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Scripture is a technical term for writings that are definitively characteristic of particular religious traditions. It is more specific than the term religious text, which scholars can apply even to mythological and ritual texts from ancient religions, where records of their authority (or heresy) have not survived. The word was coined in 1250-1300, during the Middle English period, from the Latin word, scriptura, meaning "writing." Scholars of comparative religion investigate the different reasoning that lies behind why various traditions determine some writings to be scripture and others not.

This can be illustrated by the ancient documentation of an Egyptian cult of Aten, which lasted little more than a generation, having been suppressed as heresy. Although texts in praise of Aten, like the Great Hymn to the Aten, perhaps were Aten scriptures, they cannot be considered definitive of the mainstream ancient Egyptian scriptures. On the other hand, the Nicene Creed is an early Christian description of their beliefs. However, although this is clearly a religious text, and is still highly valued by Christians today, they do not consider it scripture. Scriptures are a very specific type of religious text, the truth of which is received by faith/belief.

Etymology and usage

The term, scripture, arose as an English translation of Judaeo-Christian usage and was applied, by analogy, to the scriptures of other traditions. It is commonly used in reference to the Christian Bible and Islamic Koran.

The word, scripture, has been firmly attached to the Holy Bible in that it is used 32 times in 32 verses^[1] in the King James Version. Examples of its usage in the New Testament is in KJV John 10:35b, "...the scripture cannot be broken;"^[2] and in the Old Testament, KJV Daniel 10:21a, "...I will show thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth."^[3]

• scriptum
• graphai
• ketuvim

References

External links

• [1] MP3 Sephardic-style Hebrew Bible
• [2] MP3 Complete Hebrew Bible
• [3] MP3 תורה נביאים כתובים
• [4]The Westminster Leningrad Codex (4.9)
• [5] The Hebrew Bible in XML (BHS/Parallel/KJV)
• [6] MP3 Greek New Testament
• [7] Multilingual Bible: Search, Read, Study

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