Biblexika

Sacred Texts

Explore 107 sacred texts from 9 world religious traditions. Each text is examined alongside the Bible for parallels, contrasts, and thematic connections.

Ring system:Ring 1 – Canon & DeuterocanonRing 2 – DeuterocanonicalRing 3 – World ReligionsRing 4 – Ancient Texts
107 texts
JudaismRing 1

1 Enoch (Book of Enoch)

c. 300 BCE - 100 CE (compiled from multiple works)·Aramaic (surviving complete text in Ge'ez/Ethiopic)

1 Enoch is a composite Jewish apocalyptic text attributed to the antediluvian patriarch Enoch, who in Genesis 5:24 'walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.' The book expands this brief bibl…

OtherRing 1

2 Baruch (Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch)

c. 70-120 CE·Syriac (original possibly Hebrew or Greek)

Second Baruch, formally titled the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch, stands as one of the most searching theological responses to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Written in the voice of Baruch, the …

OtherRing 1

4 Ezra (2 Esdras 3-14)

c. 100 CE·Hebrew/Aramaic

4 Ezra (also called 2 Esdras chapters 3–14 in the Latin Bible) is one of the most theologically profound and emotionally raw texts of the Second Temple period, written in the aftermath of the destruct…

OtherRing 4

Aeneid

29-19 BCE·Latin

Virgil's Latin epic (29-19 BCE) narrating Trojan hero Aeneas's divinely ordained journey from Troy to Italy, where his descendants will found Rome. The foundational text of Roman literary and national…

JainismRing 3

Akaranga Sutra

c. 500 BCE·Ardhamagadhi Prakrit

The Akaranga Sutra is the oldest surviving canonical text of Jainism, one of the world's most ancient living religious traditions. Composed in Ardhamagadhi Prakrit — the vernacular language of the Mag…

OtherRing 3

Analects of Confucius

c. 475-221 BCE·Classical Chinese

The Analects (Lunyu, literally 'Arranged Conversations') is the foundational text of Confucian thought, a collection of sayings, dialogues, and brief narratives recording the teachings and personality…

OtherRing 1

Ascension of Isaiah

c. 100-200 CE (composite; Jewish core possibly earlier)·Greek and Ethiopic (original possibly Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek)

The Ascension of Isaiah is one of the most unusual texts from early Christianity's formative period — a composite work combining an older Jewish narrative about Isaiah's martyrdom under King Manasseh …

Other

The Epic of Atrahasis

c. 1700 BCE (Old Babylonian period); traditions date to 3rd millennium BCE·Akkadian (Old Babylonian dialect)

The Epic of Atrahasis is a Mesopotamian narrative poem that tells the story of humanity from creation to near-destruction in a catastrophic flood, and ultimately to a new beginning under divine-human …

ZoroastrianismRing 3

Avesta

c. 1500-500 BCE·Avestan

The Avesta is the sacred scripture of Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest living religious traditions in the world and a strong candidate for the first great monotheism in human history. Composed in the…

Other

The Baal Cycle

c. 1400-1200 BCE (Late Bronze Age)·Ugaritic (Northwest Semitic cuneiform alphabetic script)

The Baal Cycle is the central mythological narrative of ancient Ugaritic religion, preserved on six large clay tablets discovered in the ruins of the royal palace at Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit) on the…

Ancient Near EastRing 2

Behistun Inscription

c. 522-520 BCE·Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian (trilingual cuneiform)

A massive trilingual royal inscription carved into a cliff face at Behistun (modern Bisotun) in western Iran by Persian King Darius I around 522-520 BCE, written in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonia…

OtherRing 4

Beowulf

c. 700–1000 CE·Old English

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem of 3,182 alliterative lines, the longest surviving work of Old English literature and one of the foundational texts of the English literary tradition. The poem narr…

HinduismRing 3

Bhagavad Gita

c. 400 BCE - 200 CE·Sanskrit

The Bhagavad Gita ('Song of the Lord') is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that forms part of the Indian epic Mahabharata. Set on a battlefield, it presents a dialogue between the warrior prince Arjuna and…

OtherRing 1

Book of Enoch (1 Enoch)

c. 300 BCE - 100 CE·Ge'ez (complete); Aramaic (fragments)

The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch) is one of the most important Jewish texts outside the Hebrew Bible and one of the most significant documents for understanding the New Testament. Named for Enoch, the seven…

