Transcript Rise of World Religions

Rise of World Religions
Axial Age
What is religion?
Broad sense: adherence to a set of beliefs or
teachings about the deepest and most elusive of
life’s mysteries
Narrow sense:
A particular system of faith and worship
Recognition on the part of man of some higher
unseen power as having control of his destiny, and as
being entitled to obedience, reverence, and worship;
the general mental and moral attitude resulting from
this belief, with reference to its effect upon the
individual or the community; personal or general
acceptance of this feeling as a standard of spiritual
and practical life. (OED)
What are sacred writings?
Come in every form imaginable:
Poetry
Hymns of praise
Prayers of petition for harvest
Instructions to live
Proverbs
Narrative accounts
Area of World Religions
Hinduism
Unknown origins; Aryan?
Polytheistic or Henotheistic (1 god with multiple
manifestations) religionVishnu (sustains) and Shiva
(destroys)
Sacred books:
Vedas – contain hymns, incantations, rituals
The Upanishads - elaborate on how the soul (Atman) can be
united with the ultimate truth (Brahma) through
contemplation and mediation, as well as the doctrine of
Karma—the cumulative effects of a persons' actions
Bghavad Gita – duty should be done w/o emotion; God is all
things, so all creation is to be loved as one life
Hinduism
Afterlife:
Transmigration of the Soul (atman): transferring of
the soul to another body after death
(reincarnation)
Produces a continuing cycle of birth, life, death
and rebirth: called samsara.
Karma is the accumulated sum of ones good and
bad deeds.
The ultimate reality is called Brahma (formless and
nameless), & everything is a manifestation of the
ultimate reality.
Buddhism
Guatama, called Buddha:
questioned the fairness of the earthly life
accepted Hindu beliefs
attacked the priests and caste system
Reached enlightenment and came back to
share the path
Buddhism con’d
Four Noble Truths:
Everybody suffers
Desire is the cause of suffering
Nirvana—state in which all desires are
extinct
Noble Eightfold Path to Nirvana
• Rightness of: 1.) knowledge of the cause &
ending of suffering, 2.) thought, 3.) speech, 4.)
conduct, 5.) livelihood, 6.) effort, 7.) mind, 8.)
meditiation
Buddhism, con’d
Strong monastic tradition
Monks carried Buddhism beyond India to most of
Asia (missionary trips)
1st Century CE:
Mahayanadelay entrance into nirvana to help
others find enlightenment
Theravadaemphasis on individual
enlightenment; based on Buddha’s teaching
Zen Buddhism700s, Chinasudden enlightenment
through meditation
Confucianism
Characterized as a system of social and
ethical philosophy rather than a religion
“civil religion”social rituals (li)
Adopted by Emperor Wu (Han) as state
ideology and orthodoxy; importance of civil
service
Mandate of Heaven
Components: exterior practices, viz., filial
piety, chaste women
Confucianism con’d
Also stressed humaneness (ren)
Ancestor worship
Cultivation of conscience and character
Education
Reflection upon actions
Linked to everyday life
Daoism
Dao (Tao)=The Way
Unknowable in essence, but observable in
its manifestations
The force that lies behind the functionings
and changes in the natural worldYin
and Yang
State of mind, attitude that forms a utopia
Spirits permeated/pervaded nature
Many manifestations of the one Dao
Daoism con’d
Taoist priests
Harmonized and reunited the spirits to the Tao
Visual religion: climbing sword ladders, floating
lanternsgreatly influenced Chinese art (visual
and performing)
Spurned wealth and position
Fatalistic and passive
Creation of traditional herbal medicines
Judaism
Ancient Hebrews
Abraham is founder (and of Islam)
1st major example of monotheism
No physical manifestation of Yahweh
(God)
Kings did not claim to be god
Emphasis on ethical living
Judaism, con’d
Scripture:
Torah
Mosaic Law
Talmud
Beliefs
in being a chosen people
Coming Messiah (savior)
Christianity
Origins in Judaism
Monotheistic, with 3 attributes (Trinity)
Beliefs:
Jesus is the Messiah
Through God’s grace people are saved
through faith in Jesus
Sins are forgiven through faith;
new/eternal life
Christianity, con’d
Scripture:
Bible: Jewish Talmud, teachings of Jesus, writings
of followers
Persecuted by Romans, legalized by
Constantine
Monastic element:
monks preserved Greek/Roman learning after
breakup of Roman Empire
Missionary trips to Europe/Africa/Asia
Strong hierarchical structure, within church
Islam
Muhammad, prophet of Allah (others:
Abraham, Moses, Jesus)
5 Pillars:
“There is no God but Allah (God) and Muhammad
is His Prophet.”
