History of Consciousness
ACADEMIC INTERESTS | COURSES | PUBLICATIONS
Theory and origins of religions, history of religions (Hellenistic mysteries, Christian origins, 19th- and 20th-century Germany, German Judaism), religion and political orders
Born in Hollywood, California, son of an actor, Gary Lease studied history of theology at the University of Munich (1962-68), taking a Dr.theol. degree under the direction of Michael Schmaus. After a year directing the John XXIII Institute for Ecumenical Theology (Chicago), he was appointed assistant professor of theology at Loyola University (Los Angeles). As chair of the program he transformed it from a major in theology to one in religious studies, and as a result after three years was fired for heresy!
A position at the University of California, Santa Cruz in Religious Studies (1973) enabled him to continue his work. He chaired the program on and off for seven years until it was disestablished following an external review which recommended much greater resources for the department than the campus was willing to provide. As a consequence, he became known on campus as the "murderer of religion."
He was transferred to the History of Consciousness Department, a Ph.D.-only program under the direction of Hayden White, and became active in its work after a two year-appointment representing the University of California in Goettingen, Germany (1980-82).
Since then he has served as chair of a number of departments (History of Consciousness, Environmental Studies), as Associate Chancellor, and as Dean of Humanities. For the past seven years he has also served as the Executive Secretary of the North American Association for the Study of Religion (NAASR), and for the past five years as the Treasurer of the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR).
His on-going work is concentrated in the history of religious thought in 19th and 20th century Germany (editions of Harnack and Sohm; religion and National Socialism; German-Judaism; biography and study of Hans-Joachim Schoeps); late antiquity Mediterranean religious history (Mithraism; Egyptian monasticism; Near Eastern archaeology); the relationship between politics and religion (National Socialism, RC Modernism); and theories of religion (religion and historiographical theories; religion and politics; religion as cultural artifact). Publications are to be found in all these areas.