OtherRing 1

Book of Jubilees

c. 160-150 BCE·Hebrew/Ge'ez

The Book of Jubilees is a sweeping Jewish retelling of Genesis 1 through Exodus 14, cast as a revelation delivered by the Angel of the Presence to Moses on Mount Sinai. Composed in Hebrew around 160-1…

OtherRing 2

Egyptian Book of the Dead

c. 1550-50 BCE·Ancient Egyptian

The Egyptian Book of the Dead is not a single unified text but a collection of magical and religious spells — formally titled by the Egyptians themselves the 'Book of Coming Forth by Day' — placed in …

ZoroastrianismRing 2

Bundahishn

c. 900 CE (from older traditions)·Middle Persian (Pahlavi)

The Bundahishn (meaning 'Original Creation' or 'Primal Creation') is a Zoroastrian text compiled in the 9th-10th century CE in Middle Persian (Pahlavi), but drawing on traditions going back to the Ave…

Other

The Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi)

c. 300-200 BCE (Inner Chapters c. 350-300 BCE; Outer and Miscellaneous Chapters c. 300-130 BCE)·Classical Chinese

The Chuang Tzu (also romanized as Zhuangzi, 'Master Zhuang') is one of the foundational texts of Taoism (Daoism) and one of the most brilliant, playful, and philosophically profound works of Chinese l…

Ancient Near EastRing 2

Code of Hammurabi

c. 1754 BCE·Akkadian

The Code of Hammurabi is the most complete surviving ancient law code and one of the most important documents in the history of jurisprudence. Inscribed on a 7.5-foot black diorite stele discovered in…

OtherRing 4

Iroquois Creation Story (Haudenosaunee Sacred Narratives)

Pre-colonial oral tradition (key written recording by David Cusick, 1825)·Haudenosaunee oral traditions (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Tuscarora)

The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) creation narratives are among the most distinctive and philosophically rich Indigenous sacred traditions in North America. The Haudenosaunee ('People of the Longhouse') Co…

OtherRing 1

Dead Sea Scrolls (Community Texts)

c. 250 BCE - 68 CE·Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek

The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered beginning in 1947 in caves near the ancient site of Qumran, constitute one of the most transformative archaeological finds in modern history. While the scrolls include…

OtherRing 2

The Descent of Inanna

c. 1900-1600 BCE (recording oral traditions considerably older)·Sumerian

The Descent of Inanna is one of the most remarkable mythological texts from ancient Mesopotamia — a poetic narrative describing the voluntary journey of Inanna, Queen of Heaven and goddess of love, fe…

OtherRing 1

Deuterocanonical Books (Overview)

c. 300 BCE - 100 CE·Hebrew and Greek

The Deuterocanonical Books, also called the Apocrypha by Protestants, occupy a fascinating and contested space in the history of the Bible. Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles include these texts as …

BuddhismRing 3

The Dhammapada

c. 3rd century BCE (compiled from earlier oral tradition)·Pali

The Dhammapada ('Path of the Dharma' or 'Words of Truth') is the most beloved and widely read text in the Theravada Buddhist canon. A collection of 423 verses in 26 chapters, it distills the Buddha's …

BuddhismRing 3

Diamond Sutra

c. 100 CE·Sanskrit

The Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra, 'Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion') is one of the most important texts in Mahayana Buddhism and the world's oldest dated printed book, preserve…

OtherRing 1

Didache

c. 50-120 CE·Greek

The Didache ('Teaching' or 'Teaching of the Twelve Apostles') is the earliest surviving Christian church manual, a brief document of 16 short chapters that provides an irreplaceable window into the pr…

OtherRing 3

Doctrine of the Mean

c. 450 BCE·Classical Chinese

The Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong) is one of the Four Books of Confucianism, originally a chapter in the Book of Rites attributed to Confucius's grandson Zisi. Neo-Confucian scholars of the Song dyn…

Ancient Near EastRing 2

Elephantine Papyri

c. 495-399 BCE·Aramaic (Imperial Aramaic)

A collection of Aramaic documents from a Jewish military colony at Elephantine Island in the Nile River at Aswan, Egypt, dating to approximately 495-399 BCE, providing an extraordinary firsthand windo…

Ancient Near EastRing 2

Enuma Elish

c. 1200 BCE·Akkadian

The Enuma Elish (named for its opening words, 'When on high') is the Babylonian creation epic, one of the most important documents in ancient Near Eastern religion and a crucial background text for un…

