I’ll answer in three parts.

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1. Which texts do Śvetāmbara Sthānakvāsī Jains accept?

Sthānakvāsī are a sub‑sect of Śvetāmbara Jains who do not worship idols. About scriptures:

• They are Śvetāmbara, so in principle they stand in the Śvetāmbara Āgama tradition.
• However, they accept only 32 of the Śvetāmbara Āgamas as fully authoritative (not the whole larger list).
• Along with these, they also study later Jain works (commentaries, ethical texts, etc.), but the core scriptural base is these accepted Āgamas.

If you want a simple overview of Śvetāmbara, Digambara, Sthānakvāsī, and Terāpanth differences, you can read more here:

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2. Which Jain texts mention “Īśvara”?

In Jainism, “Īśvara” does not mean a Creator‑God as in many theistic traditions. The word is used in Jain literature mainly in two ways:

1. As a descriptive word

– “īśvara” literally means powerful / lord / master. – In this sense, it is used for a perfected soul – one who is omniscient, free from karma, and liberated.

1. In later philosophical and devotional writings

– Classical Jain Āgamas focus on tattvas (fundamental truths), karma, conduct, etc. and usually speak of Arihantas and Siddhas, not so much in the language of “Īśvara” as a separate Supreme Being. – Later Jain authors (both Digambar and Śvetāmbara) sometimes use the term “Īśvara” to explain the Jain idea of a supremely perfect soul, especially when debating with other Indian schools that talk about “God”.

Key point: Whenever Jain texts speak positively of “Īśvara”, they mean a liberated / omniscient soul (Arihant or Siddha) – not a creator of the universe, not a controller of everyone’s destiny.

For a simple explanation of Jain views about God / creator, see:

and

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3. As a Christian: what is the role of Īśvara, and are the 24 Tirthankaras like 24 prophets?

(a) Role of Īśvara in Jainism

From a Jain standpoint, keeping it very clear:

• No creator God

The universe is beginningless and endless. It is not created by anyone; it runs by its own natural and karmic laws.

• Every soul has potential to be “Īśvara”

Any soul, by destroying all karma, becomes: - Arihant – enlightened being while still embodied, - then Siddha – fully liberated soul after death.

Such a soul is: - Omniscient (knows all), - Completely pure, - Free from birth, death and suffering.

In this sense, a liberated soul is “Īśvara” – the highest, most powerful spiritual state.

• But Īśvara does not create or control the world

Even the highest beings in Jainism: - do not create the universe, - do not interfere with your karma to “save” or “condemn” you. They are ideals and teachers, not rulers of the cosmos.

So, if you think in Christian terms: Īśvara in Jainism is not like “God the Creator”, but more like the fully perfected soul whom you revere and try to imitate.

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(b) Are the 24 Tirthankaras like 24 prophets?

There is one important similarity and several important differences.

Similarity:

• A prophet in Abrahamic traditions is a person who delivers God’s message to people.
• A Tirthankara is a human who:

- has attained perfect enlightenment (kevala‑jñāna), - re‑discovers the eternal truth about soul, karma, and liberation, - teaches that path to others.

So both are great spiritual teachers who guide people.

Key differences from Jain view:

1. Not messengers of a higher God

- Prophets usually speak on behalf of a single, supreme God. - Tirthankaras do not speak “for” any Creator‑God. - They speak from their own direct omniscient knowledge.

1. They are not chosen; they self‑realize

- Prophets are often understood as chosen or called by God. - A Tirthankara becomes such through his own countless lifetimes of spiritual effort, eventually achieving complete purity and omniscience.

1. They are themselves “God‑like” in Jain sense

- A Tirthankara is not a servant of a higher God. - From the Jain viewpoint, a Tirthankara is one of the highest beings in existence – a perfected soul, an object of supreme reverence.

1. 24 Tirthankaras appear in each cosmic half‑cycle

- Jain time is vast and cyclical. - In the current descending half‑cycle, there are 24 Tirthankaras, from Ṛṣabhadeva (Rishabha) to Mahāvīra. - They arise when dharma declines, to re‑establish the pure path, not to start a new revelation from a creator God.

So, if you compare:

• 24 Tirthankaras are not 24 prophets sent by a single God.
• They are 24 perfectly enlightened teachers, each of whom independently reaches the highest state and then shows the path to others.

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In one line: Jainism has no creator God; “Īśvara” means a fully perfected soul, and the 24 Tirthankaras are not prophets of a higher deity but liberated, omniscient teachers who discovered and preached the eternal path to liberation.