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RELIGION UNIT
THE MIDDLE EAST
It’s More Messed Up than Oxford!
Crossroads of the World
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Stands at the intersection of 3 continents—Asia,
Africa, and Europe.
Since ancient times, it has connected major trade
routes from India and China to the Western world.
Its location has allowed it to be a highway for
information as well; the following all originated in
the Middle East and spread out:
 Iron
making
 The alphabet
 Judaism, Islam, and Christianity
Strategic Location
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
Middle East actually
covers Southwest Asia
and North Africa—tied
by Islamic religion.
Middle East nations
control vital sea routes
and vast reserves of oil
and, therefore, is very
important to world
politically, militarily, and
economically.
Regions of the Middle East

There are 5 major
regions:
 1.
Northern Tier—
stretches across Turkey
and Iran. Region of
mountains and
plateaus.
Regions cont.
•
2. Arabian Peninsula—
vast plateau area that is
about 1/3 the size of the
U.S. Area is basically a
desert but holds huge
importance to the world
because of the oil
deposits beneath it and it
is the birthplace of Islam
Regions cont.

3. Fertile Crescent—
stretches across the
eastern part of the
Middle East along the
Tigris and Euphrates
rivers.
 Major
population
center as it is an area
of good soil and
abundant water.
Regions cont.

4. Nile Valley– Covers
the Egyptian part of
the Middle East along
the Nile River.
 Another
population
center because of the
availability of water
and good soil.
Regions cont.

5. The Maghreb—The
North African portion of
the Middle East.
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Maghreb translates to
“western isle.” To early
Arabs, the area seemed
isolated due to the Sahara,
the Mediterranean, and
the mountains of the
region.
Major crossroad of the
world because its sits on
the Mediterranean and the
entrance to the Atlantic.
Climate and resources
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Water, or the lack of it, has been the driving force
of where people live in the Middle East since the
beginning of time.
Less than 10 percent of the land receives enough
water for farming.
Populations tend to be clustered around water and
there are large stretches of land where no one
lives.
People of the middle east
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
Due to its location, the
Middle East is home to
wide variety of
languages, religions,
and cultures.
Birthplace to 3 of
major world
religions—Christianity,
Judaism, and Islam.
 Islam
is the most
practiced in the region.

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The major ethnic group
are the Arabs
An Arab is anyone
whose language is
based on Arabic.
Early Religion in the Middle East
“From good must come good and from evil must
come evil.”
Zoroastrianism

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Ancient Persian Religion
Founded by a man named Zoroaster:
 Little
is known about him
 Believed to have lived around 600 B.C.
 He sought to understand why misery existed alongside
of good in the world.
 He preached that the world was a battle ground
between good and evil.
The Impact of Zoroaster

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Teachings greatly influenced Christianity and
Judiasm.
Believed to be the first to preach about a
monotheistic god in the Middle East.
He greatly influenced the Persian Empire, which was
the largest of the day, and as the empire spread so
did his teachings.
Rise of Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam
Middle East-Birthplace of all 3
Kingdom Of Israel


Year formed--1025
Located—In Canaan

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Result—was frequently threatened by invaders
2 greatest kings-David + Solomon
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David was a skilled general who unified the kingdom
Solomon’s reign was marked by peace and the transformation of
Jerusalem into a leading city.
Definition—Scattering of Jews throughout the world
How/Why did it occur-Israel weakened after Solomon. Fell
under the rule of the Persians, Greeks, and then the Romans.
They revolted against the Romans but were forced out of the
area and scattered throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The Diaspora
 Definition—Scattering
of Jews throughout the world
 How/Why did it occur-Israel weakened after
Solomon. Fell under the rule of the Persians, Greeks,
and then the Romans. They revolted against the
Romans but were forced out of the area and
scattered throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Teachings of Judaism

