Religious texts, also known as scripture, are the texts which various religious traditions consider to be sacred Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred (considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspiring awe or reverence among believers in a given set of spiritual ideas). In other contexts, objects are often considered 'holy' or 'sacred' if used for spiritual purposes, such as the worship or service of gods, or of central importance to their religious tradition. Many religions Religion is the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or a set of beliefs concerning the origin and purpose of the universe. It is commonly regarded as consisting of a person’s relation to God or to gods or spirits. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories associated with their deity or deities, that are and spiritual Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of their being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop an individual's inner life; such practices often lead to an movements believe that their sacred texts are divinely Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power, or its attributes or manifestations in the world. The root of the words is literally "godlike" ( or supernaturally The term supernatural or supranatural pertains to being above or beyond what one holds to be natural. In the case of one who has strong scientific and atheist beliefs, the supernatural is anything unexplainable by natural law or phenomena. While one who holds mystical or heavenly beliefs may have no conception of supernatural phenomena, he or she inspired In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing, or making something obvious through active or passive communication with supernatural entities . It is believed that revelation can originate directly from a deity, or through an agent, such as an angel. One who has experienced such contact with or communication from the divine.
History of religious texts
See also: history of religion The history of religion refers to the written record of human religious experiences and ideas. This period of religious history typically begins with the invention of writing about 5,000 years ago in the Near East. The prehistory of religion relates to a study of religious beliefs that existed prior to the advent of written records. The timeline, timeline of religion The timeline of religion is a comparative chronology of important events in human religious history and prehistory, and history of writing The history of writing follows the art of expressing language by letters or other marks. In the history of how systems of representation of language through graphic means have evolved in different human civilizations, more complete writing systems were preceded by proto-writing, systems of ideographic and/or early mnemonic symbol. True writing, orThe oldest known religious texts are Pyramid texts The Pyramid Texts are a collection of ancient Egyptian religious texts from the time of the Old Kingdom. The pyramid texts are the oldest known religious texts in the world. Written in Old Egyptian, the pyramid texts were carved on the walls and sarcophagi of the pyramids at Saqqara during the 5th and 6th Dynasties of the Old Kingdom. The oldest of Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. The civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, and it developed over the next three millennia. Its history that date to 2400-2300 BCE. The Epic of Gilgamesh The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known works of literary writing. Scholars believe that it originated as a series of Sumerian legends and poems about the mythological hero-king Gilgamesh, which were gathered into a longer Akkadian epic much later. The most complete version existing today is preserved from Sumeria is also one of the earliest literary works dating to 2150-2000 BCE, that includes various mythological The term mythology can refer to either the study of myths, or to a body of myths. For example, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece. The term "myth" is often used colloquially to refer to a false story, but academic use of figures . The Rigveda The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is counted among the four canonical sacred texts (śruti) of Hinduism known as the Vedas. Some of its verses are still recited as Hindu prayers, at religious functions and other occasions, putting these among the world's oldest religious texts in continued use of Hinduism Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as Sanātana Dharma by its adherents. Generic "types" of Hinduism that attempt to accommodate a variety of complex views span folk and Vedic Hinduism to bhakti tradition, as in Vaishnavism. Hinduism also includes yogic is proposed to have been composed between 1700–1100 BCE[1] making it possibly the world's oldest religious text still in use. The oldest portions of the Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster . It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Persia (Iran). The term Zoroastrianism is, in general usage, essentially synonymous with Mazdaism (the worship of Ahura Mazda, exalted by Zoroaster as the supreme divine authority) Avesta The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language are believed to have been transmitted orally for centuries before they found written form, and although widely differing dates for Gathic Avestan Avestan is an Iranian language known only from its use as the language of Zoroastrian scripture, i.e. the Avesta, from which it derives its name. The language must also at some time have been a natural language, but how long ago that was is unknown. Its status as a sacred language ensured its continuing use for new compositions long after the (the language of the oldest texts) have been proposed, scholarly consensus floats at around 1000 BCE.[citation needed]
The first scripture printed for wide distribution to the masses was The Diamond Sutra The Buddhist text known around the world as the Diamond Sutra is a short Mahayana sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom (prajna-paramita) genre, which teaches the practice of the avoidance of abiding in extremes of mental attachment. A copy of the Diamond Sutra, found among the Dunhuang manuscripts in the early 20th century, is, in the words of the, a Buddhist Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. He is recognized by adherents as an scripture, and is the earliest recorded example of a dated printed text, bearing the Chinese calendar date for 11 May 868 CE.[2]
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 God is the English name given to the singular omnipotent being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism 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 The Guru Granth Sahib , or Adi Granth, is the holy scripture of Sikhism. The book itself is also officially regarded as the final Guru of the Sikhs. It is a voluminous text of 1430 angs, compiled and composed during the period of Sikh Gurus, from 1469 to 1708. It is a collection of hymns or shabad, which describe the qualities of God and why one (of Sikhism Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded in fifteenth century Punjab on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world. This system of religious philosophy and expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat (literally the counsel of the gurus) or the Sikh Dharma) always appears with standardised page numbering while many other religions (including the Abrahamic religions The Abrahamic religions are historically the world's three primary monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which share a common origin and values. The origins of Abrahamic religion are found in Judaism, which began in the first and second millenium BCE in ancient Israel and Judah during which time the Hebrew Bible was composed and their offshoots) favour chapter and verse pointers.
