LibGuides: World Religion: Sacred Books

What is a sacred book?

"Any book (as the Bible) regarded by a religious body as an authoritative source or divinely inspired statement of its faith, history, and practices." (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Also sometimes referred to as "Sacred Texts."
Sacred Books/texts are examples of Primary Sources.

Internet Sacred Book Archive

Internet Sacred Text Archive
"The largest freely available archive of online books about religion, mythology, folklore and the esoteric on the Internet."

Specific Sacred Texts, by Religion (E-Books)

Milestone Documents of World Religions (e-Book series)
Milestone Documents of World Religions examines the key sacred texts and foundational documents of the world's primary religions, from ancient times to the present, providing researchers with a fresh perspective on how critical religious texts have influenced both the past and the present.

Sacred Books of the East: Selections From the Vedic Hymns, Zend-Avesta, Dhammapada, Upanishads, The Koran, and the LIfe of Buddha by Epiphanius Wilson (Editor)
Publication Date: 2009-06-01
Sacred Books of the East includes selections from the Vedic Hymns, Zend-Avesta, Dhammapada, Upanishads, the Koran, and the Life of Buddha, with critical and biographical sketches by Epiphanius Wilson

The Dhammapada by Eknath Easwaran (Introduction by, Translator)
Publication Date: 2007-04-13
Easwaran's best-selling translation of this classic Buddhist text. The Dhammapada is reliable, readable, and profound.
The Dhammapada by John Carter (Editor); Mahinda Palihawadana (Edited and Translated by)
Publication Date: 2000-11-23
The Dhammapada, the Pali version of one of the most popular texts of the Buddhist canon, ranks among the classics of the world's great religious literature.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead by W. Y. Evans-Wentz (Editor); Donald S. Lopez (Foreword by)
Publication Date: 2000-09-28
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is one of the texts that, according to legend, Padma-Sambhava was compelled to hide during his visit to Tibet in the late 8th century.

The Holy Bible, King James Version, (Credo Reference): E-Book
The King James or 'Authorized' Version was commissioned in 1603 when James became King of England. It was first published in 1611 and attained a unique authority, gradually superseding all previous versions. The first Cambridge printing was in 1629, establishing a tradition of care for the accuracy of the text that has been maintained to this day. The "KJV" is a classic of the English language and is still a very widely accepted translation.

Holy Bible (New Revised Standard version)
CSB Holy Bible by Holman Bible Publishers
Publication Date: 2017-01-15
The CSB Holy Bible, Digital Edition features the highly readable, highly reliable text of the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).

Daodejing by Lao Tzu; Edmund Ryden (Translator); Benjamin Penny; Laozi: E-Book
Call Number: Read online (ebook). Also available in print at Lancaster.
Publication Date: 2008-10-15
The Daodejing or Classic of the Way and Life-Force is a work that defies definition. It encapsulates the main tenets of Daoism, and upholds a way of being as well as a philosophy and a religion.

The Upanishads by Eknath Easwaran
Call Number: Read online (ebook)
Publication Date: 2009-06-01
Eknath Easwaran makes this challenging text more accessible by selecting the passages most relevant to readers seeking timeless truths today. His accessible, highly readable translation and lively foreword place the teachings in a contemporary context for students and general readers alike.
Godsong: A Verse Translation of the Bhagavad-Gita, with Commentary by Amit Majmudar
Publication Date: 2018-03-20
Godsong is an instant classic in the field, from a poet of skill, fine intellect, and--perhaps most important--devotion.
The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran
Call Number: Read online (ebook)
Publication Date: 2009-06-01
, Eknath Easwaran contextualizes the book culturally and historically and explains the key concepts of Hindu religious thought and the technical vocabulary of yoga.
The Bhagavad Gita Twenty-fifth–Anniversary Edition by Winthrop Sargeant; Christopher Key Chapple (Editor, Preface by); Huston Smith (Foreword by)
Publication Date: 2009-03-19
An interlinear edition of the spiritual classic that provides devanagari, transliterated Sanskrit, and English versions

The Qur'an : A Translation for the 21st Century by Salahi, M. A.
Publication Date: 2019
In this new translation the renowned author and scholar Adil Salahi has endeavoured to put the meanings of the Qur'anic verses and surahs in simple and straightforward form, so that the 21st century reader may find it concise easy to access, and yet full of expansive expression.

