Which book is the oldest in this world?

Answer 1

The oldest date of composition (when the book was first written) and the date of the oldest surviving copy are two different questions.

Oldest date of composition.The Egyptian Pyramid texts are the oldest known religious texts in the world. However, they are not "books" per se, but prayers or poetic hymns composed for the pharoah. They are dated at 2400-2300 BCE.

The oldest well-known "book" (a narrative story) is probably the Epic of Gilgamesh, first composed circa 2150-2000 BCE, but revised, retold, and abridged in later centuries.

Of the 4 primary Vedas, the Rig-veda is the oldest, and was first committed to writing around 1500 BCE.

The biblical books of Moses, the first 5 books from the Hebrew Bible, would have been composed circa 1400 or 1200 BCE (depending on the date of the Exodus, and allowing Moses as the main author). The New Testament documents were probably composed around 50-70 CE, though some scholars would date them as late as 90 CE.

Oldest surviving book.The "Pyramid texts" survive as inscriptions on the walls of pyramids and sarcophagi of pharaohs from the 5th and 6th dynasty, who lived circa 2400-2300 BCE.

The oldest copy of the Epic of Gilgamesh are 12 clay tablets found in the library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh. The tablets were inscribed circa 800-700 BCE, representing a version of the Epic from 1300-1000 BCE.

The oldest manuscripts of the Rig-veda known to exist date from the 11th century CE.

The oldest complete manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, containing all the canonical texts, are dated at the 9th-10th century CE, although individual books of The Bible (and fragments) were found among the Dead Sea Scolls at Qumran, generally dated around 100 BCE. The earliest New Testament manuscripts date at 350 CE, though small fragments have been found as early as 125-150 CE.

Answer 2

"Rig Veda" of Hinduism is traditionally considered to be from 3000 BC. However modern historians date it to be between 1700BC - 1000BC, based on several evidences.