CLASSICAL BELIEF

SYSTEMSIntro

Hinduism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Greek Rationalism, Legalism, Confucianism, Daoism & Christianity

Belief Systems of the Classical Period

Belief systems in CONTEXT Historians view belief systems in the

context of time and place. For example: Buddhists in India in the 300s ce were

not the same as Buddhists in Southeast Asia in the 1800s ce though some of the core beliefs remained unchanged.

Historians view belief systems as an influence ON culture AND influenced BY culture. For example: Christianity changed Roman culture

and Roman culture changed Christianity

Hinduism

OldestBelief System

Judaism . . . Monotheism

Greek Rationalism – Emphasis on Human ReasonSocrates, Plato, Aristotle

ZoroastrianismGood vs Evil / Heaven & Hell

Confucianism – Influenced Government, Social Structure, & Family

Siddhartha Gautama - the founder

Emerges from Hinduism

Changes as it spreads from South Asia to South East and East Asia

Buddhism

Jesus of Nazareth- the founder

Began as a Jewish sect & spread through the Roman World

Changes as it spreads from the Middle East to Roman World and Africa

Christianity

Christianity Jesus of Nazareth – Founder

Hinduism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Greek Rationalism, Legalism, Confucianism, Daoism & Christianity

Belief Systems of the Classical Period

Foundations Which religions was the oldest

institutional religion of the early belief systems.

Which religion began in the Middle East around the 1200s monotheistic religion

Foundations There is no recorded founder of

Hinduism – it is the oldest institutional religion of the early belief systems.

Judaism began in the Middle East around the 1200s bce when it had its own political empire.

First monotheistic religion

Foundations Which religion emerged in East

Asia in the 600s to 300s BCE from the teachings of Laozi / Laotzu

Which religion arose in Persia in the 500s BCE from the teachings of Zarathustra with a concept of good and evil forces fighting for control of the world?

Foundations Daoism emerged in East Asia in the

600s to 300s BCE from the teachings of Laozi

Zoroastrianism arose in Persia in the 500s BCE from the teachings of Zarathustra

Foundations _____ the founder of Buddhism,

was originally a ______ in the upperclass.

Foundations Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha),

the founder of Buddhism, was originally a Hindu in the upperclass.

Buddhism emerged in South Asia out of Hinduism starting in the 500s bce.

Foundations ______ the founder of Christianity,

was a lower-class ______ living in Roman controlled Middle East at the beginning of the common era.

Foundations Jesus of Nazareth, the founder of

Christianity, was a lower-class Jew living in Roman controlled Middle East at the beginning of the common era.

The Jesus movement became Christianity with non-Jewish converts.

Existence after Death

Hinduism and Buddhism – Existence is cyclical until one breaks from the cycle and becomes eternally spirit.

Reincarnation

Zoroastrianism & Christianity – Existence is linear; one lives and then becomes eternally spirit.

“Heaven / Hell”

Challenges to Society

Both Buddhism & Christianity, more than the other belief systems, challenged the social class systems and women’s status. Buddism in South Asia, Han China Christianity in the Roman world.

Especially in the early centuries, these religions appealed to lower classes and women. Why?

Spread

Groups within Buddhism and Christianity supported missionaries – men and women who purposely took the message of a religion into different regions.

Both developed MONASTIC ORDERS – Communities of Monks and Nuns

Religions also spread through conquest, along trade routes, and through migrations.

Spread

Religions also spread through conquest, along trade routes, and through migrations.

Spread

Buddhism spread from South Asia into East and SE Asia.

Buddhism by the 500s ce was stronger in areas where it spread than where it originated.

Spread

Judaism spread after the Romans exiled Jews to new territories in Europe

Christianity spread into the Roman Empire, into North and East Africa, and beyond.

Christianity by the 1200s was stronger in areas where it had spread than in where it originated.

Spread & CHANGE

As religions spread and new interpretations arose – there were changes, splits into different sects (or groups), and new influences

In classical period – Buddhism split into Mahayana and Theravada

Texts The founders of Buddhism and

Christianity did not record their own statements or life story.

Which belief systems are connected to these texts?

Vedas and UpanishadsTorahGospels & EpistlesAnalectsSutras / Dhammapada

Greek Rationalism…What’s up with that???

In Greece, some intellectuals like SOCRATES, PLATO, and ARISTOTLE abandoned mythology and created a philosophy that emphasized. . .

Natural laws govern the world & humans can understand those laws through reason

Using reason to describe human behavior (first histories – Herodatus)

questioning of earlier “wisdom” and assumptions

---had a major influence on Western Civilization

Hinduism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Greek Rationalism, Legalism, Confucianism, Daoism & Christianity

Belief Systems of the Classical Period