Most people today probably presume that sacred books, “scriptures,” are central for any religion. That is not actually the case if we look at the longer and wider scope of religions through the ages. It is another notion that we have inherited, and largely from Christianity. In the context of the Roman-era religious setting, early Christianity was unusual as a “bookish” religion.1 I do not mean to emphasize the place of texts in early Christianity at the expense of other features,