Religious texts, also known as
scripture,
scriptures,
holy writ, or
holy books, are the texts which various religious traditions consider to be
sacred, or of central importance to their religious tradition. Many
religions and
spiritual movements believe that their sacred texts are
divinely or
supernaturally
inspired.
History of religious texts
The oldest known religious texts are
Pyramid texts of
Ancient Egypt that date to 2400-2300 BCE although there are older quasi-religious texts that indicate a religious undertone without specifying the actual incantations performed (e.g. the Sumerian "Locust Charm" text that is a listing of someone clearing out pests from various people's fields). The
Epic of Gilgamesh from
Sumeria is also one of the earliest literary works dating to 2150-2000 BCE, that includes various
mythological figures . The
Rigveda of
Hinduism is proposed to have been composed between 1700–1100 BCE making it possibly the world's oldest religious text still in use. The oldest portions of the
Zoroastrian Avesta are believed to have been transmitted orally for centuries before they found written form, and although widely differing dates for
Gathic Avestan (the language of the oldest texts) have been proposed, scholarly consensus floats at around 1000 BCE.
The Torah—the first five books of the Tanakh—is believed by some scholars to have been written by Moses around 1440 BC, the suspected date of The Exodus from Egypt.
The first scripture printed for wide distribution to the masses was The Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist scripture, and is the earliest recorded example of a dated printed text, bearing the Chinese calendar date for 11 May 868 CE.
Views
Attitudes to sacred texts differ. Some religions make written texts widely and freely available, while others hold that sacred secrets must remain hidden from all but the loyal and the initiate. Most religions promulgate policies defining the limits of the sacred texts and controlling or forbidding changes and additions. Some religions view their sacred texts as the "Word of God", often contending that the texts are inspired by
God and as such not open to alteration. Translations of texts may receive official blessing, but an original sacred language often has
de facto, absolute or exclusive paramountcy. Some religions make texts available free or in subsidized form; others require payment and the strict observance of copyright.
References to scriptures profit from standardisation: the Guru Granth Sahib (of Sikhism) always appears with standardised page numbering while many other religions (including the Abrahamic religions and their offshoots) favour chapter and verse pointers.
Other terms
Other terms are often used by adherents to describe the canonical works of their religion. In the
United States, terms like 'Holy Writ' and others are used by some Christian groups (including the
King-James-Only Movement) to describe the Christian
Bible or, less often, by Muslim groups to describe the
Qur'an.
Another term is 'Holy Scripture' or 'Sacred Scripture', used to denote the text's importance, its status as divine revelation, or, as in the case of many Christian groups, its complete inerrancy. Christianity is not alone in using this terminology to revere its sacred book; Islam holds the Qur'an in similar esteem, as does Hinduism the Vedas and Bhagavad Gita, and Buddhism the sutras.
Hierographology
Hierographology (
Ancient Greek: ἱερός, hieros, "sacred" or "holy", + γραφή, graphe, "writing", + λόγος, logos, "word" or "reason") (
archaically also '
hierology') is the study of sacred texts.
Increasingly, sacred texts of many cultures are studied within academic contexts, primarily to increase understanding of other cultures, whether ancient or contemporary. Sometimes this involves the extension of the principles of higher criticism to the texts of many faiths. It may also involve a comparative study of religious texts. The hierographology of the Qur'an can be particularly controversial, especially when questioning the accuracy of Islamic traditions about the text.
List of sacred texts of various religions
Homeric Hymns
Theogony
Havamal
Eddas
Great Hymn to the Aten
The Akilathirattu Ammanai
The Arul Nool
The Kitáb-i-Aqdas
Kitáb-i-Íqán
other Bahá'í literature including works from other faiths
Bon Kangyur and Tengyur
;
Theravada Buddhism
The Tipitaka or Pāli Canon
* Vinaya Pitaka
* Sutta Pitaka
** Digha Nikaya, the "long" discourses.
** Majjhima Nikaya, the "middle-length" discourses.
** Samyutta Nikaya, the "connected" discourses.
** Anguttara Nikaya, the "numerical" discourses.
** Khuddaka Nikaya, the "minor collection".
* Abhidhamma Pitaka
; East Asian
Mahayana
book in the world, printed in the 9th year of Xiantong Era of the
Tang Dynasty, or 868 CE.
