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Secondary sourceBook1885

The Light of Asia and the Light of the World

Samuel H. Kellogg · 1885

An 1885 Christian missionary book comparing the legend and ethics of the Buddha with the story and teachings of Jesus Christ.

A 19th-century Christian missionary comparison of the Buddha's legend and ethics with those of Jesus, reflecting its author's viewpoint.

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The Light of Asia and the Light of the WorldPDF · 424 pages
Samuel H. Kellogg, The Light of Asia and the Light of the World, 1885. Macmillan and Co.

About this source

What it is

This book was written in 1885 by Samuel H. Kellogg, a Christian missionary who spent eleven years in India. It compares the legend, doctrine, and ethics of the Buddha with the story, doctrine, and ethics of Christ, and was published by Macmillan and Co.

Why it matters

This source shows how Western missionaries in the nineteenth century studied and interpreted Buddhism, often through the lens of their own Christian beliefs. It reveals more about Kellogg's religious perspective and the attitudes of his time than about the Buddha himself.

Look closer

  • Why might a Christian missionary choose to write a book comparing the Buddha to Christ?
  • What biases might affect how Kellogg describes Buddhist teachings?
  • What would a book like this be less useful for, as a source about the Buddha's actual life?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Buddha on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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