Many religions and spiritual movements believe that their sacred texts (or scriptures) are the "Word of God", often feeling that the texts are wholly divine or spiritually inspired in origin. Even non-believers often capitalize the names of sacred scriptures as a mark of respect or tradition. ... 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 whose alphabet or alphabet equivalent has two cases, such as those using the Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, or Armenian alphabet, capitalization (or capitalisation) is the writing of that word with its first letter in majuscules (uppercase) and the remaining letters in minuscules (lowercase). ... In various religions, sacred (from Latin, sacrum, sacrifice) or holy, objects, places or concepts are believed by followers to be intimately connected with the supernatural, or divinity, and are thus greatly revered. ...

Although ancient civilizations have produced handmade texts for thousands of years, the first printed scripture for wide distribution to 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. ... The Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedika-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra), The Perfection of Wisdom Sutra that Cuts like a Thunderbolt, is a short Mahayana sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom genre, which teaches the practice of the avoidance of abiding in extremes of mental attachment. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... Events 11 May: Printing of The Diamond Sutra, the oldest dated printed book. ...

Texts

Sacred texts of various religions:

• Ásatrú
  • The Poetic Edda, including especially the Hávamál
  • The Younger Edda
• Ayyavazhi
  • The Akilattirattu Ammanai
  • 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
  • Veda
  • Shruti
  • Smriti, particularly the Bhagavad Gita
• Islam
  • The Qur'an (the holy book of Islam)
  • Ahadith (sayings and doings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad)
• 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
• Swedenborgianism
  • The Bible
  • The writings of Emanuel Swedenborg
  • Some also consider a number of posthumously published manuscripts of Swedenborg to also be sacred.
• Rastafari movement
  • The Bible
  • the Holy Piby
  • the Kebra Negast
  • The speeches of Haile Selassie I
• Samaritanism
  • The Samaritan Pentateuch
• Satanism
  • The Satanic Bible
• Sikhism
  • The Guru Granth Sahib
  • The Dasam Granth Sahib
• Taoism
  • The Tao-te-ching
  • The I Ching
• Thelema
  • The Holy Books of Thelema especially Liber Al vel Legis
• Zoroastrianism
  • The Zend-Avesta

