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Religious text
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Everything about Holy Scripture totally explainedReligious texts, also know as Holy Scripture, Sacred Scripture or Holy Writ, 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. The names of sacred scriptures are often capitalized as a mark of respect or tradition.
The Rigveda of Hinduism was composed between 1500–1300 BCE, making it 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 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.
Sacred texts of various religions:
The Akilattirattu Ammanai
The Arul Nool
The Kitáb-i-Aqdas
Kitáb-i-Íqán
and many other writings including ones from other faiths
Bon Kangyur and Tengyur
Theravada Buddhism
East Asian Mahayana
- The Chinese Buddhist Tripitaka, including
- Diamond Sutra
- Pure Land
- Tiantai, Tendai, and Nichiren
- Shingon
- Tibetan Buddhism
The Books of the Bible
Some forms of Christianity:
Latter Day Saint denominations (see also Standard Works):
Cerdonianism and Marcionism
Paulicianism
Gnosticism
The Five Classics
The Four Books
The Principia Discordia
Druze
Rasa'il al-hikmah (Epistles of Wisdom)
Pyrgi Tablets
Tabula Cortonensis
Liber Linteus
Cippus Perusinus
Śruti
Smriti
In Purva Mimamsa
- Mimamsa Sutras of Jaimini
In Vedanta (Uttar Mimamsa)
- Brahma Sutras of Bādarāyaņa
In Yoga
In Samkhya
In Nyaya
In Vaisheshika
- Vaisheshika Sutras of Kanada
In Vaishnavism
- Vaikhanasa Samhitas
- Pancaratra Samhitas
In Saktism
In Kashmir Saivism
- 64 Bhairavagamas
- 28 Saiva Agamas
- Shiva Sutras
In Pasupata Saivism
- Pasupata Sutras of Lakulish
- Panchartha-bhashya of Kaundinya (a commentary on the Pasupata Sutras)
- Ganakarika
- Ratnatika of Bhasarvajna
In Saiva 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
- Caitanya-bhagavata
- Caitanya-caritamrita
- Prema-bhakti-candrika
- Hari-bhakti-vilasa
In Kabir Panth
In Dadu Panth
Siddhanta Shikhamani
Vachanas
Mantra Gopya
Shoonya Sampadane
28 Shaivite Agamas
Karana Hasuge
Basava Purana
Hermetica, Emerald tablet and associated writings
Qur'an (Islamic Scripture, Al-Kitab, 'the Book')
Hadith (sayings and actions of Muhammad)
Nahj al Balagha In Shi'a Islam
Kitab al Majmu (Arabic: كتاب المجموع) is a holy book of the Alawite sect of Islam.
Shvetambara
- 11 Angas
- Secondary
- 12 Upangas, 4 Mula-sutras, 6 Cheda-sutras, 2 Culika-sutras, 10 Prakirnakas
- Digambara
- Nonsectarian/Nonspecific
- Jina Vijaya
- Tattvartha Sutra
- GandhaHasti Mahabhashya (authoratative and oldest commentary on the Tattvartha Sutra)
The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible)
The Talmud
The Ginza Rba
Book of the Zodiac
Qulasta, Canonical Prayerbook
Book of John the Baptizer
Diwan Abatur, Purgatories
1012 Questions
Coronation of Shislam Rba
Baptism of Hibil Ziwa
The Arzhang
Indigenous and Aboriginal mythologies
New Age religions
Various New Age religions may regard any of the following texts as inspired:
A Course in Miracles
Conversations with God
Oahspe
The Bible
The Gnostic Gospels
The Urantia Book
The Orphic Poems
The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
The Bible
the Holy Piby
the Kebra Negast
The speeches and writings of Haile Selassie I
Royal Parchment Scroll of Black Supremacy
The Samaritan Pentateuch
The Satanic Bible
List of Scientology texts
The Guru Granth Sahib
The Dasam Granth Sahib
The Kojiki
The Nihon Shoki or Nihongi
The Spirits Book
The Book of the SubGenius
The Bible
The writings of Emanuel Swedenborg
Some also consider a number of posthumously published manuscripts of Swedenborg to also be sacred.
Daozang
The Holy Books of Thelema especially Liber Al vel Legis
Divine Principle
Wolli Hesul (Explanation of the Divine Principle)
Wolli Kangron (Exposition of the Divine Principle)
Primary religious texts, that is, the Avesta collection:
- The Yasna, the primary liturgical collection, includes the Gathas.
- The Visparad, 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 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 Dēnkard (middle Persian, 'Acts of Religion'),
- The Bundahishn, (middle Persian, 'Primordial Creation')
- The Mainog-i-Khirad (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 (modern Persian, traditional treatises).
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.
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.
In the Qur'an, God (Allah in arabic), states (2:62): Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.
Other Terminology
Other terms are often 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 isn't 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 (Greek ιερος, hieros, "sacred" or "holy", + γραφος, graphos, "writing", + λογος, 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.
Further Information
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