Moving toward Monotheism

Moving Toward MonotheismAP World History NotesChapter 5Eurasian Cultural TraditionsMoving toward MonotheismZoroastrianism = emerged in the Persian Empire around the 6th or 7th century BCEFollowed the teachings of prophet named ZoroasterSaid there was a struggle between good and evil in the worldAhura Mazda vs. Angra MainyuHumans caught in the middle of this struggle and had to choose sidesHumans who chose good would get eternal lifeHumans who chose evil would get darkness & misery after deathBig emphasis on the free will of humankind

ZoroastrianismDid not spread widely beyond the Middle East because it was not an active missionary religionInvasions of Alexander the Great devastated Zoroastrianism temples destroyed, priests slaughtered, sacred writings burnedArrival of Islam in the Middle East also led to the final decline of ZoroastrianismZoroastrianismElements that remain within Judaism and Christianity:Good versus evilGod versus an evil counterpartIdea of a last judgment & resurrected bodiesBelief in final defeat of evilArrival of a savior (Messiah)Remaking of the world at the end of timeThe IsraelitesMost cultures of the ancient world worshipped many godsThe Israelites (living in Canaan) = monotheistic = belief in only 1 GodCommands of God revealed by prophets = holy messengersGod called: YahwehYahweh determined right & wrong and the people had to accept moral responsibility for their actions

The IsraelitesTeachings of the Israelites exist today as religion of JudaismShares many beliefs with Christianity and Islam

The Land of CanaanBible remains one of the main sources of ancient history in Fertile CrescentBible traces origins of the Israelites to Abraham = herder/trader from Ur in MesopotamiaSays God made a covenant (agreement) with Abraham to make a great nation for the HebrewsTraveled to Canaan --> shared land with Phoenicians & Philistines

The Land of CanaanMany people in Canaan lived as nomads herding sheep and goatsUsually wandered around valley of Jordan River = farming land

The Exodus from EgyptAbrahams grandson Jacob raised 12 sons in CanaanEach son led a separate tribe = family group12 tribes migrated to Egypt to escape famine --> eventually were enslaved by the Egyptians

The Exodus from EgyptProphet Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt to the Sinai Desert in a mass exodus = departureDuring the journey, God gave Moses the 10 commandmentsExodus story retold by Jewish people at Passover every year

Settling the LandMoses died before arrival at Canaan --> successor, Joshua, led IsraelitesFor 200 years = Israelites fought the Philistines for control of the landLack of unity among the 12 tribes made fighting difficultContinued warfare led tribes to unite under 1 king = SaulSettling the LandSaul couldnt help them defeat Philistines & David took the throneDavid was popular because he defeated the Philistine GoliathDavid set up capital of JerusalemSet up a central government, enlarged the kingdoms borders, brought economic prosperity

Settling the LandDavids son Solomon took over after himUnpopular because he made high taxes to pay for new cities and templesAfter his death, 10 northern tribes broke away from 2 southern tribesNorthern tribes kept the name IsraelSouthern tribes took the name Judah

Exile and Return2 kingdoms were too weak to resist invaders722 BCE = Assyrians (from Mesopotamia) conquered Israel586 BCE = Chaldeans (from Mesopotamia) gained control of Judah

Exile and ReturnIsraelites were enslaved and exiled to BabylonDuring this time, the Jews had no temple so they met on the holy day of rest together for study and prayerRise of synagogues developed from these gatheringsExile and Return539 BCE = Persians conquered the ChaldeansPersian king allowed the Jews to return to Judah and to rebuild the templeExile and Return400s BCE = Jewish holy writings organized into the Torah = made up the first 5 books of the BibleSince this time, Jewish communities have existed outside their homeland = called Jewish Diaspora

A Lasting LegacyJews recorded their history & examined it for meaningProphets recorded their teachingsJewish religious beliefs & principles helped shape Christianity in the futureRecap of Religion in Ancient RomeEarly Romans worshipped nature spiritsRomans then adopted Greek religion and gave gods Roman namesUnder Augustus: people expected to honor the emperor as Romes chief priest

JupiterBacchusMinervaRecap of Religion in Ancient RomeBut empires people allowed to worship freelyMany religions existed in the Roman EmpireSome Jews began practicing a new religion called ChristianityConsidered a sect (group) within Judaism at firstBecame a separate religion

Judaism & the Empire6 CE = Augustus turned kingdom of Judah into Roman province of JudeaJews in Judea allowed to practice their religion, but treated very cruellyThey hoped a messiah = deliverer chosen by god = would help them regain their freedom

Judaism & the Empire66 CE = Jews rebelled against Romans & took over Jerusalem4 years later = Romans retook Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and killed thousands of JewsRomans banned the Jews from living in Jerusalem

Judaism & the EmpireJews continued to study the Torah in scattered communities throughout the Middle EastJews set up yeshivas = special schools to train rabbisRabbis created the Talmud = important book of Jewish law

Jesus of NazarethJesus preached a new message to his fellow JewsTraveled throughout Galilee and JudeaGained disciples = followersSaid God was loving and forgivingOften used parables = symbolic stories

Jesus of NazarethDisciples believed Jesus was the MessiahOther Jews disputed this believed the Messiah had not come yet

Jesus of NazarethRoman officials were troubled by the controversy over JesusRoman governor Pontius Pilate arrested Jesus & ordered that he be crucified

The Spread of ChristianityAfter Jesus' death, his disciples said he had risen from the deadThey began preaching that Jesus was the Son of GodThose who accepted this message = called ChristiansChristians formed own churches for worship, fellowship, and instruction

The Spread of ChristianityPaul = helped spread Christianity especially to non-JewsTraveled all over and wrote letters about this new religionLetters along with the 4 Gospels (stories about Jesus) = combined with writings of other Christian leaders to form New Testament of the Bible

The Spread of ChristianityApostles = Christian missionaries that spread Christianity in Roman worldPeter = leader of the apostles founded a church in Rome

Persecution & CompetitionChristians refused to honor the Roman emperor as a god & rejected military service --> many Romans accused them of treasonChristians seen as causing trouble could be killedChristian martyrs = people who died for their beliefs - were often killed by wild beasts in front of cheering crowds

Persecution & CompetitionMainly a religion of the cities (so was Judaism)Traditional Roman religion = had a stronghold in the countrysideProblems for Christians:Hard to get followers because followers often persecutedHad to compete with other polytheistic & mythical religions, as well as Judaism, for followers

Romans Adopt ChristianityConstantine = Roman emperor who believed the Christian God had helped him win a battleBecame protector of ChristianityIssued the Edict of Milan = said all groups were free to worship as they pleasedChristianity increased in size & influence

Romans Adopt Christianity392 CE = Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman EmpireHe banned all other religions

The Early ChurchChristians felt that teachings had to be stated clearly to avoid differences in opinion that might divide the churchChurch Fathers wrote books explaining Christian teachings

Church StructureChurch was organized into a hierarchy with levels of authorityParishes = local gatherings of Christians led by priestsDiocese = several parishes grouped togetherBishop = leader of the diocesePatriarchs = bishops of the 5 leading cities = Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, JerusalemBishop of Rome claimed authority over all other bishops --> he became the Pope = head of Roman Catholic Church

Church StructureWith the Pope came a split in ChristianityChurches in the western part of Roman Empire became known as the Roman Catholic ChurchLatin-speaking churches -- Believed in the PopeChurches in the eastern part of the Roman Empire became known as the Eastern Orthodox ChurchGreek-speaking churches -- didnt believe in the authority of the Pope