World texts
The Bible and 21 other texts of the world's religions, each in the US public domain.
Scriptures
Texts that their traditions read as sacred.
- The Bible (World English Bible)Jewish and Christian · World English BibleThe Hebrew Bible, the deuterocanon, and the New Testament.
- The DhammapadaBuddhist · F. Max Muller, 1881A collection of the Buddha's sayings in verse.
- The Bhagavad GitaHindu · Annie Besant, 1922Krishna's teaching to the warrior Arjuna, from the Mahabharata.
- The Meaning of the Glorious KoranMuslim · Marmaduke Pickthall, 1930The scripture of Islam.
- The JapjiSikh · Max Arthur Macauliffe, 1909The opening hymn of the Sikh scripture, by Guru Nanak.
- The Book of MormonLatter Day Saint · Joseph Smith, 1830The scripture of the Latter Day Saint movement, published in 1830.
- The Hymns of the RigvedaHindu · Ralph T. H. Griffith, 1896The oldest Vedic hymns.
- The Egyptian Book of the DeadAncient Egyptian · Peter Le Page Renouf and Édouard Naville, 1904Spells for the journey of the dead, written in tombs and on papyri.
- Rig Veda Americanus: Sacred Songs of the Ancient MexicansAztec (Nahua) · Daniel G. Brinton, 1890Twenty Aztec hymns to the gods, recorded by Sahagún.
- The Upanishads, Part 1Hindu · F. Max Muller, 1879Teachings of the Vedas on the self and Brahman.
Classics
Stories, histories, and teachings of a tradition that are not read as scripture.
- Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book 6: The CynicsCynic · R. D. Hicks, 1925The lives and sayings of Diogenes and the other Cynic philosophers.
- Discourses 3.22: On the Calling of a CynicCynic · W. A. Oldfather, 1928Epictetus on the life and calling of a Cynic philosopher.
- Shinto OraclesJapanese (Shinto) · W. G. Aston, 1905Oracles of the Shinto gods, from Aston's study of Shinto.
- The Tao Te ChingTaoist · James Legge, 1891The short classic of the Tao, attributed to Laozi.
- The Analects of ConfuciusConfucian · James Legge, 1861The sayings of Confucius, recorded by his students.
- Hesiod: Theogony and Works and DaysAncient Greek · Hugh G. Evelyn-White, 1914Hesiod's poems of the birth of the gods and of the life of work.
- The Homeric HymnsAncient Greek · Hugh G. Evelyn-White, 1914Thirty-three ancient Greek hymns to the gods.
- The Poetic EddaNorse · Henry Adams Bellows, 1923Old Norse poems of the gods and heroes.
- Chuang Tzu: Mystic, Moralist, and Social ReformerTaoist · Herbert A. Giles, 1889The writings of the Taoist teacher Zhuangzi.
- The Prose EddaNorse · Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur, 1916Snorri Sturluson's prose account of the Norse gods, about 1220.
- Kojiki: Records of Ancient MattersJapanese (Shinto) · Basil Hall Chamberlain, 1882The oldest Japanese chronicle, from the creation to the early rulers, 712.
- The Shû King (Book of Documents)Confucian · James Legge, 1879The Book of Documents: speeches and records of the early Chinese kings.