Sacred Texts across Traditions
What is the collective term for the Book of Changes, the Book of History, Book of Rites, the Book of Odes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals of Confucianism?
The Five Classics
The name of the holiday that commemorates the liberation of Jews from slavery in Egypt and their freedom as a people under the leadership of Moses.
What is Passover?
Who was the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints?
What is Joseph Smith?
The Arabic name for the pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
What is hajj?
Who is the co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement who is under consideration for canonization?
What is Dorothy Day?
The name of genre of Early Christian literature in the Bible that claims to recount the life of Jesus.
What is the gospels?
The religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm).
What is Eid al-Fitr?
The name of the first female Rabbi installed in Germany since the Holocaust.
Who is Alina Treiger?
The Hebrew word for 'covenant', which is a core concept in defining Jewish identity and the relationship with God.
What is 'brit'?
This Japanese new religious movement is based on Buddhist principles but focuses on social justice issues. The third and current honorary president is Daisaku Ikeda.
What is Soka Gakkai?
The acronym for the Hebrew Bible and the sections of the Bible that the acronym stands for.
What is TANAKH, i.e., Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim?
The Hebrew name for the coming of age ritual for Jewish boys.
What is Bar Mitzvah?
Baptist minister William Miller predicted the ‘second coming’ of Jesus for 1843 and founded this American Christian denomination.
What is the Seventh Day Adventists?
The Chinese name for the "the way”, which is said to be at root of all things.
What is the Dao?
A foremost leader and pioneering figure in the Nation of Islam, who was a mentor to Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, Muhammad Ali and his son, that latter took over leadership after his father's death in 1975.
Who is Elijah Muhammad?
The Daoist book said to written by Lao-zi (=Lao tzu).
What is the Daodejing?
This controversial shrine in Japan commemorates the death of fallen soldiers, including WWII war criminals.
What is Yasukuni Shrine?
The Arabic word for 'sayings', which are considered the most important component of sunnah--the orally transmitted record of Mohammad's teachings.
What is 'hadith'?
The Japanese term for spirits, frequently found in nature, but also embodied in myths and legends.
What is kami?
The text that is the cornerstone of mystic Judaism, known as Kabbalah.
What is the Zohar?
The Hebrew name for the Day of Atonement, considered the holiest day of the year in Judaism.
What is Yom Kippur?
After Muhammad's death, this man was named caliph and ruler of the Islamic community, or Ummah. Sunni adherents believes him to be the rightful succcessor.
Who is Abu Bakr?
The name of the Doctrine that outlines the Trinity (God as father, son and holy ghost) established at a council in 3rd century Anatolia, modern day Turkey.
What is the Nicene Creed?
The Arabic name for the practice of giving alms to the needy; one of the five pillars of Islam.
What is "zakat" / "zakah"?