Includes bibliographical references (pages 459-463) and index.

"Four Testaments brings together four foundational texts from world religions--the Tao Te Ching, Dhammapada, Analects of Confucius, and Bhagavad Gita--inviting readers to experience them in full, to explore possible points of connection and divergence, and to better understand people who practice these traditions"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents -- Foreword by Francis X. Clooney, SJ, Director of the Harvard Center for Study of World Religions -- Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Prologue: Four Fingers and a Thumb -- Tao Te Ching, Analects, Dhammapada, Gita, and Avesta -- Book One From the Foundations of the Earth to Our Common Spiritual Ancestors -- Introduction: East and West Meeting at the Altar of Religion by Cyril Glasse -- Exordium: What We Once Knew, by Karl Friedrich Geldner -- Preface: Why the Z Factor Matters -- Through the Mists of Time: Vedic and Semitic Prehistories Connecting East and West -- A Priest Becomes a Prophet: Commissioned at the River -- A Chance Meeting at the Crossroads of History: A Prelude to the Babylonian Interface between Proto Vedic and Proto Semitic Religions -- The Silk Route: The Axis of the Axial Age -- The Extant Avesta: A Few Pieces of the Jigsaw Puzzle -- The Fraternal Twins of World Religion: Monism for Monotheists -- Book Two The Taoist Testament -- Introduction: Magi in China and Intellectual Ferment in Eurasia at the Middle of the First MillenniumBCE by Professor Victor H. Mair, Professor of Chinese, Philadelphia University -- Preface: Magic and iMagination -- Tao Te Ching: translated by Victor H. Mair -- Book Three The Confucian Testament -- Introduction: Innovation vs. Tradition by Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple Sinai, Oakland -- Preface: Fireworks East and West -- The Analects: translated by James Legge -- Book Four The Buddhist Testament -- Introduction: The Indian Origins of Buddhism by Professor Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Oxford -- Preface: King Akbar's Perfect Religion -- Dhammapada: translated by S. Radhakrishnan -- Book Five The Hindu Testament.

Introduction: Reciprocal Illumination by Professor Arvind Sharma, Birks Professor in Comparative Religion, McGill University -- Preface: With Notes from Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi -- Bhagavad Gita: translated by Gandhi -- Book Six The Z Factor -- Introduction: Eastern Influence in Western Texts by Dr. David Bruce -- Preface: New Frontiers in Scriptural Studies -- Israel in Exile: God as Israel's Only Redeemer -- Up from the River Again, With a Promise of Paradise: Jesus as a Zoroastrian Saoshyant, the Redeemer of the World -- Chinvat Bridge -- The Final Judgement: Zoroastrian Scriptures and "Previous Revelations" Corrected in the Quran -- Book Seven The Dead Zee Scrolls -- Introduction: Digging Through Time by Professor Richard Freund -- Preface: A Model for the Twenty First Century -- Among the Ruins: Tablets and Cylinders -- From Aurel Stein to Mary Boyce and Beyond: Controversies in the Twentieth Century -- Epilogue: The Resurrection of Zoroaster: A Prophet for the Twenty First Century -- Dancing on the Edge of Tombs: More Treasure Than Anyone Imagined -- Appendix: Images of the Original Eastern Testaments -- Preface to Images: The Edict of Cyrus and the Chinese Cuneiform Bones by E.K. Eduljee.

Foreword by Francis X. Clooney, SJ, Director of the Harvard Center for Study of World Religions -- Prologue: Four Fingers and a Thumb : Tao Te Ching, Analects, Dhammapada, Gita, and Avesta -- Book One: From the Foundations of the Earth to Our Common Spiritual Ancestors -- Introduction: East and West Meeting at the Altar of Religion / by Cyril Glassé -- Exordium: What We Once Knew / by Karl Friedrich Geldner -- Preface: Why the Z Factor Matters -- From the Foundations of the Earth: Vedic and Semitic Prehistories Connecting East and West -- A Priest Becomes a Prophet: Commissioned at the River -- A Chance Meeting at the Crossroads of History: Before the Vedic-Semitic Interface in Babylon -- The Silk Route: The Axis of the Axial Age -- The Extant Avesta: Pieces of a Jigsaw Puzzle -- The Fraternal Twins of World Religion: Monism for Monotheists -- Book Two: The Taoist Testament -- Introduction: Magi in China and Intellectual Ferment in Eurasia at the Middle of the First Millennium BCE / by Victor H. Mair, Professor of Chinese, Philadelphia University -- Preface: Magic and iMagination -- Tao Te Ching / translated by Victor H. Mair -- Book Three: The Confucian Testament -- Introduction: Tradition versus Innovation / by Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple Sinai, Oakland -- Preface: Fireworks East and West -- Analects / translated by James Legge -- Book Four: The Buddhist Testament -- Introduction: The Indian Origins of Buddhism / by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Oxford -- Preface: The Path of Teachings -- Dhammapada / translated by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan -- Book Five: The Hindu Testament -- Introduction: Reciprocal Illumination / by Arvind Sharma, Birks Professor in Comparative Religion, McGill University -- Preface: With Notes from Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi -- Bhagavad Gita / translated by Mohandas Gandhi -- Book Six: The Z Factor -- Introduction: The Texts / by David Bruce -- Preface: New Frontiers in Scriptural Studies -- Israel in Exile: God as Israel's Only Redeemer -- Jesus as a Zoroastrian Saoshyant, the Redeemer of the World -- Chinvat Bridge: The Final Judgement: Zoroastrian Scriptures and "Previous Revelations" Corrected and confirmed in the Quran -- Book Seven: The Dead Zee Scrolls -- Introduction: Searching for the "Dead Zee Scrolls" / by Richard Freund -- Preface: A Model for the Twenty-First Century -- Among the Ruins: Tablets and Cylinders -- From Aurel Stein to Mary Boyce and Beyond: Controversies in the Twentieth Century and Resolution in the Twenty-First -- Epilogue: The Resurrection of Zoroaster: A Prophet from the East for the Twenty-First Century -- Appendix: Images of the Original Eastern Testaments and Tantalizing Hints of Things to Come.

Nonfiction Baker & Taylor