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Paper short abstract:

This presentation will attempt to compare the process of creation of the pagan sacred canon in Late Antiquity with contemporary formation of Christian and Jewish sacred texts.

Paper long abstract:

From its beginnings, the study of religion(s) has been concerned with the comparative history of religions. The methodology and theory of religion have changed profoundly since the pioneering work on the corpus of ‘holy books’ of the world's religions. The category of ‘religion’ was de-essentialized and re-described as an abstract noun merely used for analytical purposes by scholars of religion. This constructivist turn should have profound consequences for the history of religion(s). I would suggest that the categories of the ‘Holy Book(s)’, ‘sacred text(s)’, and ‘Scriptures’ should be re-described in the same way as the category of ‘religion’ was. In this context, it is worth revisiting the categories of ‘sacred books’ and ‘canon’ by applying new methodological approaches to writing and reading practices. The focus on the processes of sacralization of texts, which is closely related to reading, writing, and commenting techniques, will help solve some crucial problems connected with understanding ‘religion’ as cultural formation. This presentation will attempt to compare the process of creation of the pagan sacred canon in Late Antiquity with contemporary formation of Christian and Jewish sacred texts. Comparison of specific cases allow us to examine these technologies in their respective social and ideological contexts (reading communities). Their ideological context formed the specific lieux de savoir in which the reception of texts, their selection, and dissemination took place.