Ásatrú (Icelandic Æsir faith) is a new religious movement which is attempting to revive the pre-Christian (Viking Age) Nordic religion as described in the Eddas. ... The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems from the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. ... Hávamál (The Words of the High One), (known also as The Sayings of Har, or the High Song of Odin), a work of Old Norse poetry, is a source document for the study of Norse mythology, being a set of rules for wise living (and survival) purportedly written... This colourful front page of the Prose Edda in an 18th century Icelandic manuscript shows Odin, Heimdallr, Sleipnir and other figures from Norse mythology. ... Ayyavazhi அய்யாவழி (Tamil: path of the father), officially a Tamil Hindu sect, is a monistic religion that originated in South India in the mid-19th century. ... Akilathirattu Ammanai அகிலத்திரட்டு அம்மானை (Tamil: akilam (world) + thirattu (collection) + ammanai (ballad)), also called Thiru Edu (venerable book), is the main religious book of the Southern Indian Ayyavazhi faith, officially an offshoot of Hinduism. ... Arulnool considered to be the supplementary to akilathirattu, is a collection of a few short litratures composed by different Arulalarkal whose names are unknown. ... Seat of the Universal House of Justice, governing body of the Baháís The Baháí Faith is an emerging global religion founded by Baháulláh, a 19th century Persian exile. ... 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. ... A replica of an ancient statue of Gautama Buddha, found from Sarnath, near Varanasi Buddhism, a religion and philosophy from ancient India, is based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, of the Shakyas. ... 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 are a great variety of Buddhist texts. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... The Bible (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity (The Bible actually refers to... 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 Bible (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity (The Bible actually refers to... Apocrypha is a Greek word (απόκρυφα, neuter plural of απόκρυφος), from αποκρυπτειν, to hide away. ... Mormonism is a religion, movement, ideology and subculture that originated in the early 1800s as a product of the Latter Day Saint movement led principally by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Bible (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity (The Bible actually refers to... Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints edition) The Book of Mormon is one of four sacred texts of Mormonism, which also include the Bible, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants. ... The Pearl of Great Price is part of the standard works (canonized scripture) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church; see also Mormonism) and some other Latter Day Saint denominations. ... 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. ... Sage Confucius——孔子 Confucianist temple Thian Hock Keng in Singapore Confucianism (Chinese: å„’å­¦, Pinyin Rúxu邂, The School of the Scholars; or, less accurately, 孔教 Kŏng jiào, The Religion of Confucius) is an East Asian ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of the early Chinese sage 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 is a modern, Chaos-based religion founded in either 1958 or 1959. ... The Loompanics Yellow Cover combined 4th & 5th Edition Principia Discordia, (1979). ... Falun emblem. ... Falun emblem. ... This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation). ... 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. ... Shruti (Sanskrit श्रुति, what is heard) is a canon of Hindu scriptures. ... Smriti (Sanskrit स्मॄति, that which is remembered) refers to a specific canon of Hindu religious scripture. ... 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. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( â–¶ (help· info)), the submission to God) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... The Quran (Arabic , literally the recitation; also called or The Noble Quran; also transliterated Quran, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book of Islam. ... Hadith (Arabic: , Arabic pl. ... Pre-Kushana Ayagapatta from Mathura Jainism (pronounced in English as //), traditionally known as Jain Dharma (जैन धर्म) , is a religion and philosophy originating in the prehistory of South Asia. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum This article discusses usage of the term Hebrew Bible. For the article on the Hebrew Bible itself, see Tanakh. ... 11th century Targum Tanakh [תנ״ך] (also Tanach or Tenach) is an acronym that identifies the Hebrew Bible. ... Torah (תורה) is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. ... 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). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Mandaeism. ... 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 Mozi, 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 Urantia is the name of the planet Earth according to 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. ... Symbol of Swedenborgianism Swedenborgianism is the ecclesiastical organization of beliefs developed from the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, and as such, considered a religious movement by many. ... The Bible (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity (The Bible actually refers to... Emanuel Swedenborg, 75, holding the manuscript of Apocalypsis Revelata (1766). ... Haile Selassie I Rasta, or the Rastafari movement, is a religious movement that accepts Haile Selassie I, the former emperor of Ethiopia, as King of Kings, Lord of Lords and the Lion of Judah as Jah (the Rastafari name for God, from a shortened form of Jehovah found in Psalm... The Bible (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity (The Bible actually refers to... The Holy Piby was written by Robert Athlyi Rogers, who founded an Afrocentric religion in the US and West Indies in the 1920s. ... Kebra Negast (The Glory of Kings) is an illustrated book on the history of the Ethopian orthodox religion. ... Haile Selassie Haile Selassie (Power of Trinity) (July 23, 1892 – August 27, 1975) was the last Emperor (1930–1936; 1941–1974) of Ethiopia, and is a religious symbol in the Rastafarian movement. ... Main article: Samaritan It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Samaritan. ... This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Satanic Bible The Satanic Bible is a book written by Anton LaVey in 1969. ... The Golden Temple is a sacred shrine for Sikhs Sikhism (Punjabi: ) is a religion based on the teachings of ten Gurus who lived primarily in 16th and 17th century India. ... Illuminated Adi Granth folio with nisan (Mool Mantar) of Guru Gobind Singh. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 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 transliteration of the Ancient Greek noun θέλημα will, from the verb ἐθέλω // Aleister Crowleys Thelema Thelema is the name of a philosophical/religious system established in 1904 through Aleister Crowley and his wife, Rose Edith Kelly, with the writing of Liber AL vel Legis, or The Book... 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 (or Ferohar), 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, in another language, of a new, equivalent text — the target text, or translation. ... Copyright symbol. ...

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 a sacred shrine for Sikhs Sikhism (Punjabi: ) is a religion based on the teachings of ten Gurus who lived primarily in 16th and 17th century India. ... // In the study of comparative religion, an Abrahamic religion is any of those religions deriving from a common ancient Semitic tradition and traced by their adherents to Abraham (אַבְרָהָם Father/Leader of many), a patriarch whose life is narrated in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and in the Quran. ...

External links

• Sacred-texts