Scriptures are an intriguing phenomenon in both the ancient and modern world. From the Talmud, Bible, and Qur’an to the Chinese classics, they seem to provide unfailing guidance for the people who are devoted to them. More than that, they have been responsible for forming communities, shaping social identities, and stimulating intellectual innovations throughout history. If anyone doubts the role of scriptures in the modern world, they could look to the curriculum of Sunday schools in America, the reading lists that Chinese teachers make for their students to understand Chinese culture, and what the adult-to-be will read in their Bar or Bat Mitzvahs. In the ancient world, from the innovation of the codex to Eusebius’s library, from the formation of Medieval European countries to the Muslim Conquests, scriptures played an indispensable role.