Transcript From the Hearth of the Eastern Mediterranean

FROM THE HEARTH OF
THE EASTERN
JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, AND ISLAM
MEDITERRANEAN
Monotheism in the Middle East
• In Southwest Asia, three religions arose, linked by their belief
in a single God, known as monotheism.
• From the Middle East, these religions later spread to Europe,
Africa, Asia, and the Americas
• They are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Judaism
• The oldest of these, Judaism, was the first religion known to assert
the existence of one God.
• The religion began 4,000 years ago in present-day Israel
• According to Jewish tradition, Jews emigrated from Israel to Egypt
where they were enslaved until Moses led them back to Israel and
presented them with the Ten Commandments
• Today, there are over 13 million Jews mainly located in the United
States, Europe, and Israel.
INCREDIBLY BRIEF HISTORY OF
JUDAISM
• Abraham had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac
• Isaac’s son, Jacob (Israel), will have 12 sons
• Eventually, the Jews will be enslaved by Egyptians and
Moses will lead them out
• They will break into two groups: Israel and Judah
• Israel will be defeated, Judah will survive only to be
conquered by Babylonians and Assyrians
CONTINUED
• The Jews will come together and build Jerusalem,
until the Romans destroy it in 70 CE
• The Romans will spread the Jews to the furthest
corners of their empire (Diaspora)
• Only a few Jews will remain in Israel/Palestine until the 1948
• More info to come…
KEY FEATURES OF JUDAISM
Monotheism.
Other ancient
peoples were
animists or
polytheists
(believing in many
gods)
Ten Commandments. The
Jewish religion emphasizes the
importance of living justly and
following God’s
commandments. These ten
laws are:
1)No other Gods
2)No idols
3)No swearing
4)Keep Sabbath
5)Honor parents
6)Do not kill
7)Do not commit adultery
8)Do not steal
9)Do not lie
10)Do not covet
Old Testament. The
history of the
ancient Hebrews
and their
relationship with
God is told in the
first books of the
Bible, known as the
Old Testament. Jews
refer to the first five
books of the Old
Testament as the
Torah
DIFFUSION OF JUDAISM
• Judaism has diffused through forced migration and
relocation diffusion
• They do not actively seek converts, so there are
between 12-14 million people that practice Judaism
worldwide
• Most are in Israel, the United States, and Europe
JUDAISM
Origins and
History
Adherents
Worldwide
God(s) and
Universe
Human
Situation and
Life’s Purpose
Afterlife
Practices
Texts
The religion of
the Hebrews (c.
1300 BC),
especially after
the destruction
of the in 70 AD.
14 million
One God,
Yahweh
(YHVH).
Obey God's
commandments
, live ethically.
Focus is more
on this life than
the next.
Not historically
emphasized.
Beliefs vary
from no
afterlife to
shadowy
existence to the
World to Come
(similar to
heaven).
Circumcision at
birth, bar/bat
mitzvah at
adulthood.
Synagogue
services on
Saturdays. No
pork or other
non-kosher
foods. Holidays
related to
historical
events.
Bible (Tanakh),
Talmud
CHRISTIANITY
• Christianity began 2,000
years ago
• It is based in the teachings of
Jesus, a Jew born in
Bethlehem. Jesus claimed
he was the Messiah, or savior
• After his death, his followers,
known as the apostles,
spread the Christian religion
which attracted people who
believed in an afterlife in
which all believers (rich and
poor) would be rewarded
• Today there are over 2 billion
Christians located on all
continents, and is the world’s
most popular religion
CHRISTIANITY
• The original Christians were Catholic
• Once the Roman Empire split into two, two
branches emerged: the western empire became
Roman Catholic, and the eastern empire became
Eastern Orthodox
• Protestantism emerged during the 15th and 16th centuries
Major Beliefs of Christianity
Role of Jesus.
Christians believe
Jesus was the son of
God, and sacrificed
himself to save
humankind from
punishment for their
sins. Christians
believe that after his
death, Jesus was
resurrected and rose
to Heaven
Christian Conduct.
