# Do The Ancient Roman/Greek Religions Have a Bible Equivalent **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 20, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-ancient-roman-greek-religions-have-a-bible-equivalent/482063 "2009-01-20T00:05:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-ancient-roman-greek-religions-have-a-bible-equivalent/482063/1 "2009-01-20T00:05:38Z")
I’m asking both in terms of back while those religions where being practiced as well as now in the form of recovered texts. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-ancient-roman-greek-religions-have-a-bible-equivalent/482063/2 "2009-01-20T00:18:24Z")
No. While there were occasional attempts to compile definitive versions (from Hesiod to Apollodorus to Thomas Bullfinch), the reality of contemporary practice makes it impossible to put together a cohesive picture that would apply everywhere. Most of the narratives, beliefs, and practices would have been held in ever-changing oral tradition, anyway. What is known is put together from ancient texts (especially the older ones, such as Homer), later commentary (e.g. medieval scholiasts), artwork, and comparative data. As far as a modern-day equivalent, even leaving aside the gaps in our knowledge and the different regions and eras, there’s too much stuff to fit into a single volume. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-ancient-roman-greek-religions-have-a-bible-equivalent/482063/3 "2009-01-20T00:22:45Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > I’m asking both in terms of back while those religions where being practiced as well as now in the form of recovered texts. The only antique polytheistic religion with something somewhat related to “scriptures” I can think of was the Etruscan religion. I don’t remember the name of these books, and I don’t have a reference handy. Anyway, they haven’t been recovered. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-ancient-roman-greek-religions-have-a-bible-equivalent/482063/4 "2009-01-20T02:27:08Z")
> [@](#): > > The only antique polytheistic religion with something somewhat related to “scriptures” I can think of was the Etruscan religion. What about the Egyptian Book of the Dead? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-ancient-roman-greek-religions-have-a-bible-equivalent/482063/5 "2009-01-20T02:30:36Z")
Homer was in the ballpark. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-ancient-roman-greek-religions-have-a-bible-equivalent/482063/6 "2009-01-20T02:41:36Z")
The nearest Ancient Rome would have is possibly the [Sibylline Books](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibylline_Books). ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-ancient-roman-greek-religions-have-a-bible-equivalent/482063/7 "2009-01-20T03:11:17Z")
[Obligatory Wiki link to a list of sacred writings](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_writings) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-ancient-roman-greek-religions-have-a-bible-equivalent/482063/8 "2009-01-20T03:50:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Homer was in the ballpark. Wait, I thought homers were outside the ballpark? Or at least, past the outfield wall. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-ancient-roman-greek-religions-have-a-bible-equivalent/482063/9 "2009-01-20T19:32:20Z")
Dunno what they would have called it. Probably the Latin word for book, whatever that is. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-ancient-roman-greek-religions-have-a-bible-equivalent/482063/10 "2009-01-20T19:46:48Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Dunno what they would have called it. Probably the Latin word for book, whatever that is. Liber… is ? Dunno which declension applies. But the nominative is Liber. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-ancient-roman-greek-religions-have-a-bible-equivalent/482063/11 "2009-01-20T20:16:46Z")
I’m pretty sure that it’s third, liber, libris. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-ancient-roman-greek-religions-have-a-bible-equivalent/482063/12 "2009-01-20T20:16:50Z")
The Attic Greek for book is Biblos…