Which holy book was written first

The text consists of a whopping thirty chapters of advice written by a scribe named Amenemope to pass on to his son and provide him with wisdom on how to live a successful life. It discusses values and attitudes needed in order to live happily despite the increasing social and economic difficulties in the world. The format of the Instruction of Amenemope somewhat resembles that of an earlier, non-religious ancient text called The Maxims of Ptahhotep.

The last three entries on this list are the other three texts in the Vedas apart from the aforementioned Rigveda. Some parts of the Samaveda are believed to date back to the Rigveda period, but the first version of the Samaveda used today surfaced around BC.

This text contains two primary Upanishads, which are essential pillars of Hinduism. Many traditional Indian dances are said to have their roots in the contents of the Samaveda , which is fitting since the Samaveda is officially considered the Veda of Chants. It essentially is comprised of ritual chants and formulas and is divided into two. One part of the text is the Krishna black section, which contains verses that are not well arranged. The other part is the Shukla white section, which has a much better structure.

The Yajurveda contains 1, verses which, while unique, are based on the foundation built by the Rigveda. The text also holds the largest collection of primary Upanishads. The texts is divided into 20 books which share 6, mantras and hymns between them. Some parts of the Atharvaveda discuss ancient medicine and medicals procedures, providing some of the earliest evidence and record of religious medical practices.

Like the other Vedas, it continues to have an impact on Hinduism today. The origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were written between B. According to the prevailing theory, they are the work of a Jewish population that inhabited Qumran until Roman troops destroyed the settlement around 70 A. BOTH a tale of a great flood. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Spread the love. Then comes the Gospel of Mark circa CE. The remaining books — the other three Gospels, letters of Peter, John and others as well as Revelation — were all added before or around the end of the first century. By the mid-to-late hundreds CE, major church libraries would have had copies of these, sometimes alongside other manuscripts later deemed apocrypha.

The point at which the books come to be seen as actual scripture and canon is a matter of debate. Some point to when they came to be used in weekly worship services, circa CE and in some cases earlier.

Here they were treated on a par with the old Jewish Scriptures that would become the Old Testament, which for centuries had been taking pride of place in synagogues all over latter-day Israel and the wider Middle East. This dramatic shift clearly acknowledges two major collections with scriptural status making up the Christian Bible — relating to one another as old and new covenant, prophecy and fulfilment. This reveals that the first Christian two-testament bible was by now in place.

This is not official or precise enough for another group of scholars, however. They prefer to focus on the late fourth century, when the so-called canon lists entered the scene — such as the one laid down by Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, in CE, which acknowledges 22 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books.

Dating from circa CE, it is not known where it was scribed — perhaps Rome or Egypt. It is made from parchment of animal hides, with text on both sides of the page, written in continuous Greek script. It combines the entire New and Old Testaments, though only about half of the old survives the New Testament has some fairly minor defects.

Sinaiticus may not be the oldest extant bible, however. Beginning around 70 A. But for more than a century, scholars have generally agreed that the Gospels, like many of the books of the New Testament, were not actually written by the people to whom they are attributed.

In fact, it seems clear that the stories that form the basis of Christianity were first communicated orally, and passed down from generation to generation, before they were collected and written down.

Traditionally, 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament were attributed to Paul the Apostle , who famously converted to Christianity after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus and wrote a series of letters that helped spread the faith throughout the Mediterranean world.

These are believed to have been written between A. Authors of the later epistles may have been followers of Paul, who used his name to lend authenticity to the works. By the 4th century A. In the centuries to come, the Bible would only become more central to the lives and faiths of millions of people around the world, despite the mystery surrounding its origins and the ongoing, complex debate over its authorship.

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