Beacon Lights of History, Volume 01 | Page 2

services, whatever may have been
their defects; since it is for services that most great men are ultimately
judged, especially kings and rulers. These services, certainly, constitute
the gist of history, and it is these which I have aspired to show.
JOHN LORD.

VOL. I.
THE OLD PAGAN CIVILIZATIONS.

CONTENTS.
ANCIENT RELIGIONS:
EGYPTIAN, ASSYRIAN, BABYLONIAN, AND PERSIAN.
Ancient religions Christianity not progressive Jewish monotheism
Religion of Egypt Its great antiquity Its essential features Complexity
of Egyptian polytheism Egyptian deities The worship of the sun The
priestly caste of Egypt Power of the priests Future rewards and
punishments Morals of the Egyptians Functions of the priests Egyptian
ritual of worship Transmigration of souls Animal worship Effect of
Egyptian polytheism on the Jews Assyrian deities Phoenician deities
Worship of the sun Oblations and sacrifices Idolatry the sequence of
polytheism Religion of the Persians Character of the early Iranians
Comparative purity of the Persian religion Zoroaster Magism
Zend-Avesta Dualism Authorities
RELIGIONS OF INDIA.
BRAHMANISM AND BUDDHISM.
Religions of India Antiquity of Brahmanism Sanskrit literature The
Aryan races Original religion of the Aryans Aryan migrations The
Vedas Ancient deities of India Laws of Menu Hindu pantheism
Corruption of Brahmanism The Brahmanical caste Character of the
Brahmans Rise of Buddhism Gautama Experiences of Gautama Travels
of Buddha His religious system Spread of his doctrine Buddhism a
reaction against Brahmanism Nirvana Gloominess of Buddhism
Buddhism as a reform of morals Sayings of Siddârtha His rules Failure
of Buddhism in India Authorities
RELIGION OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS.
CLASSIC MYTHOLOGY.
Religion of the Greeks and Romans Greek myths Greek priests Greek

divinities Greek polytheism Greek mythology Adoption of Oriental
fables Greek deities the creation of poets Peculiarities of the Greek
gods The Olympian deities The minor deities The Greeks indifferent to
a future state Augustine view of heathen deities Artists vie with poets
in conceptions of divine Temple of Zeus in Olympia Greek festivals No
sacred books among the Greeks A religion without deities Roman
divinities Peculiarities of Roman worship Ritualism and hypocrisy
Character of the Roman Authorities
CONFUCIUS.
SAGE AND MORALIST.
Early condition of China Youth of Confucius His public life His
reforms His fame His wanderings His old age His writings His
philosophy His definition of a superior man His ethics His views of
government His veneration for antiquity His beautiful character His
encouragement of learning His character as statesman His exaltation of
filial piety His exaltation of friendship The supremacy of the State
Necessity of good men in office Peaceful policy of Confucius
Veneration for his writings His posthumous influence Lao-tse
Authorities
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY.
SEEKING AFTER TRUTH.
Intellectual superiority of the Greeks Early progress of philosophy The
Greek philosophy The Ionian Sophoi Thales and his principles
Anaximenes Diogenes of Apollonia Heraclitus of Ephesus Anaxagoras
Anaximander Pythagoras and his school Xenophanes Zeno of Elea
Empedocles and the Eleatics Loftiness of the Greek philosopher
Progress of scepticism The Sophists Socrates His exposure of error
Socrates as moralist The method of Socrates His services to philosophy
His disciples Plato Ideas of Plato Archer Butler on Plato Aristotle His
services The syllogism The Epicureans Sir James Mackintosh on
Epicurus The Stoics Zeno Principles of the Stoical philosophy
Philosophy among the Romans Cicero Epictetus Authorities

SOCRATES.
GREEK PHILOSOPHY.
Mission of Socrates Era of his birth; view of his times His personal
appearance and peculiarities His lofty moral character His sarcasm and
ridicule of opponents The Sophists Neglect of his family His friendship
with distinguished people His philosophic method His questions and
definitions His contempt of theories Imperfection of contemporaneous
physical science The Ionian philosophers Socrates bases truth on
consciousness Uncertainty of physical inquiries in his day Superiority
of moral truth Happiness, Virtue, Knowledge,--the Socratic trinity The
"daemon" of Socrates His idea of God and Immortality Socrates a
witness and agent of God Socrates compared with Buddha and Marcus
Aurelius His resemblance to Christ in life and teachings Unjust charges
of his enemies His unpopularity His trial and defence His audacity His
condemnation The dignity of his last hours His easy death Tardy
repentance of the Athenians; statue by Lysippus Posthumous influence
Authorities
PHIDIAS.
GREEK ART.
General popular interest in Art Principles on which it is based Phidias
taken merely as a text Not much known of his personal history His
most famous statues; Minerva and Olympian Jove His peculiar
excellences as a sculptor Definitions of the word "Art" Its
representation of ideas of beauty and grace The glory and dignity of art
The connection of plastic with literary art Architecture, the first
expression of art Peculiarities of Egyptian and Assyrian architecture
Ancient temples, tombs, pyramids, and palaces General features of
Grecian architecture The Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders Simplicity
and beauty of their proportions... The horizontal lines of Greek and the
vertical lines of Gothic architecture Assyrian, Egyptian, and Indian
sculpture