Via, Veritas, Vita (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

This 1894 book explores the basics of Christianity, including the origins of the Church, the earliest views of the Bible and the decline of its authority, the role of ethics, and any other topic that fleshes out the essential character of the religion. Part of the prestigious, nonsectarian Hibbert Lectures—which were established by trust in 1847 and continued to be delivered as late as 2005.