The following lectures, prepared amid many cares and duties, have aimed to deal only with practical questions which are demanding attention in our time. They do not claim to constitute a treatise with close connections and a logical order. Each presents a distinct topic, or a particular phase of the present conflict of Christian truth with the errors of the non-Christian religions. This independent treatment must constitute my apology for an occasional repetition of important facts or opinions w

The lectures contained in this volume were delivered to the students of Union Theological Seminary in the year 1891, as one of the courses established in the Seminary by Mr. Zebulon Stiles Ely, in the following terms:      "The undersigned gives the sum of ten thousand dollars to the Union      Theological Seminary of the city of New York, to found a      lectureship in the same, the title of which shall be 'The Elias P.      Ely Lectures on the Evidences of Christianity.'      "The course of le

     The New "Science of Religion" to be Viewed with Discrimination—The      Study of the Oriental Systems too Long a Monopoly of Anti-Christian      Scholars—The Changed Aspects of the Missionary Work—The      Significant Experience of Ziegenbalz—Fears Entertained in      Reference to this Subject by Timid Believers—The Different View      taken of the Old Heathen Systems of Greece and Rome—The Subject      Considered from the Standpoint of Missionary Candidates—The      Testimony of Intelligen

     The Coincidences of the Present Struggle with that of the First      Christian Centuries—The Mediæval Missionary Work of a Simple      Character—That of India, Japan, China, and the Turkish Empire a      Severe Intellectual Struggle as well as a Spiritual      Conquest—Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Islam, present      Obstacles and Resistances Similar to those of Ancient Greece and      Rome—How far Contrasts Appear between the Early and the Present      Conquests—The Methods of Pau

     The Great Variety in India's Religious Systems—The Early      Monotheistic Nature Worship and its Gradual Lapse Into      Polytheism—The Influence of Environment on the Development of      Systems—The Distinction between Aryanism and Brahmanism, and the      Abuses of the Latter in its Doctrines of Sacrifice and Caste—The      Causes which Led to the Overthrow of this System of      Sacerdotalism—The Upanishads and the Beginnings of Philosophy—The      Rise of Buddhism and the Six Schools o

     The Great Interest Felt in this Poem by a Certain Class of      Readers—Its Alleged Parallels to the Scriptures—The Plausibility      of the Recent Translation by Mr. Mohini M. Chatterji—Its      Patronizing Catholicity—The Same Claim to Broad Charity by Chunder      Sen and Others—Pantheism Sacrifices nothing to Charity, because      God is in All Things—All Moral Responsibility Ceases since God      Acts in Us—Mr. Chatterji's Broad Knowledge of Our Scriptures, and      his Skill in Select

New Interest in Old Controversies Concerning Buddhism—Max Müller's Reply to the Alleged Influence of the System on Christianity—The Distinction to be made between the Credible History of Gautama and Later Legends—The Legends of the Pre-existent States and the Wonders Attending the Earthly Life—The Northern and the Southern Buddhism—The Sources of the Principal Legends—The Four Principal Doctrines of Buddhism, Skandas, Trishna, Kharma, and Nirvana—Difficulties in the Doctrines of Kharma and Nirva

     Posthumous Legends of Mohammed; how they were Produced—Ancient      Arabia and its Religious Systems—The Vale of Mecca and its Former      Uses—The Birth of Mohammed, and his Religious Associations—His      Temperament and Character—The Beginnings of his Prophetic      Mission—Jews and Christians in Arabia and their Influence on      Mohammedanism—Their Errors and Shortcomings a Help to the      Reformer—Strange Doctrines of the Christian Church in Arabia—The      Lost Opportunity of the Ea

     Two Conflicting Theories on the History of Religion—That of the      Old and New Testaments—That of Modern Evolution—The Importance of      this Question—Professor Henry B. Smith's Estimate of Ebrard's      Discussion of it—Ebrard's Summing-up of the Argument—Professor      Naville's View of the Subject—Conclusions of Rev. W.A.P. Martin,      D.D., and Max Müller—How far May we Attempt to Establish the Fact      of an Early Monotheism from Heathen Traditions?—Conceptions      Differing in D

     The Universality and Similarity of Race Traditions—Their General      Support of the Old Testament History—Traditions of the Creation      Found in India, China, among the Northern Turanians and some      African Tribes—The Fall of Man as Traced in Assyria and among the      Hindus—The Buddhists of Ceylon, Mongolians, Africans and Tahitans      had Similar Traditions—The Flood—Traditions of the Chinese, the      Iranians, Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Peruvians—The      Prevalence of Pi

The Prevalence of Speculation in all Ages in Regard to the Great Questions of Man's Origin and Destiny, and His Relations to God—The Various Schemes which have Seemingly Dispensed with the Necessity for a Creator in Accounting for the Existence of the Visible World—The Ancient Atomic Theories and Modern Evolution—Kanada, Lucretius, Herbert Spencer—Darwin's Theory of the Development of Species—Similar Theories Ascribed to the Chinese—The Ethical Difficulties Attending Many Philosophic Speculation

     The Claim that Christianity is the only True Religion—The Peculiar      Tendencies of Modern Times to Deny this Supremacy and Monopoly—It      is not Enough in Such Times to Simply Ignore the Challenge—The      Unique Claim must be Defended—First: Christianity is      Differentiated from all Other Religions by the Fact of a Divine      Sacrifice for Sin—Mohammedanism, though Founded on a Belief in the      True God and Partly on the Old Testament Teachings, Offers no      Saviour—No Idea of

It is said that the very latest among the sciences is the Science of Religion. Without pausing to inquire how far it admits of scientific treatment, certain reasons which may be urged for the study of the existing religions of the world will be considered in this lecture. It must be admitted in the outset that those who have been the pioneers in this field of research have not, as a rule, been advocates of the Christian faith. The anti-Christian theory that all religions may be traced to common

The books relating directly or indirectly to the wide range of topics discussed in the following lectures are too numerous for citation here; but there are some which are so essential to a thorough knowledge of comparative religion and comparative philosophy, that a special acknowledgment is due. "The Sacred Books of the East" are indispensable to one who would catch the real spirit of the Oriental religions. The translations from Hindu, Buddhist, Mohammedan, Confucian, and Zoroastrian literatur