Virtually all religions have at some point in their history felt the need to set down their teachings, originally oral, in writing and, in some cases, to establish a textual corpus. The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and the Buddhist Pali Canon (Tipitaka) are considered the only two completely independent forms of canonization in human history, as the rest have been derived from one or another, including the Alexandrian canon of Greek classics, the Christian Bible, and the Koran, as well as the Jain, Confucian or Taoist canons.

A canon serves to preserve and organize the cultural memory of a community. The most important part of the canon is the act of closing it. Canonical texts cannot be changed. When the cannon is closed, it definitively establishes which texts are canonical and which apocryphal, which primary and which secondary. The fixed word acquires authority and can be read literally.

However, the dialogue with the text continues. Exegesis becomes an infinite process in search of meanings. Scripture reveals new levels of understanding to the hermeneut: moral, allegorical, anagogic or spiritual. Doctrinal speculations and debates between schools seek to adapt the message to a new context. Commentary provides a guide for the community, interprets ancient teachings in the light of the moral or spiritual concerns of each era. The Absolute remains a mystery to be deciphered.