al ized ▁concept ▁of ▁religion , ▁where ▁religious ▁things ▁were ▁separated ▁from ▁world ly ▁things , ▁was ▁not ▁used ▁before ▁the ▁ 1 5 0 0 s . ▁The ▁concept ▁of ▁religion ▁was ▁first ▁used ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 5 0 0 s ▁to ▁distinguish ▁the ▁domain ▁of ▁the ▁church ▁and ▁the ▁domain ▁of ▁civil ▁authorities . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁ancient ▁Greece , ▁the ▁Greek ▁term ▁th res ke ia ▁was ▁lo os ely ▁translated ▁into ▁Latin ▁as ▁relig io ▁in ▁late ▁anti qu ity . ▁The ▁term ▁was ▁sp ars ely ▁used ▁in ▁classical ▁Greece ▁but ▁became ▁more ▁frequently ▁used ▁in ▁the ▁writ ings ▁of ▁Joseph us ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁century ▁CE . ▁It ▁was ▁used ▁in ▁m und ane ▁context s ▁and ▁could ▁mean ▁multiple ▁things ▁from ▁respect ful ▁fear ▁to ▁excess ive ▁or ▁harm fully ▁dist ract ing ▁practices ▁of ▁others ; ▁to ▁cult ic ▁practices . ▁It ▁was ▁often ▁contrast ed ▁with ▁the ▁Greek ▁word ▁de is ida im onia ▁which ▁meant ▁too ▁much ▁fear . ▁ ▁The ▁modern ▁concept ▁of ▁religion , ▁as ▁an ▁abstra ction ▁that ▁ent ails ▁distinct ▁sets ▁of ▁belief s ▁or ▁do ctr ines , ▁is ▁a ▁recent ▁in vention ▁in ▁the ▁English ▁language . ▁Such ▁usage ▁began ▁with ▁texts ▁from ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁century ▁due ▁to ▁events ▁such ▁the ▁splitting ▁of ▁Christ end om ▁during ▁the ▁Protest ant ▁Re formation ▁and ▁global ization ▁in ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁expl oration , ▁which ▁involved ▁contact ▁with ▁numerous ▁foreign ▁cult ures ▁with ▁non -