Greetings Katthehottie,
Of the two you mention, Hinduism has the older texts (approx. 3,500
years old compared to Hebrew/Judiac texts at approx. 3,000 years old)
but the religion with the oldest religious texts is neither of those:
The oldest religious texts are Egyptian (from approx. 4,600 to 5,100
years ago).
"The Pyramid Texts were a collection of Egyptian mortuary prayers,
hymns, and spells intended to protect a dead king or queen and ensure
life and sustenance in the hereafter. The texts, inscribed on the
walls of the inner chambers of the pyramids [from c. 2686-c. 2160
BC]., are found at Saqqarah in several 5th- and 6th-dynasty pyramids,
of which that of Unas, last king of the 5th dynasty, is the earliest
known. The texts constitute the oldest surviving body of Egyptian
religious and funerary writings available to modern scholars."
-Encyclopedia Britannia-
Found at http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptreligion.html
Also,
"This is the oldest sacred text in the world that we know of, dating
back to 3100 B.C.E. The Pyramid Texts are funerary inscriptions from
the early pyramids. This was the first translation of the Pyramid
Texts into English, and this etext is the first time it has appeared
on the Internet."
http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/index.htm
I think you'll enjoy the Internet Sacred Texts Archive. The main page
is located at http://www.sacred-texts.com/index.htm
*******************************************************************
Regarding Judaism and Hinduism, these references (and others) show the
oldest Hindu texts date at approx. 1500 BCE and the oldest Judaic
texts at about 1000 BCE.
Hinduism
"The texts they created are the Vedas, which were written around 1,500
B.C.E. (before common era) and have greatly influenced Indian culture
ever since."
http://answers.org/cgibin/apologetics.pl?noframes;read=101
and
"There are four Vedas, the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva
Veda. The Vedas are the primary texts of Hinduism. They also had a
vast influence on Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. The Rig Veda, the
oldest of the four Vedas, was composed about 1500 B.C., and codified
about 600 B.C. It is unknown when it was finally comitted to writing,
but this probably was at some point after 300 B.C."
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/
Judaism
Modern scholarship holds that the LXX was translated and composed over
the course of the 3rd through 1st centuries BC, beginning with the
Torah. The oldest witnesses to the LXX include 2nd century BC
fragments of Leviticus and Deuteronomy (Rahlfs nos. 801, 819, and
957), and 1st century BC fragments of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy, and the Minor Prophets (Rahlfs nos. 802, 803,
805, 848, 942, and 943). Relatively complete manuscripts of the LXX
include the Codex Vaticanus and the Codex Sinaiticus of the 4th
century AD and the Codex Alexandrinus of the 5th century. These are
indeed the oldest surviving nearly-complete manuscripts of the Old
Testament in any language; the oldest extant complete Hebrew texts
date from around 1000 [BCE]."
http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/Septuagint
*****************************************************************
Regarding existing religions still practiced today, you may find this interesting:
Dear Yahoo!:
What is the oldest organized religion?
Praying for an Answer
Omaha, Nebraska
Dear Praying:
Hinduism is generally considered to be the oldest religion still being
practiced today. This ancient religion was born when the Aryan peoples
migrated to Northern India and first put their religious tradition
into writing. The texts they created are the Vedas, which were written
around 1,500 B.C.E. (before common era) and have greatly influenced
Indian culture ever since.
Several other religions are almost as old as Hinduism. Judaism traces
its roots back to the patriarch Abraham, who lived around 1,800 B.C.E.
While the Jewish people are descended from Abraham, it was Moses who
first recorded the Torah, the Jewish holy text, in 1,400 B.C.E. Most
sources consider the date of the Torah as the beginning of Judaism.
Zoroastrianism is sometimes called the world's oldest prophetic
religion. It's certainly one of the earliest religions founded by one
person. Scholars are not certain when the founding prophet Zarathustra
actually lived. Some believe Zarathustra lived in the 6th century
B.C.E., while others trace his writings to the 14th or 13th centuries
B.C.E.
India has been a veritable cradle for world religions -- in addition
to Hinduism, both Jainism and Buddhism originated in India. The first
of Jainism's sacred lords, called a Tirthankara, lived in the 8th
century B.C.E. The last of these lords was Mahavir, who lived in the
5th century B.C.E. and was a key figure in spreading the religion. The
philosophical teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha,
spread around Asia after his death in 483 B.C.E.
Oddly enough, the two religions that dominate the world today are
relative newcomers to the spiritual scene. Christianity began with the
teachings of Jesus Christ around 30 C.E., and Islam started in 610
C.E. with the prophet Muhammad's revelation.
http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20011106.html
********************************************************************
Thank you for asking this interesting question!
Best regards,
journalist-ga
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