The Sacred Editors is a multi-volume exploration of how sacred texts from the world’s major religions were shaped— not only by divine inspiration, but by human hands. Across history, scribes, scholars, rulers, and reformers made critical decisions about what to include, what to translate, and what to suppress. This series traces those decisions—canon by canon, faith by faith—revealing how theology, politics, preservation, and power have all played a role in creating the scriptures we know today.

Click on the title to explore the contents of each book, including all appendices and references.

Sacred Editors: Christianity

From the Gospels of Thomas and Mary to the Book of Revelation, this volume traces how a diverse and chaotic swirl of early Christian texts became a single Bible. It explores battles over canon, translation, and authority—revealing how bishops, emperors, and scribes shaped Christian Scripture as much as apostles and martyrs.

Sacred Editors: Judaism

Long before the Hebrew Bible was finalized, Jewish communities wrestled with competing scrolls, regional variants, and sacred memory shaped by exile and empire. This volume follows the evolution of Torah and Tanakh—from Elephantine to the Dead Sea Scrolls—and the editorial choices that defined Jewish textual tradition.

Sacred Editors: Islam

The Qur’an is revered by Muslims as the unaltered word of God—yet even within early Islamic history, questions arose about recitation, preservation, and transmission. This book respectfully explores the complex human history of how the Qur’an and its interpretive traditions were preserved, taught, and standardized.

Sacred Editors: Hinduism

Hindu sacred texts span millennia, from ancient Vedic chants to epic narratives and philosophical commentaries. This volume investigates how oral transmission, sectarian priorities, and poetic vision shaped the evolving canon of Hinduism—while spotlighting both preservation and innovation across time.

Sacred Editors: Buddhism

From palm-leaf sutras to stone inscriptions and Silk Road scrolls, Buddhist texts have undergone extraordinary journeys. This book traces how different schools and regions preserved—or lost—sacred teachings, and how editorial transmission became central to defining Buddhist identity across Asia.

Sacred Editors: Lost Texts

War, fire, colonization, and decay have destroyed more sacred texts than survive today. This volume recounts the dramatic stories of what was lost—and what was miraculously recovered—across religious traditions. It reminds us that preservation is never guaranteed, and memory always contested.

Sacred Editors: Lost Women

Behind every sacred tradition are women who taught, led, composed, and were later erased. This volume uncovers the lost voices of female prophets, apostles, scribes, and interpreters—asking not just what they said, but what their exclusion has cost our spiritual history.