History of religious texts

Associated terminology

Sacred texts of various religions

Adidam

• The writings of Franklin Albert Jones a.k.a. Adi Da Love-Ananda Samraj Aletheon The Companions of the True Dawn Horse The Dawn Horse Testament Gnosticon The Heart of the Adi Dam Revelation Not-Two IS Peace Pneumaton Transcendental Realism

Aetherius Society

• The Nine Freedoms

Ásatrú

• Havamal

• Eddur

Astronism

• Omnidoxy

Atenism

• Great Hymn to the Aten

Ayyavazhi

• The Akilathirattu Ammanai

• The Arul Nool

Aztec religion

• The Borgia Group codices

Bahá'í Faith

• The Four Valleys

• The Seven Valleys

• The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh

• The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh

• Gems of Divine Mysteries

• The Book of Certitude

• Summons of the Lord of Hosts

• Tabernacle of Unity

• Kitáb-i-Aqdas

• Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas

• Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

• Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh

Bön

• Bon Kangyur and Tengyur

Buddhism

TheravadaBuddhism

• The Tipitaka or 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

East AsianMahayana

• The Chinese Buddhist Mahayana sutras, including Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra Shurangama Sutra and its Shurangama Mantra Great Compassion Mantra Pure Land Buddhism Infinite Life Sutra Amitabha Sutra Contemplation Sutra other Pure Land Sutras Tiantai, Tendai, and Nichiren Lotus Sutra Shingon Mahavairocana Sutra Vajrasekhara Sutra

Tibetan Buddhism

• Tibetan Kangyur and Tengyur

Caodaism

• Kinh Thiên Đạo Và Thế Đạo (Prayers of the Heavenly and the Earthly Way)

• Pháp Chánh Truyền (The Religious Constitution of Caodaism)

• Tân Luật (The Canonical Codes)

• Thánh Ngôn Hiệp Tuyển (Compilation of Divine Messages) ^[undefined]

Cheondoism

• The Donghak Scripture

• The Songs of Yongdam

• The Sermons of Master Haeweol

• The Sermons of Revered Teacher Euiam ^[undefined]

Christianity

Traditional Christianity

• The Bible (the Old Testament and the New Testament). Some denominations also include the Apocrypha. For Protestantism , this is the 66-book canon - the Jewish Tanakh of 24 books divided differently (into 39 books) and the universal 27-book New Testament. Some denominations also include the 15 books of the Apocrypha between the Old Testament and the New Testament, for a total of 81 books. For Catholicism , this includes seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament for a total of 73 books, called the Canon of Trent (in versions of the Latin Vulgate, 3 Esdras and 4 Esdras are included in an appendix, but considered non-canonical). For the Eastern Orthodox Church , this includes the anagignoskomena , which consist of the Catholic deuterocanon, plus 3 Maccabees, Psalm 151, the Prayer of Manasseh, and 3 Esdras. 4 Maccabees is considered to be canonical by the Georgian Orthodox Church. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (and its offspring, the Eritrean Orthodox Church) adds various additional books depending on the specific enumeration of the canon (see Ethiopian Biblical canon), but always includes 4 Esdras, the Book of Jubilees, 1 Enoch, 4 Baruch, and 1, 2, and 3 Meqabyan (no relation to the Books of Maccabees). Some Syriac churches accept the Letter of Baruch as scripture.

Christian Scientists

• The Bible

• Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. This textbook, along with the Bible, serves as the permanent "impersonal pastor" of the church.

Gnosticism

• Nag Hammadi library and other Gnostic texts (not from the Bible)

• Some books of the Old Testament and New Testament Cerdonianism and Marcionism

• Only the Gospel of Marcion and selected Pauline epistles accepted

Jehovah's Witnesses

• The Bible (The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures is their preferred translation.)

Latter Day Saint movement

• The Bible The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) uses the LDS edition of the King James Bible for English-speaking members; other versions are used in non-English speaking countries. The Community of Christ (RLDS) uses the Joseph Smith Translation, which it calls the Inspired Version, as well as updated modern translations.

• The Book of Mormon

• The Pearl of Great Price

• The Doctrine and Covenants There are significant differences in content and section numbering between the Doctrine and Covenants used by the Community of Christ (RLDS) and the LDS Church.

• Other, smaller branches of Latter Day Saints include other scriptures, such as the Book of the Law of the Lord used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) or The Word of the Lord used by Fettingite branches.

Native American Church(Christian-leaning factions)Seebelow.

Rastafari movementSeebelow.

Seventh-day Adventists

• The Bible

• The writings of Ellen White are held to an elevated status, though not equal with the Bible, as she is considered to have been an inspired prophetess.

