Sacred Texts of the World

With few exceptions, the world's religions are anchored in their sacred texts-core writings that express the ideals and vision of the faiths, forming a basis for belief and action. Humanity's library of sacred writings is a huge canon that includes many of the most influential books ever written. In addition to the Hebrew and Christian bibles and the Quran of Islam, major sacred writings include the Hindu Vedas, the Buddhist Sutras, Daoism's Daodejing, and the Analects of Confucius, as well as the beloved texts of religions such as Zoroastrianism and Jainism, and modern faiths such as Baha'i. These are texts that people live by and, at times, are willing to die for. In these 36 lectures, Professor Hardy takes you deeply into the body of sacred writings that have played a fundamental role in human culture and history. Discussing a broad range of texts, the course examines the scriptures of seven major religions, as well as nine lesser known or smaller faiths, including texts from the ancient Egyptian and Mayan societies. In addition to studying the scriptures of the Judeo-Christian and Islamic worlds, you'll discover religious texts from vastly differing cultures around the world. These richly insightful lectures highlight a global legacy of faith, thought, and spirituality.

All Lectures:
1. Reading Other People's Scriptures
2. Hinduism and the Vedas
3. What Is Heard - Upanishads
4. What Is Remembered - Epics
5. Laws of Manu and Bhagavad Gita
6. Related Traditions - Sikh Scriptures
7. Judaism - People of the Book
8. Five Books of Torah
9. Prophets and Writings
10. Apocrypha and Dead Sea Scrolls
11. Oral Torah - Mishnah and Talmud
12. Related Traditions - Zoroastrian Scriptures
13. The Three Baskets of Buddhism
14. Vinaya and Jataka
15. Theravada Sutras
16. Mahayana Sutras
17. Pure Land Buddhism and Zen
18. Tibetan Vajrayana
19. Related Traditions - Jain Scriptures
20. Five Confucian Classics
21. Four Books of Neo-Confucianism
22. Daoism and the Daodejing
23. The Three Caverns of Daoist Scriptures
24. Related Traditions - Shinto and Tenrikyo
25. Christian Testaments Old and New
26. Gospels and Acts
27. Letters and Apocalypse
28. Apocryphal Gospels
29. Related Traditions - Mormon Scriptures
30. Islam and Scriptural Recitation
31. Holy Qur'an
32. Hadith and Sufism
33. Related Traditions - Baha'i Scriptures
34. Abandoned Scriptures - Egyptian and Mayan
35. Secular Scripture - U.S. Constitution
36. Heavenly Books, Earthly Connections