The study of the outstanding Russian thinker Lev Aleksandrovich Tikhomirov is unique in its content. For the first time, human history has been analyzed in full and from a religious point of view. The book shows the emergence and logical development of religious movements in human societies, the mutual connection and continuity of religious ideas of different times, which either disappear from the historical scene or appear again, donning new guises. The book was written in 1913 - 1918. Published with an appendix that significantly complements previous editions. For those interested in philosophy, history and the history of religions.