SwedenborgianismSeebelow.

Unification ChurchSeebelow.

Confucianism

• The Five Classics

• The Four Books

• The Thirteen Classics

• The Three Commentaries

Discordianism

• The Principia Discordia

Druidism

• The Mabinogion

• Lebor Gabála Érenn

Druze

• Rasa'il al-hikmah

Ancient Egyptian religion

Old Kingdom

• Pyramid Texts

First Intermediate Period and Middle Kingdom

• Coffin Texts

Second Intermediate Period

• Book of the Dead

• Book of Caverns

• Book of Gates

• Amduat

• Book of the Heavenly Cow

• Litany of Re

Etruscan religion

• Liber Linteus

• Pyrgi Tablets

Ancient Greece

• Theogony

• Homeric Hymns

• Iliad and Odyssey

• The golden verses of Pythagoras

Hermeticism

• Hermetica, Kybalion, Emerald Tablet and associated writings

Hinduism

Śruti

• Vedas Rig Veda Sama Veda Yajur Veda Atharva Veda

• Brahmanas

• Aranyakas

• Upanishads

Smriti

• Itihāsas Mahābhārata (including the Bhagavad Gita) Bhagavad Gita Ramayana

• Puranas (List) Bhagavata Purana

• Tantras

• Sutras (List)

• Stotras

• Ashtavakra Gita

• Gherand Samhita

• Gita Govinda

• Hatha Yoga Pradipika

• Yoga Vasistha

InPurva Mimamsa

• Purva Mimamsa Sutras

InVedanta(Uttar Mimamsa)

• Brahma Sutras of Vyasa

InYoga

• Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

InSamkhya

• Samkhya Sutras of Kapila

InNyaya

• Nyāya Sūtras of Gautama

InVaisheshika

• Vaisheshika Sutras of Kanada

InVaishnavism

• Vaikhanasa Samhitas

• Pancaratra Samhitas

• Divyaprabandam

InSaktism

• Sakta Tantras

InKashmir Saivism

• 64 Bhairavagamas

• 28 Shaiva Agamas

• Shiva Sutras of Vasugupta

• Vijnana Bhairava Tantra

InPashupata Shaivism

• Pashupata Sutras of Lakulish

• Panchartha-bhashya of Kaundinya (a commentary on the Pashupata Sutras)

• Ganakarika

• Ratnatika of Bhasarvajna

InShaiva Siddhanta

• 28 Saiva Agamas

• Tirumurai (canon of 12 works)

• Meykandar Shastras (canon of 14 works)

InGaudiya Vaishnavism

• Brahma Samhita

• Jayadeva's Gita Govinda

Krishna-karnamrita

• Chaitanya Bhagavata

• Chaitanya Charitamrita

• Prema-bhakti-candrika

• Hari-bhakti-vilasa

InLingayatism

• Siddhanta Shikhamani

• Vachana sahitya

• Mantra Gopya

• Shoonya Sampadane

• 28 Agamas

• Karana Hasuge

• Basava purana

InKabir Panth

• poems of Kabir

InDadu Panth

• poems of Dadu

Islam

• The Quran (also referred to as Kuran, Koran, Qur’ān, Coran or al-Qur’ān) – Four books considered to be revealed and mentioned by name in the Qur'an are the Quran (revealed to Muhammad), Tawrat (revealed to Musa), the Zabur (revealed to Dawud) and the Injil (revealed to Isa)

• Hadith, reports of the deeds and sayings of Muhammad.

Jainism

Svetambara

• 11 Angas Secondary 12 Upangas, 4 Mula-sutras, 6 Cheda-sutras, 2 Culika-sutras, 10 Prakirnakas

Digambara

• Karmaprabhrita, also called Satkhandagama

• Kashayaprabhrita

Nonsectarian/Nonspecific

• Jina Vijaya

• Tattvartha Sutra

• GandhaHasti Mahabhashya (authoritative and oldest commentary on the Tattvartha Sutra)

Judaism

Rabbinic JudaismSee also:Rabbinic literature

• The Tanakh i.e. Hebrew Bible Torah (teachings) Nevi'im (prophets) Ketuvim (writings)

• The Talmud Mishnah Gemara

Kabbalism

• Kabbalah: Primary texts

• Zohar

Hasidism

• Early texts: Noam Elimelech (Elimelech of Lizhensk) Kedushat Levi (Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev)

• Foundational texts of various Hasidic sects: Likutei Moharan (Breslov) Me'or Einayim (Chernobyl) Mei Hashiloach (Izhbitza – Radzin) Tanya (Chabad) Vayoel Moshe (Satmar)