OtherRing 2

The Epic of Gilgamesh

c. 2100-1200 BCE·Sumerian and Akkadian

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest surviving work of great literature, originating in ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). It tells the story of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, his friendship with the wild ma…

OtherRing 2

Epictetus - Discourses

c. 108 CE·Greek

The Discourses of Epictetus (c. 50-135 CE) are recorded conversations and lectures of the Stoic philosopher, compiled by his student Arrian of Nicomedia around 108 CE. Epictetus was unique among ancie…

OtherRing 2

Epictetus - Enchiridion

c. 125 CE·Greek

The Enchiridion (handbook or manual) of Epictetus is a short summary of Stoic practical philosophy compiled by Arrian of Nicomedia from his teacher's longer Discourses, probably around 125 CE. In 53 b…

Ancient Near EastRing 2

Gezer Calendar

c. 925 BCE·Hebrew (Paleo-Hebrew script)

A small limestone plaque discovered at the ancient site of Gezer in modern Israel in 1908, inscribed with an ancient Hebrew agricultural calendar listing eight seasons of the farming year. Dating to a…

Ancient Near EastRing 2

Epic of Gilgamesh

c. 2100 BCE·Akkadian

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the world's oldest surviving work of literature and one of the most important texts for biblical scholarship. Composed in Akkadian — the language of ancient Babylonia and Assy…

OtherRing 1

Gospel of Thomas

c. 60-140 CE·Coptic (translated from Greek; possibly composed in Syriac or Greek)

The Gospel of Thomas, discovered among the Nag Hammadi codices in 1945, is the most important non-canonical gospel for understanding early Christianity. Unlike the four canonical gospels, Thomas conta…

SikhismRing 3

Guru Granth Sahib

1604 CE (compiled); final form 1708 CE·Gurmukhi

The Guru Granth Sahib is the eternal living Guru of Sikhism, the holy scripture that the tenth human Guru, Gobind Singh, designated as his permanent successor before his death in 1708. It is not merel…

IslamRing 1

Sahih al-Bukhari

c. 846 CE·Arabic

Sahih al-Bukhari stands as the most authoritative collection of hadith in Sunni Islam — second in religious weight only to the Quran itself. Compiled by Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari (810–870 CE) ove…

Other

The Heart Sutra (Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra)

c. 350-600 CE (scholarly estimates vary)·Sanskrit

The Heart Sutra is the shortest and most widely recited scripture in Mahayana Buddhism. In just 260 Chinese characters (or about 14 verses in Sanskrit), it compresses the entire teaching of the Prajna…

OtherRing 4

Homeric Hymns

c. 700-400 BCE·Ancient Greek

A collection of 33 Greek hexameter hymns composed in the style of Homer and attributed in antiquity to the same oral epic tradition, though certainly composed by multiple authors over several centurie…

TaoismRing 3

I Ching (Book of Changes)

c. 1000-750 BCE·Classical Chinese

The I Ching (Yi Jing, literally 'Book of Changes') is one of the oldest continuously used texts in human history, a divination manual and philosophical classic that has been in unbroken use for over t…

OtherRing 4

Iliad

c. 750 BCE·Ancient Greek

Homer's Iliad, composed around 750 BCE and comprising 15,693 lines of dactylic hexameter verse, is one of the oldest and most consequential works in Western literature. Set during a few weeks in the t…

OtherRing 2

Instruction of Amenemope

c. 1100 BCE·Ancient Egyptian

The Instruction of Amenemope is an Egyptian wisdom text dating from approximately 1100 BCE that has become one of the most significant documents in biblical studies because of its extensive and striki…

OtherRing 1

Against Apion

c. 94 CE·Greek

Against Apion is the most polished and intellectually ambitious work of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, written late in his life around 94 CE as a spirited defense of Judaism against Greek and …

OtherRing 1

Antiquities of the Jews

c. 93-94 CE·Greek

The Antiquities of the Jews is the most ambitious and comprehensive work of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus — a twenty-volume history of the Jewish people from creation to the outbreak of the Je…

OtherRing 1

The Jewish War

c. 75 CE·Greek

An eyewitness account of the Jewish revolt against Rome (66-73 CE) and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 CE. Written by Flavius Josephus, a Jewish priest who surrendered to Rome and be…

Other

The Book of Jubilees

c. 160-150 BCE·Hebrew

The Book of Jubilees is a retelling of the story of Genesis and the first part of Exodus, covering the period from creation to Moses receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai. What makes it special is not ju…

