Chapter I.

Introduction.—Ethnic and Catholic Religions.

• § 1. Object of the present Work
• § 2. Comparative Theology; its Nature, Value, and present Position
• § 3. Ethnic Religions. Injustice often done to them by Christian Apologists
• § 4. How Ethnic Religions were regarded by Christ and his Apostles
• § 5. Comparative Theology will furnish a new Class of Evidences in Support of Christianity
• § 6. It will show that, while most of the Religions of the World are Ethnic, or the Religions of Races, Christianity is Catholic, or adapted to become the Religion of all Races
• § 7. It will show that Ethnic Religions are partial, Christianity universal
• § 8. It will show that Ethnic Religions are arrested, but that Christianity is steadily progressive

Chapter II.

Confucius and the Chinese, or the Prose of Asia.

• § 1. Peculiarities of Chinese Civilization
• § 2. Chinese Government based on Education. Civil-Service Examinations
• § 3. Life and Character of Confucius
• § 4. Philosophy and subsequent Development of Confucianism
• § 5. Lao-tse and Tao-ism
• § 6. Religious Character of the "Kings."
• § 7. Confucius and Christianity. Character of the Chinese
• § 8. The Tae-ping Insurrection
• Note. The Nestorian Inscription in China

Chapter III.

Brahmanism.

• § 1. Our Knowledge of Brahmanism. Sir William Jones
• § 2. Difficulty of this Study. The Complexity of the System. The Hindoos have no History. Their Ultra-Spiritualism
• § 3. Helps from Comparative Philology. The Aryans in Central Asia
• § 4. The Aryans in India. The Native Races. The Vedic Age. Theology of the Vedas
• § 5. Second Period. Laws of Manu. The Brahmanic Age
• § 6. The Three Hindoo Systems of Philosophy,—The Sankhya, Vedanta, and Nyasa
• § 7. Origin of the Hindoo Triad
• § 8. The Epics, the Puranas, and Modern Hindoo Worship
• § 9. Relation of Brahmanism to Christianity

Chapter IV.

Buddhism, or the Protestantism of the East.

• § 1. Buddhism, in its Forms, resembles Romanism; in its Spirit, Protestantism
• § 2. Extent of Buddhism. Its Scriptures
• § 3. Sakya-muni, the Founder of Buddhism
• § 4. Leading Doctrines of Buddhism
• § 5. The Spirit of Buddhism Rational and Humane
• § 6. Buddhism as a Religion
• § 7. Karma and Nirvana
• § 8. Good and Evil of Buddhism
• § 9. Relation of Buddhism to Christianity

Chapter V.

Zoroaster and the Zend Avesta.

• § 1. Ruins of the Palace of Xerxes at Persepolis
• § 2. Greek Accounts of Zoroaster. Plutarch's Description of his Religion
• § 3. Anquetil du Perron and his Discovery of the Zend Avesta
• § 4. Epoch of Zoroaster. What do we know of him?
• § 5. Spirit of Zoroaster and of his Religion
• § 6. Character of the Zend Avesta
• § 7. Later Development of the System in the Bundehesch
• § 8. Relation of the Religion of the Zend Avesta to that of the Vedas
• § 9. Is Monotheism or pure Dualism the Doctrine of the Zend Avesta
• § 10. Relation of this System to Christianity. The Kingdom of Heaven

Chapter VI.

The Gods of Egypt.

• § 1. Antiquity and Extent of Egyptian Civilization
• § 2. Religious Character of the Egyptians. Their Ritual
• § 3. Theology of Egypt. Sources of our Knowledge concerning it
• § 4. Central Idea of Egyptian Theology and Religion. Animal Worship
• § 5. Sources of Egyptian Theology. Age of the Empire and Affinities of the Race
• § 6. The Three Orders of Gods
• § 7. Influence upon Judaism and Christianity

Chapter VII.

The Gods Of Greece.

• § 1. The Land and the Race
• § 2. Idea and general Character of Greek Religion
• § 3. The Gods of Greece before Homer
• § 4. The Gods of the Poets
• § 5. The Gods of the Artists
• § 6. The Gods of the Philosophers
• § 7. Worship of Greece
• § 8. The Mysteries. Orphism
• § 9. Relation of Greek Religion to Christianity

Chapter VIII.

The Religion of Rome.

• § 1. Origin and essential Character of the Religion of Rome
• § 2. The Gods of Rome
• § 3. Worship and Ritual
• § 4. The Decay of the Roman Religion
• § 5. Relation of the Roman Religion to Christianity

Chapter IX.

The Teutonic and Scandinavian Religion.

• § 1. The Land and the Race
• § 2. Idea of the Scandinavian Religion
• § 3. The Eddas and their Contents
• § 4. The Gods of Scandinavia
• § 5. Resemblance of the Scandinavian Mythology to that of Zoroaster
• § 6. Scandinavian Worship
• § 7. Social Character, Maritime Discoveries, and Political Institutions of the Scandinavians
• § 8. Relation of this System to Christianity

Chapter X.

The Jewish Religion.

• § 1. Palestine, and the Semitic Races
• § 2. Abraham; or, Judaism as the Family Worship of a Supreme Being
• § 3. Moses; or, Judaism as the national Worship of a just and holy King
• § 4. David; or, Judaism as the personal Worship of a Father and Friend
• § 5. Solomon; or, the Religious Relapse
• § 6. The Prophets; or, Judaism as a Hope of a spiritual and universal Kingdom of God
• § 7. Judaism as a Preparation for Christianity

Chapter XI.

Mohammed and Islam.

• § 1. Recent Works on the Life of Mohammed
• § 2. The Arabs and Arabia
• § 3. Early Life of Mohammed, to the Hegira
• § 4. Change in the Character of Mohammed after the Hegira
• § 5. Religious Doctrines and Practices among the Mohammedans
• § 6. The Criticism of Mr. Palgrave on Mohammedan Theology
• § 7. Mohammedanism a Relapse; the worst Form of Monotheism, and a retarding Element in Civilization
• Note

Chapter XII.

The Ten Religions and Christianity.

• § 1. General Results of this Survey
• § 2. Christianity a Pleroma, or Fulness of Life
• § 3. Christianity, as a Pleroma, compared with Brahmanism, Confucianism, and Buddhism
• § 4. Christianity compared with the Avesta and the Eddas. The Duad in all Religions
• § 5. Christianity and the Religions of Egypt, Greece, and Rome
• § 6. Christianity in Relation to Judaism and Mohammedanism. The Monad in all Religions
• § 7. The Fulness of Christianity is derived from the Life of Jesus
• § 8. Christianity as a Religion of Progress and of universal Unity