Karaite Judaism

• The Tanakh

Haymanot

• The Tanakh with several Jewish apocrypha

Konkokyo

• Konkokyo Kyōten (Sacred Scriptures of Konkokyo) Oshirase-Goto Obobe-Chō Konko Daijin Oboegaki Gorikai I Gorikai II Gorikai III ^[undefined]

Mandaeanism

• The Ginza Rba

• Book of the Zodiac

• Qolusta, Canonical Prayerbook

• Book of John the Baptizer

• Diwan Abatur, Purgatories

• 1012 Questions

• Coronation of Shislam Rba

• Baptism of Hibil Ziwa

• Haran Gawaita

Manichaeism

• The Evangelion (Greek: Εὐαγγέλιον, meaning roughly "good news"). Also known as the Gospel of Mani and The Living Gospel

• the Treasure of Life

• the Pragmateia (Greek: πραγματεία)

• the Book of Mysteries

• The Book of Giants

• the Epistles

• the Psalms and Prayers.

• A Coptic Manichaean Psalter, discovered in Egypt in the early 1900s, was edited and published by Charles Allberry from Manichaean manuscripts in the Chester Beatty collection and in the Berlin Academy, 1938–9.

• The Shabuhragan

• The Arzhang

• The Kephalaia (Greek: Κεφάλαια), "Discourses", found in Coptic translation.

Maya religion

• The Popol Vuh

• the Dresden Codex

• the Madrid Codex

• the Paris Codex

• countless destroyed codices

Meher Baba

• God Speaks

• Discourses

Native American Church

• The Bible (among Christian-leaning factions only)

New Age religions

• A Course in Miracles

• Conversations with God

• Oahspe

• The Urantia Book

• Isis Unveiled

Orphism

• Orphic Poems

Raëlism

• The writings of Raël aka Claude Vorilhon Intelligent Design: Message from the Designers Sensual Meditation Yes to Human Cloning

Rastafari movement

• The Bible (Ethiopian Orthodox canon)

• the Holy Piby

• the Kebra Nagast

• The speeches and writings of Haile Selassie I (including his autobiography My Life and Ethiopia's Progress)

• Royal Parchment Scroll of Black Supremacy

Ravidassia

• The Amritbani Guru Ravidass Ji

Samaritanism

• The Samaritan Torah

Satanism

• The Satanic Bible

• The Satanic Rituals

Science of Mind

• The Science of Mind

Scientology

• Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health

• List of Scientology texts

Shinto

• The Kojiki

• The Rikkokushi, which includes the Nihon Shoki and the Shoku Nihongi

• The Fudoki

• The Jinnō Shōtōki

• The Kujiki

Sikhism

• The Guru Granth Sahib

• The Dasam Granth

Spiritism

• The Spirits Book

• The Book on Mediums

• The Gospel According to Spiritism

• Heaven and Hell

• The Genesis According to Spiritism

Sumerian

• The Barton Cylinder

Swedenborgianism

The New Church

• The Bible (several books omitted)

• The works of Emanuel Swedenborg (not considered equal to the Bible)

TheGeneral Church

• The Bible (several books omitted)

• The works of Emanuel Swedenborg (considered equal to the Bible)

Taoism

• Tao Te Ching

• Zhuangzi (book)

• Daozang

Tenrikyo

• The Ofudesaki

• The Mikagura-uta

• The Osashizu

Thelema

• The Holy Books of Thelema, especially The Book of the Law

Unarius Academy of Science

• The Voice of Venus

Unification Church

• The Divine Principle

• The Bible as illuminated by more recent revelation

Urantianism

• The Urantia Book

Wicca

• Book of Shadows

• Charge of the Goddess

• Threefold Law

• Wiccan Rede

Yârsân

• Kalâm-e Saranjâm

Yazidi

• Yazidi Black Book

• Yazidi Book of Revelation

• The true core texts of the Yazidi religion that exist today are the hymns, known as qawls.

Yorùbá

• Odù Ifá

• Jaap Verduijn's Odu Ifa Collection

Zoroastrianism

• Primary religious texts, that is, the Avesta collection: The Yasna , the primary liturgical collection, includes the Gathas . The Visperad , 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 Yashts 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 Denkard (middle Persian, 'Acts of Religion'), The Bundahishn , (middle Persian, 'Primordial Creation') The Menog-i Khrad , (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, 15th-18th century correspondence on religious issues

• For general use by the laity: The Zend (lit. commentaries), various commentaries on and translations of the Avesta. The Khordeh Avesta