Religious text

Religious texts, including scripture, are canonical, some non-canonical, together with others extracanonical, semi-canonical, deutero-canonical, pre-canonical or post-canonical.

"Scripture" or "scriptures" is a subset of religious texts considered to be "especially authoritative", revered & "holy writ", "sacred, canonical", or of "supreme authority, special status" to a religious community. The terms sacred text and religious text are non necessarily interchangeable in that some religious texts are believed to be sacred because of the picture in some theistic religions such(a) as the Abrahamic religions that the text is divinely or supernaturally revealed or divinely inspired, or in non-theistic religions such as some Indian religions they are considered to be the central tenets of their everlasting Dharma. numerous religious texts, in contrast, are simply narratives or discussions pertaining to the general themes, interpretations, practices, or important figures of the specific religion. In others Christianity, the canonical texts put a particular text Bible but is "an unsettled question", according to Eugene Nida. In yet others Hinduism, Buddhism, there "has never been a definitive canon". While the term scripture is derived from the Latin scriptura, meaning "writing", near sacred scriptures of the world's major religions were originally a part of their oral tradition, and were "passed down through memorization from types to brand until they were finally dedicated to writing", according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Religious texts also serve a ceremonial and liturgical role, particularly in relation to sacred time, the ]

History of religious texts

One of the oldest requested religious texts is the Kesh Temple Hymn of ancient Sumer, a set of inscribed clay tablets which scholars typically date around 2600 BCE. The Epic of Gilgamesh from Sumer, although only considered by some scholars as a religious text, has origins as early as 2150 BCE, and stands as one of the earliest literary working that includes various mythological figures and themes of interaction with the divine. The Rigveda, a scripture of Hinduism, is dated 1500 BCE. it is one of the oldest call complete religious texts that has survived into the advanced age.

There are many possible dates condition to the number one writings which can be connected to Talmudic and Biblical traditions, the earliest of which is found in scribal documentation of the 8th century BCE, followed by administrative documentation from temples of the 5th and 6th centuries BCE, with another common date being the 2nd century BCE. Although a significant text in the history of religious text because of its widespread usage among religious denominations and its continued usage throughout history, the texts of the Abrahamic traditions are a proceeds example of the lack of certainty surrounding dates and definitions of religious texts.

High rates of mass production and distribution of religious texts did not begin until the invention of the printing press in 1440, previously which all religious texts were hand a thing that is caused or produced by something else copies, of which there were relatively limited quantities in circulation.