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Power concedes nothing without a demand.
Name:
Date:
Mr. Carey/Mr. Clarke
Development of Religious/Cultural Traditions
Belief Systems: Middle East v. Mediterranean
I. Overview
In the several centuries surrounding 600 BCE, something
quite remarkable happened all across Eurasia. More or
less simultaneously (at the same time), in China, India,
the Middle East, and the Mediterranean, there emerged
belief systems that have spread widely, have persisted in
various forms into the present day, and have shaped the
values and outlooks of most people who have lived on the
planet over the past 2,500 years.
While we do well to remember that major belief systems
like Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity
often overshadow the spiritual traditions of peoples like
Native Americans and Aboriginal Australians, many of the major belief systems not only first developed in the secondwave civilizations/empires we have began to study, but also dramatically impacted the way in which these
civilizations/empires developed themselves. Accordingly, we’ll start by taking a look at the belief systems that emerged in
the Middle East and Mediterranean during the classical period (600BCE-600CE).
Directions: Actively read and annotate the provided articles the development of belief systems within the Middle East
and Mediterranean. While you read, focus on the question below. When you have finished reading, respond to this
question in the “Homework section of your AP World History notebook.
1.
Compare the belief systems that emerged in the Middle East and the Mediterranean between 600BCE-600CE.
Your response should include evidence from every belief system covered in the texts below and feature the
following key terms: monotheism, polytheism, rationalism. Frame your response in the CER format if needed.
II. The Search for God in the Middle East
Unlike other regions of the time, the Middle East reflected a unique monotheistic outlook when it
came to beliefs. This outlook found expression in Zoroastrianism, which developed in the
Persian Empire, and Judaism, which developed amongst an often on-the-move peoples known as
the Hebrews, or Jews. Neither of these religions themselves spread very widely, but the
monotheism that they nurtured became the basis for both Christianity and Islam, which have
shaped so much of world history over the past 2,000 years. Amongst the belief in many gods and
spirits that had long characterized religious life throughout the ancient world, monotheism—the
belief in a single supreme god as the sole source of all life and being—was an extraordinary idea at
the time. (1)
Zoroastrianism
During the glor years of the powerful Persian Empire, a new religion arose to challenging the
polytheism (belief in many gods) of earlier times. Zoroastrianism’s main prophet1, Zoroaster,
lived between the 6th/7th centuries BCE, spreading ideas that quickly took holdin Persia and
received support from the ruling Achaemenid dynasty. Shocked by the violence within the
empire, Zoroaster reshaped traditional Persian polytheism into a vision of a signle unique god,
Ahura Mazda, who ruled the world and was the source of all truth, light, and goodness. Ahura
Mazda struggled with the forces of evil, which were represented by a Devil-like spirit known as
Angra Mainyu. This struggle, Zoroaster argued, would in the end be decided in favor of Ahura
Mazda, helped by the arrival of a final savior (hero) who would restore the world to its earlier
1
In a religion, a
“prophet” spreads
many of the major
beliefs/ideas of that
religion to the
surrounding people.
Power concedes nothing without a demand.
purity and peace. At the day of judgment, those who had believed in and supported Ahura Mazda
would be granted eternal life in Paradise. Those who had sided with evil would be condemned to
everlasting punihsment. Zoroastrianism, as a belief system, therefore placed great importance on
the free will of humankind and the need for every person to choose between good and evil. (2)
For much of its existence, Zoroastrianism stayed within the limits of the Persian Empire and was
not actively spread by its followers to other regions of the world. The emergence of Islam
centuries later marked the end of Zoroastrianism, as Islam began to dominate the Middle East.
