Many religions and spiritual movements hold certain written texts (or series of spoken legends not traditionally written down) to be sacred. Often believing that their sacred texts (or scriptures) are wholly divine or partially inspired in origin, the faithful use titles like 'Word of God' to denote the holy writings. Even non-believers often capitalize the names of sacred scriptures as a mark of respect or of tradition. In language, text is a broad term for something that contains words to express something. ... In various religions, sacred (from Latin, sacrum, sacrifice; or simply in English, holy) objects, places or concepts are believed by followers to be intimately connected with the supernatural, or divinity, and are thus greatly revered. ... There are several meanings of the word inspiration: The stimulating influence upon the intellect or emotions leading to creativity. ... For any word written in a language with two cases, such as those using the Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, or Armenian alphabet, capitalization is the writing of that word with its first letter in majuscules (uppercase) and the remaining letters in minuscules (lowercase). ...

Although ancient civilizations have produced handmade texts for many millennia, the first printed scripture for wide distribution for the masses was The Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist scripture, printed in the year AD 868. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000-5,500 years, with cuneiform possibly being the oldest form of writing. ... These pages contain the trends of millennia and centuries. ... Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. ... Events 11 May: Printing of The Diamond Sutra, the oldest dated printed book. ...

Texts

Sacred texts of various religions:

• Ayyavazhi  : The Akilattirattu Ammanai and The Arul Nool
• Bahá'í Faith: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Kitáb-i-Íqán, and many other writings including ones from other faiths
• Buddhism: The Tipitaka or Pali canon and other Buddhist texts
• Christianity: The Bible (also referred to as the Holy Writ)
  • Catholicism: The Bible, The Apocrypha
  • Mormonism: The Bible, Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, Doctrine and Covenants
• Confucianism: The Analects of Confucius, also The I Ching
• Discordianism: The Principia Discordia, although this may not be true for every sect
• Falun Gong: The Zhuan Falun
• Hinduism: Shruti (Vedas; also Aranyakas, Brahmanas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata)
• Islam: The Qur'an and Ahadith
• Jainism: Tattvartha Sutra
• Judaism: The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh = Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim)
• Mandaeanism: The Ginza Rba
• Manichaeism: The Arzhang
• Mohism: The Mozi
• Various New Age religions may regard any of the following texts as inspired:
  • A Course in Miracles (ACIM)
  • Conversations with God
  • The Urantia Book
  • Oahspe
• New Christianity: The Bible, Arcana Caelestia, Heaven and Hell, Earths in the Universe, New Jerusalem, White Horse, Last Judgement, Doctrine of the Lord, Doctrine of Life, Doctrine of the Sacred Scriptures, Doctrine of Faith, Continuation of the Last Judgment, Divine Love and Wisdom, Divine Providence, Apocalypse Revealed, Marriage Love, New Church, Soul and Body, True Christian Religion (Some also consider a number of posthumously published manuscripts of Emanuel Swedenborg's to also be sacred.)
• Rastafari movement: The Bible and the Holy Piby
• Samaritanism: The Samaritan Pentateuch
• Satanism:
  • LaVeyan Satanism: The Satanic Bible
• Sikhism: The Guru Granth Sahib and The Dasam Granth Sahib
• Taoism: The Tao-te-ching, also The I Ching
• Thelema: The Holy Books of Thelema especially Liber Al vel Legis
• Zoroastrianism: The Zend-Avesta

