Sacred Texts of the Ancient World

Here's a quiz on some interesting religious books around the world. All of them predate the 15th century. Below are some interesting facts:

1. Originally written in Sanskrit, the Upanishads introduced several key terms to the religions of the region. One of them is "Brahman", a concept in Hinduism that describes the nature of reality. Another is "Atman", which describes the nature of the soul. Its usage is widespread; Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism all refer to "Atman" in their beliefs.

"The little space within the heart is as great as the vast universe. The heavens and the Earth are there, and the sun and the moon and the stars. Fire and lightning and winds are there, and all that now is and all that is not."

-Chandogya Upanishad

2. The five Books of Wisdom in order are: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. They were the first books in the Bible to be written in poetic form, and influenced the writings of Major Prophets in the books that followed (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, etc...). They are some of the most quoted portions of scripture in the western canon, and contain some of the most beautiful passages in the Bible.

"I lift my eyes to the mountains- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth."

-Psalm 121 (NIS)

3. The Tibetan Book of the Dead was controversial after its release because there isn't any Tibetan book that corresponds to it. Rather, its mantras, teachings, and verses were assembled and translated by a western doctor named Walter Evans-Wentz. Much of the material in the book explains the ritual a lama would perform around someone on the verge of death. It also describes what would happen once they do pass away, according to beliefs in Tibetan Buddhism. Now that there are versions that Tibetans have translated themselves, it isn't as controversial as it used to be.

"And thus [encircled], may I be rescued
From the fearsome passageway of the intermediate state,
And be escorted to the level of an utterly perfect buddha."

-Tibetan prayer for the dying

4. The Tree of Life is like a map of creation. There are ten nodes on the tree, which Rabbinic followers of Kabbalah call the ten Sefirot. Each of these Sefirot are thought to be energies that the Creator uses in both the physical and metaphysical realms. In the Zohar, methods of creation and spiritual progression are described metaphorically through pathways on this tree.

"So, then, as man is a microcosm, a copy or paradigm of the universe, he is in his constitution a reflection of the divine nature, the Supreme Wisdom."

-Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai

5. The Kojiki is a written account of oral tradition that was compiled in 712 AD. It tells of how Izanagi and Izanami, a pair of deities that descended from the Heavens, gave birth to the islands of Japan. It's one of two primary sources for the Shinto religion- the other being "Nihon Shoki".

6. The I Ching, also known as "The Book of Changes", is one of the oldest books in recorded history. In the book there are 64 hexagrams. Each hexagram is the embodiment of two different trigrams, which are made of building blocks themselves. The basic building block starts at base two- yin and yang- and evolves into the eight trigrams via their combinations with four types of "essences". The eight trigrams can then be arranged in 64 different ways, forming all the hexagrams. These hexagrams are thought to describe any method of change in the world, and are often explained through the use of parables.

This book is what gave rise to the yin-yang cosmology. It's interesting how the two largest offspring of the text (Confucianism and Taoism) are like yang and yin. The former teaches active, disciplinary, and devotional practice, while the latter teaches passive, natural, and tolerant practices.

7. Like the Kabbalists of Judaism, Sufists were a class of believers that explored the mystical dimensions of Islam and recorded them in their writings. Among the most well known Sufi texts are Omar Khayyam's "Rubayyat", Farid ud-Din Attar's "Conference of the Birds", Rumi's "Masnavi", and Saadi's "Gulistan".

"All men and women are to each other
the limbs of a single body, each of us drawn
from life's shimmering essence, God's perfect pearl;
and when this life we share wounds one of us,
all share the hurt as if it were our own."

-Saadi Shirazi, "The Gulistan"

8. Dated from around 2400-2300, the Pyramid Texts are among the oldest recovered writings from Egyptian Civilization. Originally they were written on the walls of early pyramids at Saqqara. The Book of the Dead and the Coffin Texts evolved from them.

9. Zoroaster asks Ahura Mazda for his guidance and blessings throughout the Gathas. These hymns are thought to only have been understood by the learned, as they are filled with much wordplay and ambiguity. However, their basic messages of truth and righteousness are still clear to practitioners of the faith.

"This precious reward of Thine, O Mazda, Thou givest by way of the Good Mind, Thou givest to those who perform actions through knowledge and pure thought; who attempt for the progress and development of the world; fulfill God's desire and try for the progress of God's will through truth and righteousness."

Yasna 34:14

10. The Book of Revelation is one of the most debated texts in western scripture. Many interpretations of the book exist, due to the author's extensive use of visions, allegories, and symbols. Fundamentalists of the Christian faith interpret it as a prophecy concerning the end of the world. Other Christians see it as an allegory about the struggle between good and evil.

Scholars of the Bible tend to look at it from an historical context. At the time it was written (about 100 AD), Christians were being heavily persecuted by the Romans. Many of them think the author was referring to their tormenters as beastly and demonic, instead of humanity as a whole. In this context, it's only the Romans who would have to face the judgement of God, as punishment for their sins.

"They marched across the breadth of the Earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city He loves. Then fire came down from heaven and devoured them."

Revelation 20:9 (NIS)

Thank you for joining me on this journey through the greatest words of our world's religions.