Prayer 5xs a day facing Mecca
Charity
Fasting during Ramadan
Pilgrimage to Kaaba, in Mecca
Islam, con’d
Scripture: Quran (Koran)
Split:
Sunni
• Modern majority of Islamic adherents
Shi’is
Other groups: Sufi, etc.
No hierarchical structure
Immam
Chronology of Major Events
4000 BCEThe Vedic period begins; earliest Vedic hymns
(Hinduism)
3500roots of the Semitic tradition (Judaism, Christianity,
Islam)
2000-1400Patriarchal Age (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)
1994-1525Xia dynasty instituted the principle of hereditary
succession (Confucianism)
1700God’s covenant with Abraham (Judaism)
1500-1200traditional dates for the Aryan invasion (Hinduism)
1400Age of Krishna (Hinduism)
1028-222Zhou dynasty (Confucianism)
740-700Isaiah prophesies (Judaism)
604date of Lao Tzu’s birth (Daoism)
587-6Judean exile to Babylon (Judaism)
Major Events con’d
571life of K’ung Fu Tzu (Confucius)
563-483Life of Siddhartha Guatama, the Buddha
515Jewish Temple rebuilt; emergence of classical Judaism
500-200Bhagavad Gita composed (Hinduism)
400Confucius’ sayings edited
350-300Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) composed (Daoism)
327-325Alexander the Great invades northwest India
322-185Mauryan dynasty; Buddhism spread throughout northern
India
300-600CEBuddhist missions expand beyond India to Central,
East, and Southeast Asia
221-210Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di tries to suppress Confucian
texts; transforms feudal China into centralized bureaucracy
206-221CEHan dynasty; Confucianism official state policy
Major Event con’d part tres
202-220CEreligious Daoism emerges
200-200CEBuddhism spreads to Central Asia and China
150-75CEEssenes live ascetical life at Qumran at northern end of
Dead Sea (Judaism)
140-87Emperor Wu Di (Han) makes Confucian system his official
ideology
63Rise of Roman rule; conquest of Palestine
4BCE-29CELife of Jesus of Nazareth (Christianity)
66 CEmassacre of Jews at Alexandria
70Jewish Diaspora
250-356Life of Anthony of Egypt, “Father of Monasticism”
(Christianity)
282-305Emperor Diocletian’s persecution of Christians
290-347first Christian monastic community in Egypt
Yet more major events…
312Constantine, patron of Christianity, assumes control of Roman
Empire; Christianity is legalized
320-550Gupta dynasty; India’s Golden Age (Hinduism)
325Council of Nicaea (Christianity)
390Jerusalem Talmud is completed (Judaism)
399Buddhism spreads to Korea from China
450Northern Transmission: Buddhism enters northern and eastern
Asia
570-632Life of Muhammad (Islam)
610-622Muhammad prophesies; Meccan Suras of the Quran are
composed (Islam)
622Hijra, “emigration,” of Muhammad and his followers from
Mecca to Medina (Islam)
630Muslim community gains access to Mecca
634-44Umar, the Second Caliph, mobilizes a tribal force against
Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Persia (Islam)
638Muslim conquests of Jerusalem and surrounds
How can we write about them?
Comparisons?
Changes?