OtherRing 4

The Kalevala

Compiled 1835 CE (revised 1849 CE); oral traditions centuries older·Finnish

The Kalevala is the national epic of Finland, compiled by physician and folklorist Elias Lönnrot from oral folk poetry (runo) collected across Finland and Karelia, and published in two editions: the O…

OtherRing 4

Kojiki

712 CE·Classical Japanese (with Chinese characters)

The Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters), completed in 712 CE, is Japan's oldest surviving chronicle and the most sacred text of Shinto. Compiled under imperial commission by the court scholar O no Yasu…

Ancient Near EastRing 2

Lachish Letters

c. 588 BCE·Hebrew (Paleo-Hebrew script on ostraca)

The Lachish Letters are a collection of 21 inscribed pottery sherds (ostraca) discovered at the ancient Judahite city of Lachish in archaeological excavations conducted in 1935 and 1938. Written in an…

OtherRing 4

Lebor Gabala Erenn (Book of Invasions)

c. 1000-1150 CE (compiled from older traditions)·Old and Middle Irish

Lebor Gabala Erenn, the 'Book of the Taking of Ireland' or 'Book of Invasions,' is the foundational mythological history of Ireland, compiled by medieval Irish Christian scholars from older oral and l…

OtherRing 1

Life of Adam and Eve (Vita Adae et Evae)

c. 100 BCE - 200 CE·Latin and Greek (original possibly Hebrew or Aramaic)

The Life of Adam and Eve, known in its Latin version as the Vita Adae et Evae and in its Greek version as the Apocalypse of Moses, is a remarkable expansion of the Genesis story of humanity's first pa…

Other

The Lotus Sutra (Saddharma Pundarika Sutra)

c. 100 BCE - 200 CE·Sanskrit

The Lotus Sutra is one of the most beloved and influential scriptures in all of Buddhism. Its full Sanskrit title, Saddharma Pundarika Sutra, means 'The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law.…

OtherRing 4

The Mabinogion

c. 1050–1225 CE (oral traditions centuries older)·Middle Welsh

The Mabinogion is a collection of eleven medieval Welsh tales preserved in two manuscripts: the White Book of Rhydderch (c. 1350 CE) and the Red Book of Hergest (c. 1382-1410 CE). The name, coined by …

HinduismRing 3

Mahabharata

c. 400 BCE - 400 CE·Sanskrit

The Mahabharata is the longest poem in any human language, at nearly 100,000 verses — roughly ten times the combined length of the Iliad and Odyssey and seven times the length of the Bible. Composed i…

OtherRing 2

Marcus Aurelius - Meditations

c. 161-180 CE·Greek

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE), written in Greek during his military campaigns as Roman Emperor and never intended for publication, is one of the most intimate and enduringly relevant…

OtherRing 3

Mencius

c. 300 BCE·Classical Chinese

The Mencius (Mengzi) is the collected teachings of Mencius (Meng Ke, c. 372-289 BCE), the most important Confucian thinker after Confucius himself. Where the Analects often presents Confucius's teachi…

Ancient Near EastRing 2

Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone)

c. 840 BCE·Moabite

The Mesha Stele, also called the Moabite Stone, is a black basalt monument inscribed with 34 lines of text in the Moabite language by King Mesha of Moab around 840 BCE. Discovered in 1868 at Dhiban (a…

OtherRing 4

Metamorphoses

8 CE·Latin

Ovid's Metamorphoses, completed around 8 CE, is the most comprehensive and influential collection of classical mythology in Western literature. In fifteen books of Latin hexameter verse, it narrates a…

BuddhismRing 3

Milindapanha (Questions of King Milinda)

c. 100 BCE - 200 CE·Pali

The Milindapanha (Questions of King Milinda) is one of the most intellectually engaging texts in all of Buddhist literature — a dialogue between the Greek king Menander (Milinda in Pali), who ruled th…

Judaism

The Mishnah

c. 200 CE·Hebrew

The Mishnah is the first major written collection of Jewish oral law. For centuries, Jewish teachers passed down rules and explanations about how to follow the Torah by word of mouth, from teacher to …

OtherRing 4

Dine Bahane' (Navajo Creation Story)

Pre-colonial (recorded in writing from the 19th century onward)·Navajo oral tradition