Other terms
Other terms are often by adherents to describe the canonical works of their religion. In the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language, terms like 'Holy Writ' and others are used by some Christian groups (including the King-James-Only Movement "King James Only movement" is a label applied to a wide variety of beliefs concerning the superiority of the Authorized King James Version of the Protestant Bible, and often to the Textus Receptus (or Received Text) version of the New Testament and the Masoretic Text of the Old Testament, from which the KJV was translated) to describe the Christian Bible The Bible refers to collections of sacred scripture of Judaism and Christianity. There is no single version: both the individual books and their order vary. The Hebrew Bible contains 24 books that were rearranged into 39 by Christian denominations, while complete Christian Bibles range from the 66 books of the Protestant canon to 81 books in the or, less often, by Muslim groups to describe the Qur'an The Qur’an is the central religious verbal text of Islam, also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Koran, Qur’ān, Coran or Al-Qur’ān. Muslims believe the Qur’an to be the verbal book of divine guidance and direction for mankind. Muslims also consider the original Arabic verbal text to be the final revelation of God.
Another term is 'Holy Scripture' or 'Sacred Scripture', used to denote the text's importance, its status as divine revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing, or making something obvious through active or passive communication with supernatural entities . It is believed that revelation can originate directly from a deity, or through an agent, such as an angel. One who has experienced such contact with or communication from the divine, 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 The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism and Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita , also more simply known as Gita, is a sacred Hindu scripture, considered among the most important texts in the history of literature and philosophy. The Bhagavad Gita comprises roughly 700 verses, and is a part of the Mahabharata. The teacher of the Bhagavad Gita is Lord Krishna, who is revered by Hindus as a manifestation of, and Buddhism the sutras.
Hierographology
Hierographology (Ancient Greek Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning the Archaic , Classical (c. 5th–4th centuries BC), and Hellenistic (c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD) periods of ancient Greece and the ancient world. It is predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek. Its Hellenistic phase is known as Koine (&: ἱερός, hieros, "sacred" or "holy", + γραφή, graphe, "writing", + λόγος, logos, "word" or "reason") (archaically In language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. This can either be done deliberately (to achieve a specific effect) or as part of a specific jargon (for example in law) or formula (for example in religious contexts). Many nursery rhymes contain archaisms. Archaic elements that occur only in certain 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 Culture is a term that has various meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions. However, the word "culture" is most commonly used in three basic senses:, whether ancient or contemporary. Sometimes this involves the extension of the principles of higher criticism Historical criticism, higher criticism, or the historical-critical method is a branch of literary analysis that investigates the origins of a text. As applied in biblical studies it investigates the books of the Bible and compares them to other texts written at the same time, before, or recently after the text in question. In Classical studies, to the texts of many faiths. It may also involve a comparative study Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the world's religions. Religion can be defined as the human notions regarding the sacred, numinous, spiritual and divine of religious texts. The hierographology of the Qur'an The Qur’an is the central religious verbal text of Islam, also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Koran, Qur’ān, Coran or Al-Qur’ān. Muslims believe the Qur’an to be the verbal book of divine guidance and direction for mankind. Muslims also consider the original Arabic verbal text to be the final revelation of God can be particularly controversial, especially when questioning the accuracy of Islamic traditions The study of the origins and development of the Qur'an can be said to fall into two major schools of thought, the first being a traditionalist view and the later being a non-traditionalist view.[citation needed] about the text.[citation needed]
List of sacred texts of various religions