British Library.]]
The Chinese Buddhist Tripiṭaka, including
* Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra
* Shurangama Sutra and its Shurangama Mantra
* Pure Land Buddhism
** Infinite Life Sutra
** Amitabha Sutra
** Contemplation Sutra
** other Pure Land Sutras
* Tiantai, Tendai, and Nichiren
** Lotus Sutra
* Shingon
** Mahavairocana Sutra
** Vajrasekhara Sutra
;
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Kangyur and Tengyur
The Donghak Scripture
The Songs of Yongdam
The Sermons of Master Haeweol
The Sermons of Revered Teacher Euiam
, 1407 handwritten copy]]
The Bible. For all branches of Christianity - Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodox - 66 canonical books of the Bible is the main scripture.
In addition,
Catholicism includes the
Deuterocanonical books, the
Orthodox Church includes the
Anagignoskomena and
Antilegomena (the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church adds
The Book of Enoch).
;Cerdonianism and Marcionism
Gospel of Marcion (similar to the Gospel of Luke)
Pauline epistles
;Gnosticism
Nag Hammadi library and other Gnostic texts (not from the Bible)
Some books of the Old Testament and New Testament
(Image from the U.S. Library of Congress
Rare Book and Special Collections Division.)]]
;Latter Day Saint movement
The Bible in King James' version
The Book of Mormon
The Pearl of Great Price
The Doctrine and Covenants
The Five Classics
The Four Books
The Thirteen Classics
The Principia Discordia
Rasa'il al-hikmah (Epistles of Wisdom)
from Teti I's pyramid.]]
; Old Kingdom
Pyramid Texts
; First Intermediate Period & Middle Kingdom
Coffin Texts
; Second Intermediate Period
The Book of the Dead
Book of Caverns
Book of Gates
Amduat
Book of the Heavenly Cow
Litany of Re
Cippus Perusinus
Liber Linteus
Pyrgi Tablets
Tabula Cortonensis
Hermetica, Emerald Tablet and associated writings
is
Lord Krishna's counsel to
Arjuna on the battlefield of the
Kurukshetra.]]
;
Śruti
Vedas
* Rig Veda
* Sama Veda
* Yajur Veda
* Atharva Veda
Brahmanas
Aranyakas
Upanishads
; Smriti
Itihāsas
* Mahābhārata (including the Bhagavad Gita)
** Bhagavad Gita
* Ramayana
Puranas (List)
* Bhagavata Purana
Tantras
Sutras (List)
Stotras
Ashtavakra Gita
Gherand Samhita
Gita Govinda
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Yoga Vasistha
; In Purva Mimamsa
Purva Mimamsa Sutras
; In Vedanta (Uttar Mimamsa)
Brahma Sutras of Vyasa
; In Yoga
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
; In Samkhya
Samkhya Sutras of Kapila
; In Nyaya
Nyāya Sūtras of Gautama
; In Vaisheshika
Vaisheshika Sutras of Kanada
; In Vaishnavism
Vaikhanasa Samhitas
Pancaratra Samhitas
; In Saktism
Sakta Tantras
; In Kashmir Saivism
64 Bhairavagamas
28 Shaiva Agamas
Shiva Sutras of Vasugupta
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra
; In Pashupata Shaivism
Pashupata Sutras of Lakulish
Panchartha-bhashya of Kaundinya (a commentary on the Pashupata Sutras)
Ganakarika
Ratnatika of Bhasarvajna
; In Shaiva Siddhanta
28 Saiva Agamas
Tirumurai (canon of 12 works)
Meykandar Shastras (canon of 14 works)
; In Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Brahma Samhita
Jayadeva's Gita Govinda
; Krishna-karnamrita
Chaitanya Bhagavata
Chaitanya Charitamrita
Prema-bhakti-candrika
Hari-bhakti-vilasa
; In Kabir Panth
poems of Kabir
; In Dadu Panth
poems of Dadu
Qur'an (also referred to as Kuran, Koran, Qur’ān, Coran or al-Qur’ān)
Hadith (oral traditions of the words and deeds of Muhammad)
;
Svetambara
11 Angas
* Secondary
** 12 Upangas, 4 Mula-sutras, 6 Cheda-sutras, 2 Culika-sutras, 10 Prakirnakas
;
Digambara
Karmaprabhrita, also called Satkhandagama
Kashayaprabhrita
; Nonsectarian/Nonspecific
Jina Vijaya
Tattvartha Sutra