Christians believe
they will be saved
and will go to
Heaven after death
if they have faith in
Christ as their savior
and treat others
with love and
respect. Christians
believe in the
Golden Rule-”do
unto others as you
would have them do
unto you”
The Christian
Bible. The sacred
book of
Christianity
consists of the Old
Testament and
the New
Testament, which
describes the life
of Jesus, and the
works of the
apostles
DIFFUSION OF CHRISTIANITY
• Christians actively seek converts, so some diffusion is
contagious (especially through Western Europe)
• Largest and most dispersed religion
• Today there are almost two billion Christians on every
continent
• Worldwide diffusion occurred during the Age of
Imperialism
• Today missionaries travel attempting to convert
those in other places to Christianity
• EU and Missionaries
CHRISTIANITY
Origins and
History
Adherents
Worldwide
God(s) and
Universe
Human
Situation and
Life’s Purpose
Afterlife
Practices
Texts
Founded by
Jesus Christ in
c. 30 AD,
.
2 billion
One God who is
a Trinity of
Father, Son,
and
Holy Spirit
All have sinned
and are thereby
separated from
God. Salvation
is through faith
in Christ and,
for some,
sacraments and
good works.
Eternal heaven
or hell (or
temporary
purgatory).
Prayer, Bible
study,
baptism,
Eucharist
(Communion),
church on
Sundays,
numerous
holidays.
The Bible
(Old and New
Testaments)
ISLAM
• Islam means “submission” (to Allah) in Arabic
•
A follower of Islam is called a Muslim, or “one who submits to God”
• Islam was founded by Mohammed around 600 c.e. He had a vision that
commanded him to convert Arab tribes to the belief in a single God, know as
“Allah”, the same God worshipped by Jews and Christians
• His teachings are contained in the Qu’ran (Koran), the Islamic Holy Book.
• Today, there are over 1 billion Muslims, with over 20% living in Arabic-speaking
countries. Indonesia is the country with the highest number of Muslims.
DIVISIONS IN ISLAM
• After Muhammad’s death in 632 CE, it was unclear
who would lead in his place
• His son-in-law, Ali, was the lawful heir
• However, some of Muhammad’s followers wanted a
different leader
• This began a series of wars, until the followers were
divided into Sunni Muslims and Shi’ite Muslims (the
followers of Ali)
The Five Pillars of Faith are the basic religious duties
that all followers of Islam must fulfill
Confession
of Faith.
Muslims
must affirm:
“There is no
God but
Allah and
Mohammed
is his
prophet”
Pilgrimage
Prayer.
Fasting
Muslims must
pray five
times a day,
while facing
east towards
the city of
Mecca
During the
month of
Ramadan,
Muslims
cannot eat
or drink
during
daylight
hours
Charity
Muslims
must give
money to
the poor
and pay
taxes to the
mosque
If
physically
able, a
Muslim
must
make a
pilgrimag
e (religious
trip) to
Mecca
DIFFUSION OF ISLAM
• Before his death, Muhammad had converted kings
on the Arabian Peninsula
• They spread Islam across their empire through
invasion and conquest
• Islam spread across Northern Africa, Southern Europe, and
Southeast Asia very quickly
• Today in North and South America, it is the result of
relocation diffusion
• It is currently the fastest growing religion, and has 1.3 billion
adherents
ISLAM
Origins and
History
Adherents
Worldwide
God(s) and
Universe
Human
Situation and
Life’s Purpose
Afterlife
Practices
Texts
Muhammad,
622 AD,
1.3 billion
(Sunni: 940
million)
One God (Allah
in Arabic)
Humans must
submit (islam)
to the will of
God to gain
after death.
or Hell.
Five Pillars:
Faith, Prayer,
Alms,
Pilgrimage,
Fasting.
Mosque
services on
Fridays.
Ablutions
before prayer.
No alcohol or
pork. Holidays
related to the
pilgrimage and
fast of
Ramadan.
Qur'an
(Scripture);
Hadith
(tradition)
DIFFUSION OF UNIVERSALIZING
RELIGIONS
Fig. 6-4: Each of the three main universalizing religions diffused widely from its hearth