Ancient Greece Ancient Greece is the civilization belonging to the period of Greek history lasting from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to 146 BC and the Roman conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth. At the center of this time period is Classical Greece, which flourished during the 5th to 4th centuries BC, at first under Athenian
- The Iliad The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set in the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of Ilium by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. Although the story covers only a few weeks in the final year of the
- The Odyssey The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work traditionally ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon. Indeed it is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature. It was probably composed near the end of
- Theogony The Theogony is a poem by Hesiod (8th-7th century BC) describing the origins and genealogies of the gods of the ancient Greeks, composed circa 700 BC. It is written in the same artificial Epic dialect of Ancient Greek used by Homer
Atenism Atenism, or the Amarna heresy, is one of the earliest known, well-documented, monotheistic religions, associated with the eighteenth dynasty Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, better known under his adopted name, Akhenaten. In the 14th century BC it was Egypt's state religion for around 20 years, before subsequent rulers returned to the traditional gods and
Ayyavazhi Ayyavazhi is a dharmic belief system that originated in South India in the 19th century. It is cited as an independent monistic religion by several newspapers, government reports and academic researchers. In Indian censuses, however, the majority of its followers declare themselves as Hindus. Therefore, Ayyavazhi is also considered a Hindu sect
- The Akilathirattu Ammanai
- The Arul Nool The Arul Nool is a supplement to the Akilattirattu Ammanai, and is likewise considered a holy script of Ayyavazhi, an offshoot sect of Hinduism. This book contains the collection of messages given by Ayya Vaikundar to his Disciples , whose names are unknown. Since they are believed to be composed by Arylalarkar, it acquired the name Arulnool
Bahá'í Faith
Kitáb-i-Aqdas- The Kitáb-i-Aqdas The Kitáb-i-Aqdas is a central book of the Bahá'í Faith written by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the religion. The work was written in Arabic under the Arabic title al-Kitābu'l-Aqdas , but it is commonly referred to by its Persian title, Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Persian: كتاب اقدس), which was given to the work by Bahá'u'lláh himself. It is
- Kitáb-i-Íqán The Kitáb-i-Íqán is one of many books held sacred by followers of the Bahá'í Faith; it is their primary theological work. One Bahá'í scholar states that it can be regarded as the "most influential Koran commentary in Persian outside the Muslim world," because of its international audience. It is sometimes referred to as the Book
- and other Bahá'í literature including works from other faiths
Bön Bön (Tibetan: བོན་; Wylie: bon; Lhasa dialect IPA: [pʰø̃̀]) is the oldest still-extant spiritual tradition of Tibet
- Bon Kangyur The Tibetan Buddhist canon is a loosely defined list of sacred texts recognized by various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, made up of the Kangyur or Kanjur and the Tengyur or Tanjur (Tengyur) ('Translation of Treatises') and Tengyur
Buddhism
Ancient style of scripture used for the Pāli Canon- Theravada Buddhism
- The Tipitaka aka 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
- The Tipitaka aka Pāli Canon
- East Asian Mahayana
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- 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
- Shingon
- The Chinese Buddhist Tripiṭaka, including
- Tibetan Buddhism
Cheondoism
- The Donghak Scripture
- The Songs of Yongdam
- The Sermons of Master Haeweol
- The Sermons of Revered Teacher Euiam [3]
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Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:08:41 GMT+00:00
TheNewsTribune.com The second is that they assume a fundamentalist reading of sacred text that may or may not be truly reflective of how a religious tradition approaches that ...
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Mon, 03 May 2010 02:56:33 GM
Take for example, the . religious text. translators that translated the Hebrew Scriptures into the first Christian Old Testament. This was done well after Jesus was said to have lived and died and these translators would undoubtedly ...
Q. or any spiritual belief recognized or practiced, do you believe we would still have basic morals?
Asked by sad panda - Mon Dec 1 17:42:26 2008 - - 18 Answers - 0 Comments
A. I suspect that the answer is "yes". People developed the ability to live together long before the Abrahamic religions were ever invented. Ethics and morals are requried to do that. Look up "Hammurabi".
Answered by Spunky The Metaphysical - Mon Dec 1 17:46:56 2008
