Could you buy your way out of purgatory? Martin Luther said no, believing in faith alone.
World religions
After the Diet of Worms, Luther escaped to a castle and translated the Bible into German.
Introduction to the Protestant Reformation (part 2 ...
Luther’s ideas quickly spread across Europe, inspiring new interpretations of the Bible—and new conflicts.
Introduction to the Protestant Reformation (part 3 ...
Hindus and Buddhists share a vocabulary but differ in their interpretations of dharma, karma, and salvation.
Hinduism and Buddhism, an introduction
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The five major world religions
Watch and listen as several British Muslims recount their journeys to Mecca.
Stories of the modern pilgrimage
Protestants largely rejected the visual culture of Catholicism, going so far as to whitewash and destroy its art.
Introduction to the Protestant Reformation (part 4 ...
This video decodes the hand gestures, symbols, and styles of Buddhas from Thailand, Pakistan, Japan, and China.
Four Buddhas at the American Museum of ...
These monumental figures concentrate their attention on the word of God, which Dürer writes into the painting.
Albrecht Dürer, The Four Apostles
Despite a princely upbringing, Siddhartha insisted he was just a man—albeit one who attained perfection.
The historical Buddha
A mound of dirt or the body of the Buddha? These sacred sites give practitioners insight into the Four Noble Truths.
The stupa
How did heaven get to be so controversial? This painting was a defining image of the Protestant Reformation.
Lucas Cranach the Elder, Law and Gospel ...
The greatest minds of the High Renaissance worked on this vast church. Construction took more than a century.
Saint Peter’s Basilica
While not a mosque, the Dome of the Rock is one of the earliest surviving buildings from the Islamic world.
The Dome of the Rock (Qubbat al-Sakhra)
Located in Mecca, this square shrine is the holiest site in Islam. Muslims direct their prayers toward it.
The Kaaba
Islam, one the world’s main monotheistic faiths, was founded in the 7th century by Muhammad, a merchant from Mecca.
Introduction to Islam
No splashes of wine stain this luxurious book! Its 56 miniatures illustrate the story of Passover.
The Golden Haggadah
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Judaism, an introduction
Liturgy provided the script, architecture the set—and the altar sat center stage.
Architecture and liturgy
From the Annunciation to the Last Judgment, this handy guide explains key moments in Christian art.