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Type of religion--Monotheistic
Name of God--Yahweh
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Who was he-Creator and the ruler of the universe
Sacred book-Torah
Ten CommandmentsWhat are they-Religious and Moral laws
 Urge people-to respect and honor God
 Forbid-Stealing, Lying, Cheating, and Murder


Major feature of Judaism—Belief that people and t
their rulers should lead moral lives.
Rise of Christianity
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Founder of Christianity--Jesus
When did he become a preacher—About the age of
30
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What were his teachings-Taught the poor about God’s
goodness and mercy
Teachings were rootedIn the Jewish tradition of Monotheism
 Preached belief in -1 God(the same God of the Jews)
 Upheld the Ten Commandments as God’s law
 At same time, stressed love and compassion for other
people
 In eyes of God, everyone is equal

Jesus’ death

Jewish prophets predicted what-a messiah would
deliver Jews from foreign rule and restore Israel.
 Some
Jews believed Jesus was the Messiah
 Most Jewish leaders rejected that view and saw him
as a troublemaker
 Roman officials saw him as a rebel
 Their
action-he was arrested and crucified in 33AD.
Spread of Christianity

Followers of Jesus believed he was the son of God
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Years after death, followers preserved his teachings.
Teaching collected in the New Testament
Famous missionaries- Peter and Paul

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Roman rulers reaction to Christianity—began to persecute
Christians

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Benefited from the good roads and peaceful conditions of Roman
rule; allowed Christianity to expand.
Why—Christians refused to show respect for Roman gods.
313 AD—Roman Emperor Constantine converted to
Christianity
395 AD—Christianity was official religion of the Roman
Empire.
Appeal of Christianity

Appeal of Christianity
 Offered
hope for salvation and eternal life for rich
and poor.
 Each
person could control their own destiny by living a
life of morality.

The poor found comfort in Jesus’ teaching that all
believers were equal in the eyes of God.
The 2 Divisions
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The Christian Church
Highest Church officials were bishops
Eventually, bishop of Rome became the head of the Church
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Took the title of pope which meant father of the Church
The Byzantine Church
After division of Roman Empire in 330 AD, Byzantine emperor
refused to recognize the pope in Rome as the head of the Church.

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Instead controlled the Church himself.
In time, Christian Church split into two parts—the Roman Catholic
Church with its center in Rome, and the Eastern Orthodox Church_,
which was centered in Constantinople(which is in Turkey).
Introduction to Islam
The Rise of Islam
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Islam emerged in the Arabian Peninsula.
2 leading towns were Mecca and Yathrib—
centers of trade for the region.
 Mecca
housed the Kaaba, a sacred site that housed
images of many Arab gods and the Black Stone, a
meteorite that Arabs believed was sent from heaven.
Muhammad
 Born
around 570 AD
 Parents died as a child; raised by his uncle
 Worked for a wealthy widow, leading trade caravans
across the desert.
 At
the age of 25, he married the widow
 Muhammad
spent a great deal of his time fasting and
praying; when he was about 40, Muhammad heard
the voice of the angel Gabriel who told him to preach
to the world.
Muhammad Cont.
 He
began to travel the
Arabian Peninsula
with his message.

He did not win many
converts at first; most
Arabs rejected the
notion that there was
only 1 god.

In 622, Muhammad
was kicked out of
Mecca; he journey to
Yathrib where his
message was received
much better. Yathrib
was later renamed
Medina, or city of the
prophet
Muhammad Cont.
 From
Medina, Muhammad was able to win converts
and gain a lot of popularity; he would return to
Mecca in 630 with an army and took over the city.
 He
smashed the images of the gods in the Kaaba and
dedicated the Black Stone to God.
 By
the time of his death in 632, most of the Arabian
Peninsula was Islamic.
Teachings of Islam
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Islam means submission; a Muslim is someone who submits to
God.
There are 5 Pillars in Islam
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1. Accept belief in 1 god, Allah
2. Prayer—5 times a day
3. Charity
4. Fasting—1 month, no eating or drinking from dawn to sunset
5. Pilgrimage (hajj)—make journey to Mecca at least once in their
lives.
The Koran
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Sacred book of Islam
For long period of time, it was forbidden to translate Koran from
Arabic to another language; Arab became a language that united all
Muslims.
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People of the Book
Muhammad considered Jews and Christians to be
similar to Muslims
 All
were monotheistic
 Believe in final judgment day
 Believed that Allah is same God as Christian and
Jewish God

