Ethical and Religious Classics of East and West


Book Description

In the belief that all the great religions have similarities that confirm and differences that enrich peoples’ spiritual outlook on the world, the editors inaugurated a series which they hoped would bring out the essential tenets of religion in what they perceived to be an age of doubt. The series was originally published in the 1950s and consisted of three kinds of books: translations of imaginative, devotional and philosophic works, with an introduction or commentary; reproductions of masterpieces of religious art; and background books showing the environment in which this literature and art arose and developed. The books overlap each other: Both Eastern and Western religious art often illustrates a religious text and many of the books seek the common ground in their cultural view of religion or philosophy.










Religion and The One


Book Description

Theories of one ultimate reality exist in philosophies of both the East and the West, and in both traditions such theories are commonly connected with religion. In Religion and the One, Frederick Copleston explores the approach that different philosophies have taken to the question of divine reality, with a special focus on the metaphysics of the One.In the first part of the book, Copleston looks at the features of different traditions, discussing Taoist philosophy, the Vedanta schools of thought in India, the development of philosophy in the Islamic world, and a number of movements from the Western tradition. The second part questions why people form such theories, exploring factors such as the nature of the self and the cognitive value of mysticism.Writing with all his hallmark learning and lucidity, the author also discusses the consequences of the metaphysics of the One for ethical ideals and social activism. Approaching the issues in an open-minded and unprejudiced fashion, he does not pretend to have answers to all the questions he raises. However, unlike many theologians and philosophers, he is not prepared to dismiss metaphysics as being inherently irreligious.




Classical Ethics: East and West


Book Description

This text combines discussions of major classical Western philosophical ethical systems (primarily Greek and Judeo-Christian) and, in equal depth, discussions of three non-Western ethical traditions (Indian Buddhist, Chinese Confucian, and Chinese Taoist) in a multi-cultural historical framework.




The Balavariani


Book Description




The Message and the Book


Book Description

Grand in its sweep, this survey of the sacred writings of the major religions of the world offers a thoughtful introduction to the ideas and beliefs upon which great faiths are built. Under the expert guidance of John Bowker, a religious scholar and author of international stature, readers explore the key texts of Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist, Parsi, Confucian, Daoist, and Shinto traditions. The author discusses some 400 books, among them such well-known sacred texts as the Bible and the Quran, but also spiritual writings by theologians, philosophers, poets, and others. Bowker provides clear and illuminating commentary on each text, describing the content and core tenets of the work and quoting pertinent passages. He also sets the writings in religious and historical contexts, showing how they have influenced—and in many cases continue to influence—artistic, musical, literary, and political traditions. The Message and the Book is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the meaning and the deep significance of primary religious texts of civilizations around the globe.




St. Francis in Italian Painting


Book Description

In the belief that all the great religions have similarities that confirm and differences that enrich peoples' spiritual outlook on the world, the editors inaugurated a series which they hoped would bring out the essential tenets of religion in what they perceived to be an age of doubt. The series was originally published in the 1950s and consisted of three kinds of books: translations of imaginative, devotional and philosophic works, with an introduction or commentary; reproductions of masterpieces of religious art; and background books showing the environment in which this literature and art arose and developed. The books overlap each other: Both Eastern and Western religious art often illustrates a religious text and many of the books seek the common ground in their cultural view of religion or philosophy.




Akbar's Religious Thought


Book Description

Originally published in 1952, the first part of this book gives a portrait of Akbar (1542-1605), Emperor of India, not as a War Lord and Empire Builder, but as a man deeply absorbed in questions of the Spirit. It follows him in his quest after the various religions professed in India and the doctrines of the Christian faith. The text is illustrated by numerous reproductions of contemporary miniatures. Their style which, under Akbar’s inspiring patronage, resulted from the collaboration of Muslim and Hindu artists who became acquainted with European paintings, reflects the universality of the Emperor’s mind. The second part of the book is concerned with the rise and development of this style.




God and Man


Book Description

Originally published in 1955, and containing some 500 passages, this Biblical anthology brings together, in their original wording, the highest expressions of the Biblical view of life. The anthology is non-historical and non-doctrinal. It starts with the confrontations of man with God as seen in the ‘calls’ of the prophets, and proceeds to the ways of life demanded of man and the duties accompanying the privilege of vocation. It ends with the visions of the ideal society which in times of trial the author believes have sustained the mind. When this was first published, the anthology used often forgotten texts, and in so doing stimulated much attention to these enduring religious documents.