Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c5.s14: Conclusion

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c5.s14

Language: English

Conclusion

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Before we enter into a detailed study of the Jain Sūtras, the following points must be borne in mind:

The object of presenting this thesis is simply to exhaust the social, political, economic, religious and geographical material presented in the Jain Sūtras, and no chronological order of the Āgamas is claimed in the present work.

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During the course of three recensions the present Jain Sūtras have undergone considerable changes, and so there is much confusion regarding the stock lists and other material presented in the Sūtras; moreover, the Āgamas have not been critically edited so far.

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The commentary period should not be taken as one with the Sūtra period. The commentators belong to a much later period when many of the traditions belonging to the Āgamas had been lost.

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Inspite of the three recensions which the Jain texts had undergone and the consequent changes which were effected in the body of the texts from time to time it would not be an exaggeration to say that much of the material which they embody point to a much early civilization than the sixth century A.D., when the final redaction of the texts was effected. Our comparison of the social material in the Jain Sūtras with the material of the same in the Buddhist Tripitaka which as pointed out by the scholars is definitely old. For instance, the reference to the architectural terms in the Jain Sūtras with then comparison with the architectural terms in the Pali Suttas should convince us of the truthfulness of our assertion. It is not the purpose of the present work to make a comparative study of the parallel features of the Jain and Buddhist Sūtras which should form a separate study by itself. But wherever possible such parallelisms have been pointed out.

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Finally, one thing should be borne in mind, while studying the Jain Sūtras that the age of every part of it should be judged on its own merits with the help of other literature and when the converging evidence supports the genesis of the tradition, then alone its age could be approximately fixed.

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The first of these, the *Gospel of the Hebrews*, was used by the Jewish Christians of Palestine, and was probably a version of the Gospel of Matthew, though it contained some traditions not found in our canonical books. The *Gospel of the Egyptians* was used by the ascetic sects of Egypt, and was marked by a strong tendency towards mysticism and asceticism. The *Gospel of Peter* was used by the Docetists, and taught that Christ did not really suffer, but only appeared to do so.

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These gospels, and others like them, were not accepted by the Church as a whole, and were gradually lost or suppressed. The Church, however, felt the need for a standard collection of writings that would serve as a guide for faith and practice. This led to the formation of the New Testament canon, a process that took several centuries to complete.

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The first step in this process was the collection of the letters of Paul, which were widely circulated among the churches. Then came the four Gospels, which were accepted as the authoritative accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles and the other epistles were gradually added, and finally the Book of Revelation.

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By the end of the second century, the core of the New Testament was generally accepted by the Church. The process of canonization was not a formal act of a council, but rather a gradual recognition by the churches of the writings that were most valuable for their life and worship. It was only in the fourth century that the canon was formally closed by the councils of the Church.

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The formation of the New Testament canon was a crucial event in the history of the Church. It provided a standard of faith and practice that helped to unify the Church and to protect it from the influence of heretical sects. It also ensured that the teachings of Jesus and the apostles would be preserved for future generations.