The Qur'an (Credo Reference)
© Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an Inc. 2003
The Holy Qur'an (ebooks on EBSCOHost)
The Holy Qur'an Search Engine
Al Islam (The Official Site of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community)

Torah by Inc. Jewish Publication Society, Inc. (Editor)
Publication Date: 1999-01-01
The current JPS translation, based on classical and modern sources, is acclaimed for its fidelity to the ancient Hebrew.
Pathways Through the Bible: Classic Selections From the Tanakh by Ellen Frankel (Foreword by); Arthur Szyk (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2002-02-19
.Rabbi Stein has replaced the 1917 JPS translation with the 1985 translation and has updated the prose and made the language gender-sensitive.

Specific Sacred Texts, by Religion (Print Books)

The Norton Anthology of World Religions
Publication Date: 2014-11-03
A portable library of more than 1,000 primary texts from the world's major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Daoism (Volume 1); Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Volume 2).
The World's Great Religions: an anthology of sacred texts by Selwyn Gurney Champion (Editor); Dorothy Short (Editor)
Publication Date: 2003-04-25
The editors present each religion in simple terms and without bias, geared toward readers new to the subject at hand. Each of the eleven topics features an introductory section that outlines its main doctrines and system; where applicable, an account of the life of the founder is featured. All introductions are followed by a selection of verses and readings from the scriptures.

Sacred writings : Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, Hinduism & Buddhism
v. 1. Judaism : the Tanakh -- v. 2. Christianity : the Apocrypha and the New Testament -- v. 3. Islam : the Quran -- v. 4. Confucianism : the Analects of Confucius -- v. 5. Hinduism : the Rig Veda -- v. 6. Buddhism : the Dhammapada.

The Dhammapada by Thomas Byrom; Ram Dass (Preface by)
Publication Date: 2001-06-12
The Dhammapada is one of the most popular and accessible books of Buddhist scripture.
Dhammapada by Thomas Cleary
Publication Date: 1994-12-01
Of all the Buddhist writings, theDhamma-Pada- -known for its accessibility--is perhaps the best primer of teachings on the dhamma, or moral path of life.
Meditations on Living, Dying and Loss by Graham Coleman (Editor); Thupten Jinpa (Editor)
ISBN: 9780670021284
Publication Date: 2009-11-25
A distillation of the acclaimed English translation of a revered Tibetan classic The Tibetan Book of the Dead is the most significant of all Tibetan Buddhist writings in the West and one of the most inspirational and compelling texts in world literature.
Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha by Edwin A. Burtt; Edwin Arthur Burtt; E. A. Burtt (Editor, Introduction by)
Publication Date: 1955-05-01
Now anyone who wants to learn more about Buddhism can go directly to the source, with this collection of original documents -- edited, with commentary, by a Cornell University professor of philosophy.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Augmented Third Edition, New Revised Standard Version by Michael David Coogan
Publication Date: 2007-02-02
Countless students and professors have relied upon The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha for essential scholarship and guidance to the world of the Bible.
The Holy Bible English Standard Version.
Publication Date: 2001-09-24
The new English Standard Version TM translation is founded on the belief that the words of the Bible are the very words of God.
New American Bible - NABRE
Publication Date: 2012-01-01
The New American Bible, Revised Edition represents the work of bilical scholars to translate the Bible into modern English.