GandhaHasti Mahabhashya (authoritative and oldest commentary on the Tattvartha Sutra)
opened for liturgical use in a
synagogue service]]
;
Rabbinical Judaism
The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible)
* Torah (teachings)
* Nevi'im (prophets)
* Ketuvim (writings)
The Talmud
* Mishnah
* Gemara
; Karaite Judaism
The Tanakh
; Beta Israel
The Tanakh with several apocrypha
The Satanic Bible (primary text)
The Satanic Rituals (contains additional rituals)
Siddhanta Shikhamani
Vachana sahitya
Mantra Gopya
Shoonya Sampadane
28 Agamas
Karana Hasuge
Basava Purana
The Ginza Rba
Book of the Zodiac
Qolusta, Canonical Prayerbook
Book of John the Baptizer
Diwan Abatur, Purgatories
1012 Questions
Coronation of Shislam Rba
Baptism of Hibil Ziwa
Haran Gawaita
The Evangelion (Greek, Coptic: Ευαγγελιον, meaning roughly "good news"). Also known as the Gospel of Mani and The Living Gospel
the Treasure of Life
the Pragmateia (Coptic: πραγματεία)
the Book of Mysteries
the Book of Giants
the Epistles
the Psalms and Prayers. A Coptic Manichaean Psalter, discovered in Egypt in the early 1900s, was edited and published by Charles Allberry from Manichaean manuscripts in the Chester Beatty collection and in the Berlin Academy, 1938-9.
The Shabuhragan
The Arzhang
The Kephalaia (Κεφαλαια), "Discourses", found in Coptic translation.
God Speaks
Various New Age religions may regard any of the following texts as inspired:
A Course in Miracles
Conversations with God
Oahspe
The Urantia Book
Isis Unveiled
Orphic Poems
The Bible
the Holy Piby
the Kebra Negast
The speeches and writings of Haile Selassie I
Royal Parchment Scroll of Black Supremacy
The Amritbani Guru Ravidass Ji
The Samaritan Torah
List of Scientology texts
The Kojiki
The Nihon Shoki or Nihongi
(basic religion mantra) with signature of
Guru Gobind Singh.]]
Main article:
Sikh scriptures
The Guru Granth Sahib
The Dasven Padshah Da Granth
The Spirits Book
The Book on Mediums
The Gospel According to Spiritism
Heaven and Hell
The Genesis According to Spiritism
The Barton Cylinder
The Bible
The works of Emanuel Swedenborg
Tao Te Ching
Zhuangzi (book)
Daozang
The Ofudesaki
The Mikagura-uta
The Osashizu
Holy Books of Thelema especially The Book of the Law
Divine Principle
Book of Shadows
Charge of the Goddess
Threefold Law
Yazidi Black Book
Yazidi Book of Revelation
Primary religious texts, that is, the Avesta collection:
* The Yasna, the primary liturgical collection, includes the Gathas.
* The Visperad, a collection of supplements to the Yasna.
* The Yashts, hymns in honor of the divinities.
* The Vendidad, describes the various forms of evil spirits and ways to confound them.
* shorter texts and prayers, the Yashts the five Nyaishes ("worship, praise"), the Sirozeh and the Afringans (blessings).
There are some 60 secondary religious texts, none of which are considered scripture. The most important of these are:
* The Denkard (middle Persian, 'Acts of Religion'),
* The Bundahishn, (middle Persian, 'Primordial Creation')
* The Menog-i Khrad, (middle Persian, 'Spirit of Wisdom')
* The Arda Viraf Namak (middle Persian, 'The Book of Arda Viraf')
* The Sad-dar (modern Persian, 'Hundred Doors', or 'Hundred Chapters')
* The Rivayats, 15th-18th century correspondence on religious issues
For general use by the laity:
* The Zend (lit. commentaries), various commentaries on and translations of the Avesta.
* The Khordeh Avesta, a collection of everyday prayers from the Avesta.
References
External links
Holy Books - Religious and Spiritual Public Domain books
Ancient texts library
Internet Sacred Text Archive
Category:Lists of books by topic
Category:Religion-related lists
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