Sanctity is not an inherent feature of sacred texts. This chapter explores the ways in which texts, biblical texts in particular, were and are made sacred in different ways. Special, even divine status is ascribed to texts at various levels: at the textual level, by appealing to ancestors or prophets, for example; at the symbolic level, by crystallizing identity markers; at the material level, by producing grandiose artifacts or distributing codices efficiently and using them in ritual. Texts now perceived as sacred were not that from the start. As part of canons, texts may gain expectations they do not have on their own. The expectations are varied from direct divine speech to historical testimonies. Each religious tradition has particular expectations that are learned in faith communities. Ethical challenges occur when canonized texts are expected to speak for the present situation and society.