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Expansion of Islam
Islam spread quickly; the Arab empire reached
the Atlantic Ocean by 732. Stretched from Fertile
Crescent to Spain.
 Reasons
 1.
why:
Arab armies were united by their beliefs
 2. People welcomed them as liberators instead of the
foreign rulers that they were under.
 3. Muslims were tolerant conquerors; did not force
conversion on people that they took over.
The Division of Islam

Islam splits in 2

Muhammad’s death created a permanent split in
Islam
 Sunni


vs. Shiite
Sunnis felt that any devout leader could be the leader of
Islam.
Shiites felt that only descendants of Ali could become the
leader.
The Arab Empire

The Arab Empireiddle East enjoyed period of calm and stability under the Arabs;
period last about 600 years.

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Middle East became a central spot for the world to do business
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Silk, paper, porcelain from China
Ivory and gold from Africa
Honey and fur from Europe
As trade grew, Muslims invented new business practices:
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Ruled by 2 empires—the Umayyad and the Abbassid
Set up banks
Issued credit
Receipts for goods
Also many advancements in learning were made:
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Created universities
Translated (and saved histories of other cultures) ancient works into Arabic
Advances in algebra
Medical textbooks that influenced European medicine for hundreds of years
Traveling to the East
Intro to Hinduism and Buddhism
The Heart of South Asia
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The countries of South
Asia are:
India
Pakistan
Bangladesh
Nepal
Bhutan
Sri Lanka
Maldives
Myanmar

India, due to its size
and population, is the
heart of the region.
The “Sub”continent

South Asia is a large triangular peninsula.
Mountains separate it from the countries in the
north and it is surrounded by water on all sides.
 This
isolation has allowed region to develop a
unique culture.
 Ex.--Hinduism

is only major polytheistic religion.
Region is often referred to as the Indian
subcontinent(large landmass that is smaller than a
continent) because of the natural boundaries that
cut off the region from the rest of Asia.
Major Physical Features—3, 2, 1
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3 rivers—Brahmaputra, Indus, and Ganges
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2 mountains—Himalayas and Hindu Kush—form the
subcontinent border to the north
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All begin in the Himalayas.
All are densely populated due to the quality of the soil and the long
growing season.
Important to religion as well.
Mountains have provided protection from invasion and also
quality farmland.
1 desert—Thar Desert. South of the Hindu Kush; provided
another layer of protection from invaders.
Geography and the Development
of Hinduism
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The fact that India is
“cut-off” from rest of
Asia has allowed it to
develop its very own,
unique religion.
Hinduism is the world’s
only major polytheistic
religion.
The Basics of Hinduism


Developed over 4000 years ago when first
civilizations appeared in India.
No founder or formal church setting; it is a way of
life more so than a religion.
 Stress
the idea of nonviolence
 Respect nature
 Believe in both karma and reincarnation

3 main gods—Brahma(the creator), Vishnu(the
preserver), and Shiva(the destroyer)
The Caste System
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The caste system was set up to give people a place
in society.
You would be born into one of these classes and
you would remain in it for life.
There are 5 basic classes:
 1.
Scholars, teachers, priest
 2. Warriors/Soldiers
 3. Landowners, Merchants, and Herders
 4. Servants and Peasants
 5. Untouchables
The Caste System
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The caste system set up a strict social order.
Each occupation had its own caste and your future
occupation was determined at birth.
Caste rules governed everything from cooking and
eating habits to marriage and manners.
Despite its unfairness, the system created order and
stability in India; the lowest castes accepted their
place and rarely rebelled.
Hinduism and the caste system