Dine Bahane', meaning 'Story of the People' or 'Origin Legend of the Navajo,' is the sacred creation narrative of the Dine (Navajo) people, one of the largest Indigenous nations in North America. Tran…

OtherRing 3

Nihon Shoki

720 CE·Classical Chinese/Japanese

The Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan), completed in 720 CE, is the second-oldest chronicle of Japan and the most comprehensive ancient account of Japanese history and mythology. Written primarily in c…

OtherRing 4

Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan)

720 CE·Classical Chinese with Japanese elements

The Nihon Shoki, or Chronicles of Japan, is the second-oldest classical text of Japan and the first official history of the Japanese state, completed in 720 CE under imperial commission. Written large…

OtherRing 4

Odyssey

c. 725 BCE·Ancient Greek

The Odyssey, the companion epic to the Iliad attributed to Homer and composed around 725 BCE, follows the ten-year homeward journey of Odysseus (Ulysses in Latin) from Troy to his island kingdom of It…

OtherRing 4

Orphic Hymns

c. 200 BCE - 200 CE·Ancient Greek

The Orphic Hymns are a collection of 87 short hymns composed in classical Greek hexameter verse, attributed in antiquity to the mythical musician and prophet Orpheus. The actual date of composition is…

BuddhismRing 3

Pali Canon: Sutta Pitaka

c. 400-100 BCE·Pali

The Pali Canon — formally called the Tipitaka, or 'Three Baskets' — is the complete scripture collection of Theravada Buddhism and the oldest surviving complete Buddhist canon in the world. Transmitte…

OtherRing 1

Philo of Alexandria (Selected Works)

c. 20 BCE - 50 CE·Greek

Philo of Alexandria (c. 20 BCE - 50 CE) was the most important Jewish philosopher of antiquity — a thinker who spent his life attempting to reconcile the Hebrew Scriptures with Greek philosophy, parti…

OtherRing 2

Allegorical Interpretation (Philo)

c. 20-50 CE·Greek

Allegorical Interpretation (Greek: Legum Allegoriae) is the longest surviving work of Philo of Alexandria (c. 20 BCE - 50 CE) and the centerpiece of his allegorical commentary series on Genesis. Spann…

OtherRing 2

On the Life of Abraham (Philo)

c. 20-50 CE·Greek

On the Life of Abraham (Greek: De Abrahamo) is the first of Philo of Alexandria's surviving biographical-philosophical treatises on the patriarchs, belonging to his Exposition of the Law series. The t…

OtherRing 2

On the Creation (Philo)

c. 20-50 CE·Greek

On the Creation of the World (Greek: De Opificio Mundi) is the opening treatise of Philo of Alexandria's Exposition of the Law, a series designed to present the Mosaic legislation to educated Gentile …

OtherRing 2

On the Life of Moses (Philo)

c. 20-50 CE·Greek

On the Life of Moses (Greek: De Vita Mosis) is Philo of Alexandria's most accessible and comprehensive work, a two-book biographical account of Moses addressed explicitly to Greek-speaking readers who…

OtherRing 2

On the Life of Moses I (Philo)

c. 20-50 CE·Greek

On the Life of Moses I (Greek: De Vita Mosis I) is the first book of Philo of Alexandria's two-part philosophical biography of Moses, his most widely read and accessible work. Book I covers the narrat…

OtherRing 2

On the Life of Moses II (Philo)

c. 20-50 CE·Greek

On the Life of Moses II is the second book of Philo of Alexandria's two-volume treatment of Moses, composed as part of his Exposition of the Law — the group of works Philo intended for a wider audienc…

OtherRing 2

On the Decalogue (Philo)

c. 20-50 CE·Greek

On the Decalogue (Greek: De Decalogo) is one of Philo of Alexandria's expository treatises belonging to his Exposition of the Law series. It treats the Ten Commandments as the supreme summary of divin…

OtherRing 2

On the Special Laws (Philo)

c. 20-50 CE·Greek

On the Special Laws (Greek: De Specialibus Legibus) is Philo of Alexandria's most comprehensive legal work, spanning four books and providing the fullest surviving ancient Jewish philosophical treatme…

Other

Pirke Avot (Ethics of the Fathers)

c. 200 CE (final redaction); individual sayings date from 3rd century BCE to 2nd century CE·Mishnaic Hebrew

Pirke Avot, commonly translated as 'Ethics of the Fathers' or 'Chapters of the Fathers,' is the most widely read and studied tractate of the Mishnah, the foundational document of rabbinic Judaism comp…

