the principal sacred text of Sikhism contains hymns and poetry as well as the teachings of the first five gurus

a collection of Zoroastrian texts gathered during the 4th or 6th centuries

(Hinduism) the sacred `song of God' composed about 200 BC and incorporated into the Mahabharata (a Sanskrit epic); contains a discussion between Krishna and the Indian hero Arjuna on human nature and the purpose of life

(Hinduism) a sacred epic Sanskrit poem of India dealing in many episodes with the struggle between two rival families

the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit

the whole body of the Jewish sacred writings and tradition including the oral tradition

the Jewish scriptures which consist of three divisions--the Torah and the Prophets and the Writings

the second of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures

the third of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures

a sacred text revealed to Joseph Smith in 1830 by an ancient prophet Mormon; supposedly a record of ancient peoples of America translated by Joseph Smith

the sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad during his life at Mecca and Medina

the second part of the Talmud consisting primarily of commentary on the Mishna

the first part of the Talmud; a collection of early oral interpretations of the scriptures that was compiled about AD 200

a later sacred text of Hinduism of a mystical nature dealing with metaphysical questions

one of the 150 lyrical poems and prayers that comprise the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament; said to have been written by David

any writing that is regarded as sacred by a religious group

the sacred writings of the Christian religions

(Old Testament) an obsolete name for the Old Testament books of I Chronicles and II Chronicles which were regarded as supplementary to Kings

either of the two main parts of the Christian Bible

the four books in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that tell the story of Christ's life and teachings

the first three Gospels which describe events in Christ's life from a similar point of view

a fixed text used in praying

a book setting forth the forms of church service

14 books of the Old Testament included in the Vulgate (except for II Esdras) but omitted in Jewish and Protestant versions of the Bible; eastern Christian churches (except the Coptic Church) accept all these books as canonical; the Russian Orthodox Church accepts these texts as divinely inspired but does not grant them the same status

any of the biblical books (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus) that are considered to contain wisdom

52 texts written between 200 BC and AD 200 but ascribed to various prophets and kings in the Hebrew scriptures; many are apocalyptic in nature

(Judaism) ancient rabbinical writings

(from the Sanskrit word for `knowledge') any of the most ancient sacred writings of Hinduism written in early Sanskrit; traditionally believed to comprise the Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, and the Upanishads

(Sanskrit) literally a `sacred utterance' in Vedism; one of a collection of orally transmitted poetic hymns

any sacred song used to praise the deity

a collection of books accepted as holy scripture especially the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired

a large Bible with pages to record marriages and births

the message of the Gospel of Christ

a liturgical prayer beginning with these Latin words

Talmudic literature that does not deal with law but is still part of Jewish tradition

Talmudic literature that deals with law and with the interpretation of the laws on the Hebrew Scriptures

a sequence of prayers constituting the Christian Eucharistic rite

a liturgical prayer (considered to be the essence of Jewish religion) that is recited at least twice daily by adult Jewish males to declare their faith