This article needs copyediting (checking for proper English spelling, grammar, usage, etc. ... This article needs copyediting (checking for proper English spelling, grammar, usage, etc. ... Arulnool considered to be the supplementary to akilathirattu, is a collection of a few short litratures composed by different Arulalarkal whose names are unknown. ... Known in India as the Lotus Temple, the Baháí House of Worship attracts an average of four million visitors a year (around 13,000 each day). ... The Kitáb-i-Aqdas is the central book of the Baháí Faith, written by Baháulláh, the founder of the religion. ... The Kitáb-i-Íqán (Lit. ... Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. ... The Tripitaka (Sanskrit, lit. ... Standard edition of the Thai Pali Canon The Pali Canon is one the earliest existing scripture collections of the Buddhist tradition. ... There is great variety in Buddhist texts. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life, teachings, death by crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as portrayed in the New Testament writings of his early followers, that Christians consider to be part of the Holy Bible and place after the Hebrew Scriptures that they call the... The holy jewish scripture: The Torah. ... Holy Writ is a term used primarily by conservative and fundamentalist Christians to describe the Bible. ... This article considers Catholicism in the broadest ecclesiastical sense. ... The holy jewish scripture: The Torah. ... In Judeo-Christian theology, the word apocrypha (Greek απόκρυφα, neuter plural of απόκρυφος, hidden) refers to texts that are not considered canonical, part of the Bible, but are of roughly similar style and age as the accepted Scriptures. ... Mormonism (also called Latter Day Saint theology or Mormon theology and Latter Day Saint culture or Mormon culture) is a religion, ideology, movement, and subculture originating in the early 1800s as a product of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... The holy jewish scripture: The Torah. ... Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints edition) The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of Mormonism first published in Palmyra, New York, USA, in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Pearl of Great Price refers to a parable told by Jesus in explaining the value of the Kingdom of Heaven. ... The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes referred to as the D&C) is a part of the open scriptural canon of Mormonism, written by Joseph Smith, who reportedly had a severe alcohol problem and was an avowed homosexual, despite having several wives. ... Confucianism (儒家 Pinyin: rújiā The School of the Scholars; or less correctly: 孔教 kŏng jiào The Religion of Kong), sometimes translated as the School of Literati, is an East Asian ethical, religious and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of Confucius. ... Engraving of Confucius. ... Alternative meaning: I Ching (monk) The I Ching (Traditional Chinese: 易經, pinyin y jīng; Cantonese IPA: jɪk6gɪŋ1; Cantonese Jyutping: jik6ging1; alternative romanizations include I Jing, Yi Ching, Yi King) is the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. ... Discordianism has been described as both an elaborate joke disguised as a religion and a religion disguised as an elaborate joke. ... The Principia Discordia is a sacred text of the Discordian religion written by Greg Hill (Malaclypse The Younger) and Kerry Thornley (Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst). ... Falun emblem Falun Gong (Traditional Chinese: 法輪功; Simplified Chinese: 法轮功; pinyin: ; literally Practice of the Wheel of Law) or Falun Dafa (Traditional Chinese: 法輪大法; Simplified Chinese: 法轮大法; pinyin: ; lit. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Shruti (what is heard) is a canon of Hindu scriptures, early forms of which may have existed as early as 1500 BC, with most scholarship favoring dates between 1200 and 800 BC. Shruti is said to have no author; rather, it is believed to be a divine recording of the... The Vedas are part of the Hindu Shruti; these religious scriptures form part of the core of the Brahminical and Vedic traditions within Hinduism and are the inspirational, metaphysical and mythological foundation for later Vedanta, Yoga, Tantra and even Bhakti forms of Hinduism. ... The Aranyakas (Forest Books, Forest Treatises) are part of the Hindu Shruti; these religious scriptures are sometimes argued to be part of either the Brahmanas or Upanishads. ... The Brahmanas (Brahmin Books) are part of the Hindu Shruti; these religious scriptures focus on sacrifice -- particularly that of horses and soma. ... The Upanishads (उपनिषद्, Upanişad) are part of the Hindu Shruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy and are seen as religious instructions by most schools of Hinduism. ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... Islam  listen? (Arabic: al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, and the worlds second largest religion. ... The Quran (Arabic: al-qurān literally the recitation; also called Al Qurān Al KarÄ«m or The Noble Quran; or transliterated Quran, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book of Islam. ... Hadith (Arabic: , Arabic pl. ... The holiest Jain symbol is the right facing swastika, or svastika, shown above. ... Judaism is the religious culture of the Jewish people. ... 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum Hebrew Bible refers to the common portions of the Jewish and Christian canons. ... 