Top 7 Oldest Religious Scriptures In The World

The oldest religious scriptures in the world are the texts that various ancient civilizations produced to express their beliefs, rituals, laws, and myths. These texts are often considered sacred, authoritative, and divinely inspired by their followers, and they have influenced the development of many religious traditions and cultures.

These religious scriptures are the cornerstone of many of the world’s religions we see today. They are revered as authoritative guidance, wisdom, and divine revelation sources.

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Here we would like to share the top 7 oldest religious scriptures in the world that are still being used as guidance today.

7. The Epic of Gilgamesh (~2,100 BC)

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient epic poem from Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known works of literary fiction. The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with five Sumerian poems about Bilgamesh (Sumerian for “Gilgamesh”), king of Uruk, dating from the Third Dynasty of Ur (c. 2100 BC).

The epic tells the story of Gilgamesh, a king who was two-thirds god and one-third human. He was known for his wisdom, his architectural projects, and his tyrannical rule. His story was inscribed on clay tablets in cuneiform script and has been told and retold over millennia.

The Epic of Gilgamesh remains a timeless tale of friendship, adventure, and the human quest for immortality.

6. The Rigveda (~1,700 BC)

Credit: Wikimedia Commons via Ms Sarah Welch

The Rigveda is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts known as the Vedas1. It is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns, also known as sūktas. The Rigveda is the oldest known Vedic Sanskrit text, and its early layers are among the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language.

The Rigveda was likely composed between roughly 1700–1100 BCE, in what is now the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. It consists of a collection of 1,028 poems grouped into 10 “circles” or mandalas. It is generally agreed that the first and last books were created later than the middle books.

The sounds and texts of the Rigveda have been orally transmitted since the 2nd millennium BCE1. Some of its verses continue to be recited during Hindu prayer and celebration of rites of passage (such as weddings), making it probably the world’s oldest religious text in continued use.

5. The Book of the Dead (~1,550 BC)

The Book of the Dead is an ancient Egyptian funerary text, used from the beginning of the New Kingdom (around 1550 BC) to around 50 BC. It is a collection of spells or magic formulas, placed in tombs, and believed to protect and aid the deceased in the hereafter.

The Book of the Dead was probably compiled and reedited during the 16th century BCE. The collection included Coffin Texts dating from c. 2000 BCE, Pyramid Texts dating from c. 2400 BCE, and other writings. Scribes copied the texts on rolls of papyrus, often colorfully illustrated, and sold them to individuals for burial use.

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Many copies of the book have been found in Egyptian tombs, but none contains all of the approximately 200 known chapters.

4. The Instruction of Amenemope (~1,300 BC)

Credit: Wikimedia Commons via David Liam Moran

The Instruction of Amenemope, also known as the Instructions of Amenemopet or Wisdom of Amenemope was created during the Ramesside Period, which lasted from around 1300–1075 BC.

The text is a part of the literary genre of “instruction” (Egyptian sebayt) and is considered the culmination of centuries of development, with roots going back to the Instruction of Ptahhotep in the Old Kingdom.

The most complete text of the Instruction of Amenemope is British Museum Papyrus 10474, acquired in Thebes by E. A. Wallis Budge in early 18881. The scroll is approximately 12 feet (3.7 m) long by 10 inches (250 mm) wide.

3. The Samaveda (~1,200 BC)

The Samaveda, derived from “sāman” meaning “song” and “veda” meaning “knowledge”, is one of the four Vedas, the sacred texts of Hinduism. It is often referred to as the Veda of melodies and chants.

Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the Samaveda is believed to have been compiled between 1200 and 1000 BCE. It consists of 1,875 verses, making it the shortest of all the four Vedas. The Samaveda is unique as it contains notated melodies, which are probably the world’s oldest surviving ones.

Three recensions of the Samaveda have survived: Kauthuma, Jaiminiya, and Ranayaniya. These recensions contain variations of the Veda and have been found in different parts of India.

2. The Yajurveda (~1,200 BC)

Credit: Wikimedia Commons via Ms Sarah Welch

This is another religious scripture of the four Vedas and the term “Yajurveda” is derived from “yajus” meaning “worship”, and “veda” meaning "knowledge". It is primarily composed of prose mantras used in worship rituals.

The Yajurveda is divided into two major parts: the “black” or “dark” (Krishna) Yajurveda and the “white” or “bright” (Shukla) Yajurveda123. The “black” Yajurveda refers to the un-arranged, unclear collection of verses, while the “white” Yajurveda refers to the well-arranged, clear collection.

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It includes about 1,975 verses. Many of these verses are borrowed and built upon the foundation of verses in the Rigveda. In short, the Yajurveda is a significant religious text that provides guidance for worship rituals and a philosophical understanding of Hinduism.

1. The Atharvaveda (~1,200 BC)

Credit: Wikimedia Commons via Ms Sarah Welch

One of the world's oldest religious scriptures part of the four Vedas is the Atharvaveda. It is often referred to as the "knowledge storehouse of atharvāṇas, the procedures for everyday life".

The Atharvaveda is believed to have been compiled between 1200 and 900 BCE. It is a collection of 730 hymns with about 6,000 mantras, divided into 20 books. Two different recensions of the text – the Paippalāda and the Śaunakīya – have survived into modern times.

Reliable manuscripts of the Paippalada edition were believed to have been lost, but a well-preserved version was discovered among a collection of palm-leaf manuscripts in Odisha in 1957.

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