SACRED.
Maqaddas, ARAB., HIND. Sacro, Sacrato, . .
Sacre, Fn. Sag,rado, . . . . SP.
, GEE.
Terms synonymous with this English word are applied in Asia to individuals, animals, books, places, stones, and plants.
Sacred books of the East is a title under which, towards the latter part of the 19th century, several of the orientalists of Europe published translations of books relating to the religions of the Eastern Asiatic races,—Hindus, Buddhists, -Zoroastrians, Chinese, and Muhammadans. These have been edited by Professor F. Max Muller, who translated the Hindu Upanishads and the Dharnmapada.
Georg Biihler translated the Apastambha and Gauhuna, also the Vasislitlin Ilaudhayana, the sacred laws of the Aryns.
James Legge translated the texta of Confucitia, the Shu-king, the religious portions of the Shih king, and tho Ifsiao-king.
E. 'W. 1Vest translated Pahlavi texts, Vendidad and Zendavesta. were translated by James Dar mesteter, Julius Jolly translated tho Inatitutes of Vishnu, and T. W. Rhys Davids translated Buddh ist Suttas from the Pali. V. Fausboli translated the Sutta Nipata, Julius Eggeling the Satapatha &alumna, K. T. Tolang the Bliagavat Gita, Sanatsugatiya, and Anugita.
At the same tittle has been appearing trans lations of other sacred books. Of these may be mentioned the Udanavarga from the Tibetan by W. W. Rockhill,—it is the Northern Buddhist version of Dhammapada; Le Pantheon Egypten, by Paul Pierret, conaervator of the Egyptian Museutn of the Louvre; the Clarendon Society published a catalogue of the Buddhist Scriptures; lectures on Buddhist literature in China were delivered and published by Samuel Beal ; A. P. Sinnott wrote on Esoteric 13uddhistn.
Dr. H. Oldenberg wrote on Buddha, his life, his doctrine, and his order.
Mr. Rhys Davids issued a volume on Buddhist birth stories or Jataka tales. It was a translation of the Jattakatt'havannana, the oldest collection of folk-lore extant.
T. Rhys Davi& and H. Oldenberg translated the Vinaya texts, viz. Patimoklia, 3fahavagga, and
Kullavagga.
The Yi-king or Yh-king, the oldest book of the Chinese, was translated by Terrien de la Couperic.
A. E. Gough, 1.24‘.., wrote on the philosophy of the Upanishads and ancient Indian metaphysics.
Dr. C. P. Tielo wrote a hiatory of the Egyptian religion, which James 1.3allingal translated front the Dutch.
Samuel Beal translated the Fo Sho Iling Tan king. E. II. Palmer translated the Koran.
'I'ho Vedas and the Puranaa are the sacred books of the Hindu religion. The sacred books of the Chriatian religion are designated the Old and New Testament, or, collectively, the Bible. The Old Testament inculcates monotheism and givea a his tory of the Hebrews for about 2000 years, to inc. 500. The New Testament gives a history of John the Baptist, and of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah or Anointed, of Ills teachings, Ilis doctrines, and those of His disciples. It was written in Greek, but was early rendered into Latin. Protestant - missionary bodiee have translated tho Old and the New Testaments into nearly all written tonaues, and into many languages which previously hal no scriptory character, and millions of copies have been published. In many instances these sacred books have given a form to the various spoken dialects of a language without a literature.
The Sacred cities of the Hindus, sacred rivers, and sacred sites aro exe.eedingly numerous, and at most of them they have erected the temples for their religion. Sacred cities of the Brahmanical Ilindus, twelve in number, are 1. Bhimasankar, at the source of tho Mime, N.W. of l'oona.
2. Ellora.
3. Kedareswar, in the IIimalaya.
4. 11Iahakala, at I.Jjjain.
Malikarjuna, on Srisaila mountain, in the S. of India.
G. Onikera, on an island in tbo Nerbadde.
7. Naganeth, E. of Ahnnulnaggur.
8. ltaineawara, on en Wend opposite Ceylon.
9. 'I`rhnbuk, near Nesik.
10. Sonmath, Kattyawar.
11. Vaidynath, in the Bombety Dokben.
12. Viswanath, in lionares.