author
Arthur Lillie
1831–1911
A former British Indian Army officer who turned to religious history, he wrote bold Victorian-era books comparing Buddhism and early Christianity. His work is curious, argumentative, and very much of its time.
1 Audiobook
The Influence of Buddhism on Primitive Christianity
by Arthur Lillie
About the author
Born in Fulham in 1831, Arthur Lillie was christened George Arthur Howard Lillie and was the youngest son of Sir John Scott Lillie. He served as an officer in the British Indian Army, and accounts of his life note that his time in India shaped his strong interest in Buddhism and comparative religion.
After leaving military service, he became a prolific writer. He is best known for works such as The Popular Life of Buddha, Buddhism in Christendom; or, Jesus, the Essene, and The Influence of Buddhism on Primitive Christianity. These books explored links between Buddhist and Christian traditions and helped make him a distinctive, if controversial, voice in late 19th-century religious debate.
Modern reference sources describe him as a soldier, writer, and Buddhist-minded religious commentator rather than a specialist scholar in the modern academic sense. Even so, his books remain of interest to readers curious about Victorian ideas, interfaith comparison, and the history of religious speculation.