7/28/2019 History of Religious Texts

1/1

History of religious texts

The oldest known religious texts are Pyramid texts of Ancient Egypt that date to 2400-2300 BCE. The earliest form of the

Phoenician alphabet found to date is the inscription on the sarcophagus of King Ahiram of Byblos. ( The Sumerian Temple

Hymns [1]). The Epic of Gilgamesh from Sumeria is also one of See also: history of religion, timeline of religion, and history of

writing

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 17001100 BCE[2] 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.[citation needed]

The majority of scholars agree that the Torah's composition took place over centuries.[3] From the late 19th century there was

a general consensus around the documentary hypothesis, which suggests that the five books were created c.450 BCE by

combining four originally independent sources, known as the Jahwist, or J (about 900 BCE), the Elohist, or E (about 800 BCE),

the Deuteronomist, or D, (about 600 BCE), and the Priestly source, or P (about 500 BC).[4]

The first scripture printed for wide distribution to the masses was The Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist scripture, and is the earliestrecorded example of a dated printed text, bearing the Chinese calendar date for 11 May 868 CE.[5]Views[edit]

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.

Views[edit]

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[edit]Terms like "Holy Writ", "Holy Scripture" or "Sacred Scripture" are often used by adherents to

describe the canonical works of their religion 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[edit]Hierographology (Ancient Greek: , hieros, "sacred" or "holy", + , graphe, "writing", +

, logos, "word" or "reason") (archaically also 'hierology') is the study of sacred texts.Increasingly, sacred texts of many

cultures are studied within academic contexts.