The message and the book: sacred texts of the world's religions

Judaism. The Bible: the origins of the Jewish people

Tanakh: history and revelation

Tanakh: canon and translations

Interpretation of Torah: Mishnah and Talmuds, Shulhan Aruch

Maimonides: Mishneh Torah

Qabbalah: Zohar

Liturgy and prayer: Amida and Piyyutim.

Christianity. The New Testament: Jesus and the canon

The New Testament: the Gospels

The New Testament: Epistles and other writings

Translations: the Vulgate, the authorised version

Creeds and confessions: the Apostles' and the Nicene Creeds, from Augsburg to Peter the Great

Councils: ecumenical councils, Vatican I, Vatican II

Prayers and hymns: the Office, the Book of Common Prayer, hymns, John and Charles Wesley

Liturgy and eucharist: the Last Supper, Kontakia

Prayer and monastic orders: Basil the Great, Dionysius, The Philokalia

Monasticism: Rule of Benedict

Christianity of the Celts: Columbanus, Patrick, Carmina Gaedelica

Acts of the martyrs: Polycarp, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Augustine: The Confessions

Thomas Aquinas: Summa contra Gentiles, Summa Theologica

Poetry: Dante and others

The Reformations: Luther, Calvin

The Reformations: Trent, John of the Cross, Ignatius.

Islam. The Quran: Muhammad the Prophet

The Quran: Revelation, the People of the Book

The Quran: the Mushaf

Hadith: the six sound collections

Sharia and the life of Muhammad: ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah

alGhazali Ihya 'Ulum udDin, Munqidh min adDalal

Sufis

The poets of Persia: Farid, Sa'di, Hafiz, Jami, Rumi.

Zoroastrians and Parsis. Zarathustra: Gathas, Yasna, Avesta.

India. The Vedas

Upanishads and Agamas

Sutras: Badarayana's Vedanta Sutra, Patanjali's Yoga Sutra

Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras: Manusmriti

The Epics: Ramayana and Mahabharata

Puranas: Bhagavata Purana

The song of the Lord: Bhagavadgita

The love of God: Gitagovinda

The love of God: Alvars and Nayanars

Tantra: Shrividya

The Gitas: Anugita, Ishvaragita and Devigita

The Sants: Kabir.

Sikhs. Guru Nanak: Japji and Mul Mantra

The Gurus: Adi Granth, Guru Granth Sahib and Dasam Granth.

Jains. Agamas, Suttas and Tattvartha Sutra.

Buddhism (for Buddhism in Korea, see Korea). The Buddha: the first and final addresses

Sacred texts of Buddhists: the Pali Canon and the Canons of Tibet, China and Japan

Lives of the Buddha: Jatakas, Buddhacarita and Lalitavistara

The Sangha: Vinaya Pitaka, Dhammapada

Dharma/Dhamma: Abhidhamma, Visuddhimagga, Milindapañha

Mahayana: Sutras

Perfection of wisdom: Ashtasahasrika Sutra, The Diamond-Cutter Sutra, The Heart Sutra, and Nagarjuna

Yogacara: Lankavatara Sutra, Asanga and Vasubandhu

Huayan: Avatamsaka Sutra

Tiantai: The Threefold Lotus Sutra, Nichiren

Pure land

Chan: Bodhidharma, The Platform Sutra

Zen: Rinzai and Koans, Soto and Dogen

Tibetan Buddhism: Kangur and Tengyur

Tibetan Buddhism: Naropa, The Tibetan Book of the Dead.

China (for Buddhism in China, see Buddhism). The Confucian classics: Liujing

The Book of Songs: Shijing

The Analects: Lunyu

Great learning and doctrine of the mean: Da Xue and Zhong Yong

The Book of Mencius: Mengzi

The Daoist Canon: Daozang

Laozi, the Way and its Power: Daodejing

Zhuangzi: Zhuangzi or Nan Hua Zhen Jing

The Neo-Confucianists: the Five Masters.

Korea. The Korean Canon: Taejang Togam, Wonhyo and Chinul.

Japan (for Buddhism in Japan, see also Buddhism). Shinto: Kojiki and Nihongi

The organisation of Japanese society: Juschichijo Kempo, Engishiki and Norito

Shingon and Shinto: Nanto Rokushu, Kukai and Kitabatake Chikafusa

The defining of Shinto: the Five Shinto Classics, Kokugaku

Poetry and the power of words: Manyoshu, Kokinshu, Shinkokinshu and Basho.