OtherRing 4

Poetic Edda

c. 900-1100 CE (oral tradition, compiled c. 1270 CE)·Old Norse

A collection of Old Norse mythological and heroic poems compiled c. 1270 CE from older oral traditions, preserved in the Codex Regius. The primary source for Norse mythology, including the cosmogony, …

OtherRing 4

Popol Vuh

c. 1554–1558 CE (written); oral traditions centuries older·K'iche' Maya

The Popol Vuh ('Book of the Community' or 'Council Book') is the K'iche' Maya epic of creation and heroic origins, the most important surviving text of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican literature. Written d…

OtherRing 4

Prose Edda

c. 1220 CE·Old Norse

Written by the Icelandic Christian scholar Snorri Sturluson around 1220 CE, the Prose Edda is the most comprehensive systematic account of Norse mythology and the most important single prose source fo…

OtherRing 1

Psalms of Solomon

c. 80-30 BCE·Greek (from Hebrew)

The Psalms of Solomon are a collection of 18 Jewish psalms composed in Hebrew around 80-30 BCE, surviving only in Greek and Syriac translations. They reflect the anguished reaction of a community of p…

IslamRing 2

The Quran

c. 610-632 CE·Arabic

The Quran is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be the literal word of God (Allah) as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over approximately 23 years. Composed in classical Arabi…

HinduismRing 3

Ramayana

c. 400-200 BCE·Sanskrit

The Ramayana is one of the two great Sanskrit epics of ancient India and one of the most beloved and widely known stories in Asian literature. Attributed to the poet-sage Valmiki and composed between …

Other

The Rig Veda

c. 1500-1200 BCE (oldest hymns may date to 1700 BCE or earlier)·Vedic Sanskrit

The Rig Veda (Sanskrit: Rgveda, 'Knowledge of Verses/Hymns') is the oldest and most sacred text of Hinduism and one of the oldest surviving religious compositions in any Indo-European language. It is …

HinduismRing 3

Rigveda

c. 1500-1200 BCE·Sanskrit

The Rigveda is humanity's oldest surviving collection of religious hymns — 1,028 Sanskrit poems addressed to Vedic deities, composed around 1500-1200 BCE in northwestern India. It is the foundational …

Other

Sahih al-Bukhari

c. 846 CE (compilation completed); individual hadiths trace to 7th century CE·Classical Arabic

Sahih al-Bukhari (literally 'The Authentic Collection of al-Bukhari') is the most authoritative collection of hadith in Sunni Islam, compiled by the Persian scholar Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari (810…

OtherRing 1

Sahih Muslim

c. 855 CE·Arabic

Sahih Muslim is one of the two most authoritative hadith collections in Sunni Islam, standing alongside Sahih al-Bukhari as the foundational pillars of Islamic prophetic tradition. Compiled by the sch…

OtherRing 2

Seneca - Moral Letters to Lucilius

c. 63-65 CE·Latin

The Moral Letters to Lucilius (Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium) are 124 letters written by Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c. 4 BCE-65 CE) to his friend Gaius Lucilius in the final two years of Seneca's life. Wr…

OtherRing 1

Shepherd of Hermas

c. 100-160 CE·Greek

The Shepherd of Hermas is one of the most popular and widely circulated texts in early Christianity — considered scriptural by some communities, included at the end of the Codex Sinaiticus (one of the…

Ancient Near EastRing 2

Siloam Tunnel Inscription

c. 701 BCE·Hebrew (Paleo-Hebrew script)

The Siloam Tunnel Inscription is a six-line Hebrew text carved into the rock wall of the Siloam Tunnel (also called Hezekiah's Tunnel) in Jerusalem around 701 BCE. Discovered in 1880 by a schoolboy wh…

OtherRing 1

Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)

c. 180-175 BCE·Hebrew

Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus, Jesus ben Sira, or the Wisdom of Ben Sira) is the longest and most encyclopedic wisdom text in the biblical tradition — a 51-chapter collection of practical and t…

OtherRing 2

Sumerian King List

c. 2100 BCE (multiple versions over many centuries)·Sumerian

The Sumerian King List is an ancient Mesopotamian text that enumerates the kings of Sumer and Akkad from the primordial time 'when kingship descended from heaven' through historical rulers of the earl…

