THE HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS OF BUDDHISM AND CHRISTIANITY, AND THE
EVIDENTIAL VALUE OF THEIR RESPECTIVE SCRIPTURES.
Both religions inherited and produced scriptures—Christian scriptures
criticised for eighteen centuries—Buddhist scriptures as yet only in
part available for examination—Admissions made by translators in regard
to them—Strong contrasts between two sets of scriptures, in respect of
authenticity and genuineness—Impossible to regard the two as of similar
canonical or authoritative value—In Buddhism only oral traditions for
centuries—Effect of the lack of a real canon in primitive
Buddhism—Effect of a fixed and written canon in the development of
Christianity—Antecedents of Buddhism—Vedic India—Brahmanic
India—Development of Brahmanic speculation—Its highest reach in
philosophical Brahmanism—The Upanishads—Pursuit of Atman—Antecedents of
Christianity—Patriarchal belief in Deity—Mosaic stage of religious
belief—The religion of Moses and the prophets too pure for the people
under the kings—Destruction of the kingdom—Effect of Captivity on the
prophets—on the people—Difference between the beliefs and hopes of the
Diaspora and those of the returned Palestinian Jews—Preparation of the
Empire and world beyond it for the dawn of Christianity, _Pages 59-125_