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Radical Change

Radical Change. Confucianism and Taoism (China) Pre-Socratics (Greece) Buddhism, Jains, Hinduism (India) Yahwehism (Hebrews) Zoroastrianism (Persia). The Persians: Achaemenid Empire (558-330 BCE). Migration of Medes and Persians from central Asia, before 1000 BCE Indo-Europeans

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Radical Change

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  1. Radical Change • Confucianism and Taoism (China) • Pre-Socratics (Greece) • Buddhism, Jains, Hinduism (India) • Yahwehism (Hebrews) • Zoroastrianism (Persia)

  2. The Persians: Achaemenid Empire (558-330 BCE) • Migration of Medes and Persians from central Asia, before 1000 BCE • Indo-Europeans • Capitalized on weakening Assyrian and Babylonian empires • Cyrus (r. 558-530 BCE) founder of dynasty • “Cyrus the Shepherd” • Peak under Darius (r. 521-486 BCE) • Ruled Indus to the Aegean • Capital Persepolis

  3. Characteristics • 23 Administrative divisions • Satraps Persian, but staff principally local • System of spies, surprise audits • Minimized possibilities of local rebellion • Standardized currency for taxation purposes • Massive road building, courier services

  4. Zoroastrianism • Persian • origins in dispute • religion similar to the Aryans • Persians: Indo-Europeans

  5. Pre-Zoroastrian Religion • personified natural forces • terrestrial, atmospheric, celestial

  6. The Axial Age • ca. 600 B.C. • change in all major cultures • the Iron Age • more complex societies • nomadic vs. sedentary lifestyle

  7. Zoroaster • history uncertain • date uncertain • location uncertain

  8. Zoroaster • writings:the Gathas • part of the Avesta • traditional date: before 500 B.C. • new dating: before 1100 B.C. • based on linguistic evidence, not ancient stories

  9. The Gathas • poems • language difficult and archaic • unsystematic

  10. Zoroaster, con’t • intellectual and ethical monotheist • dualist tendencies • a world divided between Good and Evil • between the god and his enemy

  11. Zoroaster, con’t • revelation from Ahura Mazda • Lord of Wisdom • modest and uncomplicated monotheism • emphasis on a cosmic struggle

  12. Ahura Mazda Spenta Mainyu light The Cosmic World (truth, soul, mind) matter The Physical World (lie, body, flesh) Aingru Mainyu

  13. Cosmic Struggle • followers of Wisdom • followers of the Lie

  14. Ahura Mazda • one god • lofty and abstract

  15. Ahura Mazda, con’t • “He that in the beginning thought, “Let the blessed realms be filled with lights, he it is, who by his wisdom created Right...I have conceived of thee, Oh, Mazda, in my thought that you are, the First who is also the Last, the Father of Good Thought, the Lord to judge the actions of life.”

  16. The World • a battleground between Good and Evil • humans have a choice • helped by angelic spirits • Good Thought, Right Action, etc. • tempted by devils and demons

  17. For the Good • prosperity in the present life • immortality and eternal reward • destruction of the world by fire • final judgment • reward: blissful heaven or a fiery hell

  18. A New Religion • Zoroaster condemned the old, bloody cults • intended his religion to be a universal, salvationist religion • offered one god to all of mankind • intended for the individual, not the group

  19. Individual Responsibility • right thinking and right conduct • Good thought, good words, good deeds • not a function of the “nation” • first religion to recognize the individual human • morality and ethics • individual responsibility

  20. Spread slowly • mostly Persia • changed by the MAGI • following his death

  21. Importance • fundamental influence on Judaism • Babylonian Captivity • Pharisees • Christianity

  22. Hebrew religion / Judaism • traditional history • Abraham from Ur, in Sumer • basis in fact ?? • Coogan, Michael D. The Oxford History of the Biblical World

  23. Jewish Scriptures • record traditional history • relationship between Yahweh and His People • the Chosen People

  24. Hebrew bible • the Torah • the Prophets • the Writings

  25. Hebrew bible: Origins • difficult and complex • owes much to Mesopotamian models • but also Egyptian literature and Canaanite religion

  26. Historical Source ?? • very little of it is considered historical by Biblical scholars, archaeologists, and historians • but often all which is available • use with caution

  27. Focus • not “historical” in the usual sense • focus is religious • often magnified all out of proportion • complied over hundreds of years • erratic and inconsistent

  28. Traditional history • the Patriarchal Period • the Judges • the Monarchy • the Babylonian Captivity

  29. Early events • Genesis • cosmological myth, not history • invented genealogy, not history • actual history • wanderings of semi-nomadic tribes • Semitic speaking • patriarchally organized • “Abraham and his descendants”

  30. Earliest Possible Date • Exodus • Ramses II • the Hapiru (Habiru) • the “divine Plan”

  31. Yahweh • a tribal god, a war god • comes to demand exclusive worship • “no gods in front of me” • not monotheists • henotheists • monolatry

  32. Yahweh • a local god of the Sinai • Some similarities with Baal and El • adopted by Moses • an Egyptian • or at least someone with an Egyptian name • a covenant

  33. The Law and the Promised Land • Yahweh gave the Law • The Hebrews invade Palestine • the Hebrews killed everyone and everything to attain the Land • at the direction of Yahweh • divinely sanctioned genocide • “dedicated to Yahweh”

  34. Archaeological evidence • inconclusive • no hard evidence for the biblical story • end of the Bronze Age • general upheaval • the Sea Peoples

  35. Early Hebrew Organization • patriarchal • tribal • not a specific, related ethnic group • common denominator: Yahweh

  36. Fundamental Changes • adoption of monarchy • replacing old, tribal leaders • Gideon: no thanks • Saul: doesn’t know any better

  37. Yahweh, Only ?? • unable to maintain exclusive worship • sedentary lifestyle: complimentary deities • adopted many Canaanite gods • Yahweh got angry • adopted many Canaanite rituals • bloody sacrifice of living things • Yahweh was happy • traditional date: 1020-1000 B.C.

  38. Saul • beginning of “historical period” • perhaps, perhaps not • succeeded by “David” • Archaeological evidence is in dispute • Jerusalem • united the tribes? • power vacuum in the area

  39. Expansion • by slaughter and invasion • by murder and marriage • “he was a man after God’s own heart” • Gulf of Aqaba to Syria • destruction of tribal institutions

  40. The Northern Kingdom • destroyed by Sargon II, in 721 B.C. • Assyrian Empire • “ten northern tribes” disappear

  41. The Southern Kingdom • destroyed by Nebuchadrezzar • 598 and 587 • the Babylonian Captivity

  42. Development of monotheism • monarchy and captivity • time of great stress • evolution of Hebrew religion

  43. The Prophets • contemporary with the monarchy • representing older, Stone Age values • against the changes of the Iron Age

  44. The Prophets, con’t • supported the Yahweh-only idea during exile • Jeremiah and Ezekiel • Cyrus the Great • Persian conquest of Babylon • freed exiles • rebuilt temple in 538 B.C. • beginnings of monotheism

  45. The Prophets • spokesmen for the older religion of the desert and the Stone Age • perceived by some as especially holy • soon claimed to be the ONLY spokesmen for Yahweh • excluding even the priests of Jerusalem • began to give unsolicited advice • political and social reformers

  46. The Prophets, con’t • preservers of the Plan • the covenant • the salvation of a Faithful Remnant • destruction for all others

  47. The Prophets, con’t • attacked the monarchy • attacked the priests • attacked the status quo • all are the very model of evil • punishment for wrongdoing • delivered by other nations

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