Daodejing by Lao Tzu; Edmund Ryden (Translator); Benjamin Penny; Laozi: E-Book
Call Number: Read online (ebook). Also available in print at Lancaster.
Publication Date: 2008-10-15
TtheDaodejing or Classic of the Way and Life-Force is a work that defies definition. It encapsulates the main tenets of Daoism, and upholds a way of being as well as a philosophy and a religion.
Daodejing by Lao Tzu; Hans-Georg Moeller (Translator); Laozi
Publication Date: 2007-05-28
This translation presents Daoism's basic text in highly readable contemporary English. Incorporating the latest scholarship in the field (including the most recent discoveries of ancient manuscripts in the 1970s and '90s),
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu; William Scott Wilson (Translator)
Publication Date: 2012-06-12
Renowned translator William Scott Wilson has rendered Lao Tzu's classic in the most authentic way possible, using both the ancient text and the even older Great Seal script used during Lao Tzu's time.

The Upanishads by Eknath Easwaran
Call Number: Read online (ebook)
Publication Date: 2009-06-01
Eknath Easwaran makes this challenging text more accessible by selecting the passages most relevant to readers seeking timeless truths today. His accessible, highly readable translation and lively foreword place the teachings in a contemporary context for students and general readers alike.
The Upanishads by Thomas Egenes; Vernon Katz
Publication Date: 2015-06-30
This new translation of The Upanishadsis at once delightfully simple and rigorously learned, providing today's readers with an accurate, accessible rendering of the core work of ancient Indian philosophy.
The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran
Call Number: Read online (ebook)
Publication Date: 2009-06-01
, Eknath Easwaran contextualizes the book culturally and historically and explains the key concepts of Hindu religious thought and the technical vocabulary of yoga.
The Bhagavad Gita by Gavin Flood (Translator); Charles Martin
Publication Date: 2012-04-02
This new verse translation of the classic Sanskrit text combines the skills of leading Hinduist Gavin Flood with the stylistic verve of award-winning poet and translator Charles Martin. The result is a living, vivid work that avoids dull pedantry and remains true to the extraordinarily influential original.
The Rigveda: a Guide by Stephanie Jamison; Joel Brereton
Publication Date: 2020-03-10
This concise guide from two of the Rigveda's leading English-language scholars introduces the text and breaks down its large range of topics--from meditations on cosmic enigmas to penetrating reflections on the ability of mortals to make contact with and affect the divine and cosmic realms through sacrifice and praise--for a wider audience.
The Rig Veda by Thomas Wyatt; Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty (Editor, Translator)
Publication Date: 1982-01-28
The earliest of the four Hindu religious scriptures known as the Vedas, and the first extensive composition to survive in any Indo-European language, The Rig Veda (c 1200-900 bc) is a collection of more than 1,000 individual Sanskrit hymns.

The Koran Handbook: an annotated translation by Nicolas A. Starkovsky
ISBN: 9780875863764
Publication Date: 2005-05-01
Qur'an by Abdullah Yusufali (Translator); Sayed A. A. Razwy (Introduction by); Abdullah yusuf Ali (Translator)
ISBN: 9781879402294
Publication Date: 2001-11-13
The Qur'an by M. A. S. Abdel Haleem (Translator)
ISBN: 9780199570713
Publication Date: 2010-07-29

Tanakh, the Holy Scriptures by Jewish Publication Society, Inc., Staff (Editor)
ISBN: 9780827602526
Publication Date: 1985-11-01
Regarded throughout the English-speaking world as the standard English translation of the Holy Scriptures, the JPS TANAKH has been acclaimed by scholars, rabbis, lay leaders, Jews, and Christians alike.
Torah by Moshe Greenberg (Editor); Jewish Publication Society, Inc., Staff (Editor)
Publication Date: 1999-01-01
The current JPS translation, based on classical and modern sources, is acclaimed for its fidelity to the ancient Hebrew.
The Talmud by Norman Solomon
ISBN: 9780141441788
Publication Date: 2009-06-30
'The Talmud is one of the most significant religious texts in the world, second only to the Bible in its importance to Judaism. As the Bible is the word of God, the Talmud applies that word to the lives of its followers.