Religion and Philosophy

at the Dawn of the Common

Era

• Mesopotamian Religion• Greco-Roman Religion• Classical Greek Philosophy

– Hellenistic Philosophy• Monotheism

– Zoroastrianism– Abrahamic Religions

• Judaism• Christianity• Islam

• Hinduism– Jainism

• Buddhism• Confucianism

– Daoism

Animism AnthropomorphicPolytheism

Philosophy

Theology(Religion)

“Faith”

Why are things the way they are?

Monotheism

Science

Ethics

Animismand

City Gods

Animismand

City Gods

600-500 BCE

Classical Greek Philosophy

• Thales of Miletus (634-546)– Tries to explain the natural world w/o myths

• Xenophanes (570-475)– All things have a natural explanation– "One god, greatest among gods and humans,

like mortals neither in form nor in thought.“• Pythagoras (570-495)– transmigration and reincarnation of the soul

Classical Greek Philosophy

• Socrates (469-399)– Socratic method

• Plato (424-327)– Student of Socrates– Founded the “Academy”– Gives us what we know of Socrates– “Platonic idealism”• The “universal” is apart from specific things• Reason from the general to the specific

Classical Greek Philosophy

• Aristotle (384-322)– Student of Plato– Teacher of Alexander– The universal is in the specific thing.

Hellenistic Schools of Philosophy• Neo-Platonism

– Virtue and meditation allowed the Soul to join the One • Skepticism

– Nothing can be proven• Cynicism

– Live life in harmony with Nature; reject desire• Stoicism

– Self-control to overcome destructive emptions; duty• Epicureanism

– Life is governed by chance; pleasure is the absence of pain• Eclecticism

– Combination of elements of all schools

Greco-Roman ReligionThe 12 Olympian Deities

Greeks– Zeus Father of the gods– Poseidon Brother of Zeus, god of oceans – Hades Brother of Zeus, god of the underworld– Hestia Sister of Zeus; virgin goddess of the hearth– Hera Sister/wife of Zeus; protector of married women– Ares Child of Zeus/Hera; god of war– Athena Child of Zeus; virgin goddess of cities– Apollo Child of Zeus and Leto; god of music, light, and truth– Aphrodite Child of ?; goddess of love, beauty, and desire– Hermes Child of Zeus and Maia; god of thieves and commerce– Artemis Twin of Apollo; goddess of wild things, protector of children– Hephaestus Son of Hera; ugly and lame; god of fire and the forge

Greco-Roman ReligionThe 12 Olympian Deities

Greeks– Zeus – Poseidon – Hades – Hestia – Hera– Ares – Athena– Apollo– Aphrodite

– Hermes– Artemis – Hephaestus

Romans– Jupiter– Neptune– Pluto– Vesta– Juno– Mars– Minerva– Apollo– Venus– Mercury– Diana– Vulcan

Monotheism

• Pharaoh Akhenaten (d. c. 1336 BCE)– Atenism (the Amarna heresy)

• Judaism• Christianity• Islam

• Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism

• Zoroaster, c. 9th century BCE ?• Sacred texts: The Avesta• One transcendent, creator god: Ahura Mazda– Amesha Spenta (order)– Ahriman (chaos)

• Life is a struggle between Truth and Falsehood

Zoroastrianism

• Major or dominant religion of– Achaemenid Persia– Seleucid Persia– Parthia– Sassanid Persia

• Arabic armies conquer Persia by 661 CE– Islam becomes major religion of Persia by 1000

Judaism

• Rooted in Mesopotamia• Basic writings took shape

during the Babylonian Exile (587–538 BCE)

• Founding figure Abraham• “Institutional” founder Moses

• Covenant between Abraham and “Yahweh”

Judaism

• Main Texts– Torah (Laws)– Prophets– Writings

– Talmud

“Old Testament”

Christianity

• Outgrowth of Judaism• Major texts: “New Testament”– Gospels– Acts of the Apostles– Epistles– Revelations– (Apocrypha)

• Messianic cult/religion – Yeshua/Jesus is Yahweh’s son/representative

Christianity

• First Council of Nicaea, 325 CE– Call by Emperor Constantine– “Regularizes” Christianity• Established the biblical “canon”• “Nicene Creed”

“We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things seen and unseen. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ the Son of God, begotten of the Father, the only-begotten . . .”

Islam

• An “Abrahamic religion”• Abraham is “founder” of Islam– patriarch– prophet– the “perfect Moslem”– established the Kaaba – ancestor of Muhammad the Prophet

Islam

• “Institutionalized” by Muhammad (570-632)– Born in Mecca, a shepherd and merchant– At age 40 began to receive revelations from God– Left Mecca for Medina in 622– “Constitution of Medina” unites various tribes– Mecca taken in 630

Islam

• Major text: Quran (Qu-ran, Koran, etc.)– "the recitation“

• The revelations of the angel Gabriel to Muhammad• The final revelations of God • Muhammad the last in a line of prophets beginning with

Adam and going through Jesus

Hinduism

• More a religious tradition than a religion.

• Major concepts– Karma • The cycle of cause and effect

– Dharma• The behaviors necessary to maintain order

– Reincarnation– One God manifested in many forms

“Creation Hymn”

“Who really knows?Who will here proclaim it?Whence was it produced? Whence is this creation?The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe.Who then knows whence it has arisen?”

Rig Veda

• Major texts– Vedas 1,400 BCE – 800 BCE • revealed truths

– Upanishads 800 BCE – early modern era• commentaries

Jainism

• Comes out of the Vedic tradition (?)• The Soul attains perfection by

ridding itself of all the layers of karma.

• The “Great Vows”– Non-violence– Truthfulness– Non-stealing– Celibacy– Non-possession, non-materialism

Buddhism

• Siddhārtha Gautama, 563-483 BCE• Buddha = “The Enlightened One”• Enlightenment achieved by the “Middle Way.”

• Goal: break the cycle of reincarnation.

• Numerous sects and branches of Buddhism.

Buddhism

• The Noble Eightfold Path– Right understanding– Right intention– Right speech– Right action– Right livelihood– Right effort– Right mindfulness– Right concentration

Confucianism

• A philosophy of ethics emphasizing harmony and duty.

• Confucius (“Master Kong”), 551–479 BCE • Main text: The Analects

Confucianism

• The “Five Virtues”– Humaneness– Righteousness (Justice)– Propriety (Etiquette)– Knowledge– Integrity

Confucianism

• The “Five Bonds”– Ruler - Ruled– Father - Son– Husband - Wife– Elder Brother - Younger Brother– Friend - Friend

Daoism (Taoism)

• Philosophical and religious system emphasizing living in harmony with the “Way.”

• Founder: Laozi (“Old Master”), contemporary of Confucius.

• Main text: Tao Te Ching

• If I can explain it, it isn’t The Dao.