The Bible of Bibles Or, Twenty-Seven Divine Revelations

Graves, Lydia M.Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.6
Word count
955K words
Chapters
96

Tags

English Originals Religion Humanistic CareIntellectual EnlightenmentAcademic StudyIntellectual CommentaryCross-Cultural View

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Bible of Bibles; Or, Twenty-Seven "Divine" Revelations by Graves and GravesAuthor: Graves, Lydia M.,Language: English, Class: BL: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Religion: General, Miscellaneous and Atheism, Release Date: Aug 24, 2013

Editor's review

This is a public-domain work of comparative religion that surveys and discusses a range of texts described as "divine revelations." Its value lies not in offering spiritual guidance but in presenting, from a comparative perspective, the character of different revelatory texts and helping readers understand the diversity of religious literature and the relationships among such texts. For readers interested in comparative religion, textual provenance, and the history of religious thought, the book offers early source materials and a framework for discussion. It should be read critically: its views reflect the author's stance and the prejudices of his era and should not be taken as settled conclusions. It is best treated as a reference work and read alongside other works on religious history and textual scholarship, which will bring out its value more fully. The book covers several traditions, and readers may select chapters according to their interests rather than feeling obliged to read it straight through.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. Begin with the table of contents to see which traditions and texts are covered, then read selectively according to interest
  2. Note the author's stance and the basis of his arguments as you read, and keep your own independent judgment
  3. Read alongside works on religious history or textual scholarship to compensate for the book's historical limitations
  4. After finishing each tradition, make brief comparative notes to sort out similarities and differences

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

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FAQ

Is this book a classic of a particular religion? No. It is a comparative work discussing a range of texts described as "divine revelations." It belongs to religious studies and textual scholarship, not to the canonical literature of any single faith. Readers should treat it as a reference work for study, not as a book of doctrine.
Can the views in this book be taken as settled scholarship? They should not be. The book was written long ago and reflects the author's stance and the prejudices of his era. Its arguments can serve as material for understanding early comparative religion discussion, but they need to be checked against contemporary scholarship and read critically.
Do I need to read the whole book? No. The book covers several traditions and texts. Readers may begin with the table of contents and select chapters on the religions or texts that interest them. Only those undertaking a broader comparative study need to work through the whole book gradually, taking notes as they go.

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About the author

Graves, Lydia M. Author

Lydia M. Graves is an author about whom little public information is available; all that is currently known is that one work stands under her name, The Bible of Bibles Or, Twenty-Seven Divine Revelations. Judging from the title, the book concerns religious scriptures and so-called divine revelations, setting revelation texts from various traditions side by side for comparison and bearing the character of a compilation with commentary. Writing of this kind was fairly common in the English-speaking world of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when comparative religion was a popular subject for general readers; such works tend to emphasize the arrangement of materials and the statement of views rather than rigorous academic scholarship. Since her dates, nationality and education cannot be confirmed, her style and influence can only be inferred cautiously from the title and format of this single work. What can be said is that the book has left this author a searchable entry in the obscure field of religious textual compilation, while her life and later activities await further documentation.