Faiths & Their Founders
What history can say about the figures and texts behind the world's great religions.
- religion
- history
- scripture
Some of the stories included
The Legend of Saint PatrickThe story of St. Patrick, who was kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland before returning as its patron saint.
Maimonides: Sage of CairoExiled as a child, Maimonides became a physician to sultans and the most influential Jewish thinker of the Middle Ages.
Noah's Ark and the Great FloodThe biblical story of Noah, who built a 300-cubit-long ark to save his family and the world's animals from a divinely sent flood.
The Legend of the Holy GrailHow the Holy Grail grew from a mysterious dish in Chrétien de Troyes's unfinished poem of about 1190 into the cup of the Last Supper, and why a chalice in Valencia is claimed to be it.
Gnosticism: The Secret KnowledgeAn exploration of the early Christian movement that believed salvation came from 'gnosis', or secret knowledge of one's divine origins.
The Twelve ApostlesWho the twelve apostles of Jesus were according to the Gospels and Acts, and what the New Testament and later church traditions say became of Peter, James, Thomas and Matthias.
The Bhagavad GitaThe Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu scripture set on a battlefield: Prince Arjuna's crisis and Krishna's teaching on duty, the self and action.
The Origins of DiwaliDiwali, the Hindu, Jain and Sikh festival of lights: the stories behind it, from Rama's return to Ayodhya to the release of Guru Hargobind.
Cain and Abel: The First MurderThe story of Cain and Abel from Genesis 4, Adam and Eve's sons whose rival offerings end in the first murder, alongside details later Jewish and Islamic traditions added.
The Tower of BabelIn Genesis, a united humanity tried to build a tower to heaven, but God confused their language, scattering them across the Earth.
The Mormon War in MissouriIn October 1838 Missouri's governor ordered Mormons exterminated or driven out, an order not rescinded until 1976.
Jainism and the Path of Non-ViolenceJainism, the ancient Indian religion that makes non-violence its highest rule, and how it shaped the young Mahatma Gandhi.
Hagia SophiaBuilt in 537 by Emperor Justinian, Istanbul's Hagia Sophia is an architectural marvel famous for its massive dome and 1,500-year history.
The BuddhaThe life of Siddhartha Gautama, the sheltered prince who confronted suffering and became the Buddha, and his core teachings on how to end it.
The Pirahã: The Tribe That Converted Its MissionaryDan Everett arrived in 1977 to convert the Pirahã. They asked 'Have you seen him?' and he lost his faith instead.
Judas Iscariot: Why Did He Do It?Judas asked the priests for a price and got 30 pieces of silver. Why he did it, the ancient sources never agree.
RumiThe 13th-century scholar turned mystic poet after meeting a wandering dervish, and whose Islamic faith is often erased in popular translation.
BodhidharmaThe story of Bodhidharma, the monk credited with bringing Zen to China, and of how the little that is recorded about him grew into centuries of legend.
The Seven Deadly SinsWhere the seven deadly sins came from: a desert monk's list of eight evil thoughts, reshaped by a pope, Thomas Aquinas and Dante.
Rabbi Shlomo ben YitzchakThe story of Rashi, the 11th-century French rabbi whose commentaries on the Bible and Talmud are still studied today.
The Origins of RamadanThe story of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month commemorating the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad in a cave outside Mecca.
The Four Horsemen of the ApocalypseThe story of the four riders from the Book of Revelation who symbolize conquest, war, famine, and death, written around 95 AD.
The Historical JesusWhat historians can say about Jesus of Nazareth, from Paul's letters to his crucifixion under Pontius Pilate and mentions in Roman sources.
The Fall of ManThe biblical story of Adam, Eve, and a serpent in a garden, culminating in their exile and the birth of human mortality.
Akhenaten and the Aten: Egypt's Religious RevolutionAkhenaten renamed himself in c. 1348 BCE and swapped Egypt's many gods for the sun disc, the Aten.- The Dead Sea ScrollsIn 1947, a shepherd found manuscripts hidden for nearly 2,000 years, revealing the story of who wrote them and why.
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