The Great Initiates encompasses long centuries of human existence and reflects our greatest search—the quest for the spirit. This book describes the motivations behind external history, the growth of religious striving, the rise and fall of cultures, and indicates their importance for us today. It describes the lives and deeds of extraordinary human beings: Rama, Krishna, Hermes, Moses, Orpheus, Pythagoras, Plato, Jesus. The excitement of discovery which breathes through The Great Initiates may well explain its continuing popularity after over a century.