Zoroastrianism’s vision of monotheism, however, served as a foundation for many of the major
monotheistic religions that followed, like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. (3)
Judaism
While Zoroastrianism emerged in the greatest empire of its time, Judaisim, the Middle East’s
other ancient monotheistic tradition, was born among one of the region’s smaller peoples—the
Hebrews. Their traditions, recorded in the Hebrew scriptures, tell of an early migration from
Mesopotamia to Egypt, where the Hebrews were enslaved. These Hebrews were eventually able to
escape, returned to the Middle East, and created a small state, which would soon split into two
parts—a northern kingdom known as Israel and a southern kindom called Judah. (4)
Life was not simple for the Hebrews. Stronger peoples in Mesopotamia, like the Assyrians and
Babylonians, conquered both Israel and Judah and forced the Hebrews into exile. It was during
their time in exile that the Hebrews renamed themselves as “Jews” and started to organize their
beliefs into a religion that would be called Judaism. While they did not build a powerful empire
during the classical period, this small group of people cast a long shadow in world history through
their religion. (5)
Unlike the peoples of Mesopotamia, India, Greece, and elsewhere—all of whom believed in many
gods and goddesses—Jews believed in one God, whom they called Yahweh. Despite some
struggles to stay true to Yahweh, the Jews eventually came to understand their relationship to
their God as a covenant, or contract. In return for their sole devotion and obedience to their God,
Yahweh would consider the Jews his chosen people, favoring them in battle, causing them to grow
in numbers, and bringing them peace and blessings. (6)
Unlike the bickering and human-like gods of Mesopotamia and Greece, Yahweh was seen by the
Jews as a God who was completely holy and pure, a supreme being with whom they could
communicate and who they could trust. Over time, Yahweh increasingly became a God of social
justice who had compassion for the poor and oppressed. This understanding of a God who played
a distinct role in history and demanded a sort of righteousness that did not begin and end with
rituals and sacrifices laid the foundation for the Christian and Muslim belief systems that would
follow. (7)
III. The Cultural Tradition of Classical Greece: The Search for a Rational Order
Unlike the Jews or the Persians, Greek thinkers of the classical period created no lasting religious
tradition of historical important. The religion of these city-states was polytheistic, featuring many
unpredictable, fighting, and partying gods who were said to live on Mount Olympus. Because this
belief system was not very complex, it was the Greeks who turned away from this polytheism and
embraced a rational (logical, scientific) worldview that left a mark on history. These Greeks
argued that the world was based upon a series of natural laws that human beings were able to
understand, while at the same time leading a life that was moral. (1)
The foundations of this Greek rationalism, as it was called, emerged between 600 and 300 BCE,
alongside the Golden Ages of city-states like Athens and the growth of Greek artistic, literary, and
theatrical traditions. The enduring significance of Greek thinking lay not so much in the answers
it provided to life’s great problems, but rather in its way of asking questions. The Greeks’
Power concedes nothing without a demand.
emphasis on argument, logic, and constant questions to achieve wisdom; their confidence in
human reason; their enthusiasm for puzzling out the world without much reference to gods—
these were the defining characteristics of major Greek thinkers. (2)
The great example of this approach to knowledge was Socrates (469-399BCE), an Athenian
philosopher who walked about the city engaging others in conversation about knowledge and
truth. He wrote nothing, and his preferred manner of teaching was a system of constant
questioning that challenged the assumptions and logic of his students’ thinking. He challenged
traditional ideas about the importance of wealth and power in Greek society, urging instead the
pursuit of wisdom and virtue. Such behavior brought him into conflict with city authorities, who
accused him of corrupting the youth of Athens and sentenced him to death. Before his death,
Socrates defended himself as the “fly” of Athens, stinging its citizens into knowledge and
awareness. (3)
Greek thinkers followed in Socrates’ footsteps. While Plato and Aristotle continued to pursue
knowledge and a virtuous life, Greeks like Thales, Hippocrates, Herodotus used their logic to
make advancements in science, medicine, and history. From this foundation, Greek rationalism
influenced how various civilizations that followed Ancient Greece investigated the surrounding
world and approached the question of how to lead a “good” life. (4)