Married, two sons and one daughter.
Publications: Early works on African religions, much on religion in general, also on Christianity, altogether over 30 books.
– Upanishads, Gītā and Bible: a comparative study of Hindu and Christian Scriptures. 136 p. London 1962.
– “Śrī Aurobindo on incarnation and the love of God”, Numen 11, 1964, 147-160.
– Translated: The Bhagavad Gita: A Verse Translation. L. 1974; The Wisdom of the Forest. Selections from the Hindu Upanishads. 94 p. N.Y. 1976.
– Avatar and Incarnation, A Comparison of Indian and Christian Beliefs. 296 p. O.U.P. 1982.
Sources:U. King, long obituary in The Guardian 5.8.2005 (online); Wikipedia.
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