11th century Targum Tanakh [תנ״ך] (also spelt Tanach or Tenach) is an acronym for the three parts of the Hebrew Bible, based upon the initial Hebrew letters of each part: Torah [תורה] (The Law; also: Teaching or Instruction), Chumash [חומש] (The five, also Pentateuch or The five books of... Torah, (תורה) is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or especially law. It primarily refers to the first section of the Tanakh–the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, or the Five Books of Moses, but can also be used in the general sense to also include both the... Neviim [נביאים] or Prophets is the second of the three major sections in the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible). ... Ketuvim is the third and final section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). ... Mandaeanism is a pre-Christian religion which has been classified by scholars as Gnostic. ... Ginza Rba (in Mandaic, which translates into The Great Treasure) or Siddra Rba (The Great Book) is one of many holy scriptures of the Mandaean religion. ... Manichean priests, writing at their desk, with panel inscription in Sogdian. ... The Arzhang is the holy book of Manichaeism, written and illustrated by its prophet Mani. ... Founded by Mo Zi (whose actual surname was Di, and whose given name was Mo), Mohism (墨家), or Moism, is a Chinese philosophy that evolved at the same time as Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism (Hundred Schools of Thought). ... Mozi (c. ... New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... Second hardbound edition of A Course In Miracles, as published by Foundation for Inner Peace. ... Conversations with God is a three-part dialogue written by Neale Donald Walsch that he claims to have channeled during the 1990s. ... Urantia is the name sometimes given to the spiritual movement whose principal text is The Urantia Book. ... Oahspe: A Kosmon Bible in the Words of Jehovih and his Angel Embassadors (sic) is a book announcing new revelations from God, which was produced by John Ballou Newbrough (1828-1891) by automatic writing, and which was first published by Newbrough in 1882. ... Swedenborgianism is a term based on the ecclesiastical organization of certain beliefs relating to Emanuel Swedenborgs writings and, as such, is considered a religious movement by some. ... The holy jewish scripture: The Torah. ... Heaven and Hell can refer to: 1975 album Heaven and Hell by Vangelis. ... The sign of the White Horse Inn at St. ... Divine Providence, or simply Providence, is a theological term which refers to the sovereignty, superintendence, or agency of God over events in peoples lives and throughout history. ... Swedenborgianism is a term based on the ecclesiastical organization of certain beliefs relating to Emanuel Swedenborgs writings and, as such, is considered a religious movement by some. ... Emanuel Swedenborg, 75, holding the manuscript of Apocalypsis Revelata (1766). ... Haile Selassie I Rasta, or the Rastafari movement of Jah people, is a religious movement that reveres Haile Selassie I, the former emperor of Ethiopia, as King of Kings, Lord of Lords and the Lion of Judah. ... The holy jewish scripture: The Torah. ... The Holy Piby was written by Robert Athlyi Rogers, who founded an Afrocentric religion in the US and West Indies in the 1920s. ... Samaritanism is a religion related to Judaism in that it accepts the Torah as its holy book, though there are differences in the version accepted. ... This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ... Satanism is a religious, semi-religious and/or philosophical movement whose adherents recognize Satan, either as an archetype, literal being, pre-cosmic force, or anything inbetween. ... LaVeyan Satanism is a religion based upon the philosophy of Anton LaVey as outlined in The Satanic Bible and other works. ... The Satanic Bible The Satanic Bible is a book writen by Anton LaVey in 1969. ... The Golden Temple is the most important sacred shrine for Sikhs Sikhism (Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖੀ) is a religion that developed in an environment heavily influenced by conflict between the Hindu and Muslim religions. ... Guru Arjan dictating the Adi Granth to Bhai Gurdas. ... This article is in need of attention. ... For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ... The Tao Te Ching (道德經, Pinyin: Dào Dé Jīng, thus sometimes rendered in recent works as Dao De Jing; archaic pre-Wade-Giles rendering: Tao Teh Ching; roughly translated as The Book of the Way and its Virtue (see dedicated chapter below on translating the title)) is an ancient Chinese... Alternative meaning: I Ching (monk) The I Ching (Traditional Chinese: 易經, pinyin y jīng; Cantonese IPA: jɪk6gɪŋ1; Cantonese Jyutping: jik6ging1; alternative romanizations include I Jing, Yi Ching, Yi King) is the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. ... Thelema is the English spelling of the Greek word Θελημα which means will or intention. ... Aleister Crowley, the founder of the religion of Thelema, designated his works as belonging to one of several classes. ... The Book of the Law, also known as Liber AL vel Legis, is the text central to philosophical / religious practice called Thelema founded by Aleister Crowley. ... Faravahar, The depiction of the human soul before birth and after death. ... See Avesta Municipality for the Swedish town Yasna 28. ...

Views

Attitudes to sacred texts differ. Some religions make written texts widely 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. Translations of texts may receive official blessing, but an original sacred language often has de facto, absolute or exclusive paramouncy. Some religions make texts available gratis or in subsidised form; others require payment and the strict observance of copyright. Translation is an activity comprising the interpretation of the meaning of a text in one language—the source text—and the production of a new, equivalent text in another language—called the target text, or the translation. ... For copyright issues in relation to Wikipedia itself, see Wikipedia:copyrights. ...

References to scriptures profit from standardisation: the Guru Granth Sahib (of Sikhism) always appears with standardised page numbering while the Abrahamic religions and their offshoots appear to favour chapter and verse pointers. The Golden Temple is the most important sacred shrine for Sikhs Sikhism (Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖੀ) is a religion that developed in an environment heavily influenced by conflict between the Hindu and Muslim religions. ... An Abrahamic religion (also referred to as desert monotheism) is a term sometimes used to refer to a religion derived from an ancient Semitic tradition attributed to Abraham, a great patriarch described in the Torah, the Bible, and the Quran. ...

External links

• Sacred-texts.com