The purpose of this Web site is to offer readings that present the ideas and beliefs of predominant religious movements. The writings selected for this site are both profound and provocative, having influenced the moral, social, and political development of human history. It is our hope that reading and thinking about these texts will offer a rich opportunity for discussion.

This Web site, along with The Soul of the Text: An Anthology of Jewish Literature, a new book published by the Great Books Foundation in partnership with the AVI CHAI Foundation, offers representative selections from sacred texts accompanied by questions to prompt shared inquiry discussion. This site is a work in progress, and our hope is to expand the site to include more religions and more readings. If you have any suggestions concerning the direction and scope of this site, please contact us and share your ideas.

The Great Books Foundation would like to thank B. Jill Carroll, Ph.D., Department of Religious Studies, Rice University, for her invaluable assistance in the development of these materials.