Sacred texts and the burning of books.

Judaism. The Bible: the origins of the Jewish people

Tanakh: history and revelation

Tanakh: canon and translations

Interpretation of Torah: Mishnah and Talmuds, Shulhan Aruch

Maimonides: Mishneh Torah

Qabbalah: Zohar

Liturgy and prayer: Amida and Piyyutim.

Christianity. The New Testament : Jesus and the canon

The New Testament : the Gospels

The New Testament: Epistles and other writings

Translations: the Vulgate, the authorised version

Creeds and confessions: the Apostles' and the Nicene Creeds, from Augsburg to Peter the Great

Councils: ecumenical councils, Vatican I, Vatican II

Prayers and hymns: the Office, the Book of Common Prayer, hymns, John and Charles Wesley

Liturgy and eucharist: the Last Supper, Kontakia

Prayer and monastic orders: Basil the Great, Dionysius, The Philokalia

Monasticism: Rule of Benedict

Christianity of the Celts: Columbanus, Patrick, Carmina Gaedelica

Acts of the martyrs: Polycarp, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Augustine: The Confessions

Thomas Aquinas: Summa contra Gentiles, Summa Theologica

Poetry: Dante and others

The Reformations: Luther, Calvin

The Reformations: Trent, John of the Cross, Ignatius.

Islam. The Quran: Muhammad the Prophet

The Quran: Revelation, the People of the Book

The Quran: the Mushaf

Hadith: the six sound collections

Sharia and the life of Muhammad: ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah

alGhazali Ihya 'Ulum udDin, Munqidh min adDalal

Sufis

The poets of Persia: Farid, Sa'di, Hafiz, Jami, Rumi.

Zoroastrians and Parsis. Zarathustra: Gathas, Yasna, Avesta.

India. The Vedas

Upanishads and Agamas

Sutras: Badarayana's Vedanta Sutra, Patanjali's Yoga Sutra

Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras: Manusmriti

The Epics : Ramayana and Mahabharata

Puranas : Bhagavata Purana

The song of the Lord: Bhagavadgita

The love of God: Gitagovinda

The love of God: Alvars and Nayanars

Tantra: Shrividya

The Gitas: Anugita, Ishvaragita and Devigita

The Sants: Kabir .

Sikhs. Guru Nanak: Japji and Mul Mantra

The Gurus: Adi Granth, Guru Granth Sahib and Dasam Granth.

Jains. Agamas, Suttas and Tattvartha Sutra.

Buddhism (for Buddhism in Korea, see Korea). The Buddha: the first and final addresses

Sacred texts of Buddhists: the Pali Canon and the Canons of Tibet, China and Japan

Lives of the Buddha: Jatakas, Buddhacarita and Lalitavistara

The Sangha: Vinaya Pitaka, Dhammapada

Dharma/Dhamma: Abhidhamma, Visuddhimagga, Milindapañha

Mahayana: Sutras

Perfection of wisdom: Ashtasahasrika Sutra, The Diamond-Cutter Sutra, The Heart Sutra, and Nagarjuna

Yogacara: Lankavatara Sutra, Asanga and Vasubandhu

Huayan: Avatamsaka Sutra

Tiantai: The Threefold Lotus Sutra, Nichiren

Pure land

Chan: Bodhidharma, The Platform Sutra

Zen: Rinzai and Koans, Soto and Dogen

Tibetan Buddhism: Kangur and Tengyur

Tibetan Buddhism: Naropa, The Tibetan Book of the Dead.

China (for Buddhism in China, see Buddhism). The Confucian classics: Liujing

The Book of Songs: Shijing

The Analects: Lunyu

Great learning and doctrine of the mean: Da Xue and Zhong Yong

The Book of Mencius: Mengzi

The Daoist Canon: Daozang

Laozi, the Way and its Power: Daodejing

Zhuangzi: Zhuangzi or Nan Hua Zhen Jing

The Neo-Confucianists: the Five Masters.

Korea. The Korean Canon: Taejang Togam, Wonhyo and Chinul.

Japan (for Buddhism in Japan, see also Buddhism). Shinto: Kojiki and Nihongi

The organisation of Japanese society: Juschichijo Kempo, Engishiki and Norito

Shingon and Shinto: Nanto Rokushu, Kukai and Kitabatake Chikafusa

The defining of Shinto: the Five Shinto Classics, Kokugaku

Poetry and the power of words: Manyoshu, Kokinshu, Shinkokinshu and Basho.

Sacred texts and the burning of books.