Judaism

The Babylonian Talmud (Talmud Bavli)

c. 500-600 CE·Aramaic and Hebrew

The Babylonian Talmud, known in Hebrew as the Talmud Bavli, is the most important text in Rabbinic Judaism after the Torah. It is a massive work, running to about 2.5 million words across 37 tractates…

TaoismRing 3

Tao Te Ching

c. 4th century BCE·Classical Chinese

The Tao Te Ching (also written Daodejing, 'The Classic of the Way and Virtue') is the foundational text of Taoism, attributed to the sage Laozi (Lao Tzu). Composed of 81 brief, poetic chapters totalin…

Ancient Near EastRing 2

Tel Dan Stele

c. 840 BCE·Aramaic

The Tel Dan Stele, discovered in fragments at Tel Dan in northern Israel in 1993-94, contains the first extrabiblical attestation of the phrase 'House of David' (Aramaic: bytdwd), making it one of the…

OtherRing 1

Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

c. 150 BCE (with Christian interpolations)·Greek

The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs is a remarkable pseudepigraphical work in which each of the twelve sons of Jacob delivers a deathbed speech to his descendants, combining personal narrative, et…

OtherRing 4

Theogony

c. 700 BCE·Ancient Greek

The Theogony, composed by Hesiod around 700 BCE, is ancient Greece's systematic account of the origins of the gods and the cosmos. Its title means 'the birth of the gods,' and it delivers precisely th…

Other

The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol)

c. 8th century CE (attributed to Padmasambhava); discovered as terma (hidden treasure) 14th century CE·Classical Tibetan

The Tibetan Book of the Dead, known in Tibetan as the Bardo Thodol (literally 'Liberation Through Hearing in the Intermediate State'), is one of the most famous and influential texts of Tibetan Buddhi…

OtherRing 1

Torah (Sefaria)

c. 1400-400 BCE·Hebrew

The Torah, meaning instruction or law, comprises the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These five books, also called the Pentateuch (Greek for five s…

Hinduism

The Upanishads

c. 800-200 BCE (principal Upanishads)·Sanskrit

The Upanishads are among the oldest and most profound philosophical texts in the world. They form the concluding portion of the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of Hinduism, and are often called Vedanta, …

OtherRing 4

The Voyage of Bran (Immram Brain)

c. 700 CE·Old Irish

The Voyage of Bran (Immram Brain maic Febail, 'The Voyage of Bran son of Febal') is one of the oldest and most beautiful texts in Old Irish literature, composed around 700 CE and belonging to the genr…

OtherRing 1

Wisdom of Solomon

c. 100 BCE - 50 CE·Greek

The Wisdom of Solomon is one of the most philosophically sophisticated Jewish texts of the Second Temple period and one of the most important books for understanding the theology of the New Testament.…

OtherRing 4

Works and Days

c. 700 BCE·Ancient Greek

The Works and Days, composed by Hesiod around 700 BCE, is the first great poem of social ethics in Western literature. Written as a sustained address to his brother Perses, who has cheated him of his …

OtherRing 3

Xunzi

3rd century BCE·Classical Chinese

The Xunzi, composed by the philosopher Xun Kuang (c. 310-235 BCE), represents the most intellectually rigorous and systematically argued of all early Confucian texts. Where Mencius argued that human n…

HinduismRing 3

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

c. 200 BCE - 200 CE·Sanskrit

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is the foundational scriptural source for Raja Yoga, the meditative path of yoga, consisting of 196 terse aphorisms organized into four chapters. Composed sometime between…

OtherRing 4

Yoruba Sacred Narratives (Ifa/Orisha Tradition)

Ancient oral tradition (written recordings from the 19th century onward)·Yoruba oral tradition

The sacred narratives of the Yoruba people of West Africa (primarily in present-day Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, with diaspora communities throughout the Americas) constitute one of the world's most comp…

TaoismRing 3

Zhuangzi

c. 300 BCE·Classical Chinese

The Zhuangzi is the second foundational text of Taoist philosophy and, by many readers' assessment, the most brilliant and entertaining philosophical work in Chinese literature. Named for its primary …

JudaismRing 1

Zohar

c. 1280 CE (medieval; claiming ancient origin)·Aramaic

The Zohar (meaning 'Splendor' or 'Radiance') is the foundational text of Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition, and one of the most influential works in Jewish religious history after the Bible and …

Explore Bible Parallels
See how passages from these texts connect thematically, literarily, and historically with Scripture across all traditions.
Browse all parallels →