Hindus believe in reincarnation—your soul never dies and is
placed is reborn in another form after your body goes.
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Your next life depends on karma—your deeds of this life
affect your future life.
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Your soul will “recycle” until you meet the gods.
For Hindus, this means that you are born into your caste
depending on the karma of your past life.
Your past life and its deeds have resulted in your present life;
your next life’s position will result from this life. This belief
encourages all Hindus to behave morally.
Life at the Bottom

The lowest caste, the Untouchables, were basically
left out of society.
 Not
allowed to worship in temples
 Could not go to school
 Forced to live in separate areas outside of town.

Untouchables were not given any rights until India
became independent in 1947.
 They
are still subjected to discrimination and bias.
Caste System and the Rise of Buddhism
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The highest caste became very
powerful as time wore on. They
lived in a completely separate
world from the other classes.
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Siddhartha Gautama was a
member of the highest caste.
One day, he went for a walk
and saw how the rest of the
world lived.
He realized that life was full of
suffering.

According to legend, he left his
wife and family and set out to
find the cause of human misery.
After six years of searching, he
discovered the cause of
suffering—and its cure.
His beliefs spread quickly in
part because he rejected the
caste system.
The 4 Noble Truths
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1. Suffering is universal.
2. Cause of suffering is desire
3. Only way to end suffering is to crush desire.
 Strive
to achieve nirvana—the condition of wanting
nothing.

4. To end desire, you must follow the Noble Path (a
guide to conduct)
Hinduism vs. Buddhism
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Neither are similar to the other major world religions.
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Hinduism is polytheistic.
Buddhism has no god.
Both believe in reincarnation.
Both are centrally-located in Southern and Eastern Asia and
nowhere else in the world.

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Although its roots are in India, Buddhism is almost non-existent
there.
Hinduism is a tolerant religion and absorbed many of the
Buddhist ideas and, as a result, did not lose many converts.
NOT QUITE RELIGIONS
Chinese Philosophies
China’s Dynasties
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There have been 18
dynasties to rule China.
In almost every case,
the “new” dynasty
overthrew or
conquered the old
dynasty.
This was the way things
operated until the
early 1900s.
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China’s ruling families are known as dynasties; leaders are
emperors.
First dynasty, the Shang dynasty, was in place by about 1600
B.C.
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Dynastic rule lasted until 1911, meaning that it lasted for about 3,500
years.
Shang dynasty is credited with the creation of a written
language, creation of an accurate seasonal calendar, and
were among the first to shape and mold bronze for weapons
and household items (pots, utensils).
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Shang written language based on ideographs, which used symbols to
express ideas.
Became very complex—to become literate, students had to memorize
almost 10,000 characters.
Spread to all parts of Asia—Korea, Japan, Vietnam
China’s Dynasties
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The Zhou dynasty conquered the
Shang and ruled for 800 years;
this period helped to shape China
for many years.
They said that they had a right to
rule granted by heaven and that
the people owed them their
complete loyalty.

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The Mandate linked power to
responsibility. In exchange for
loyalty, the government had to
provide good government; if they
failed, they could expect to lose
power.
Belief lasted until the fall of the
last dynasty.
Mandate of Heaven
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The Zhou took over around 1000 B.C.
Although they would be in power for almost 800
years, their reign would be marked by war and
upheaval.
The problems began around 700 B.C.
However, the era provided China with some of its
greatest thinkers and philosophers—the beliefs of
Confucius, Lao Zi, and Han Feizi.
Early Religion/Philosophy
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Confucius was greatly upset by the
disorder and suffering that he
saw.
He developed his beliefs on
restoring peace and harmony.
He spent his life, unsuccessfully,
trying to convince those in power
to stop the fighting.
He had a loyal group of followers;
after his death, they collected his
teachings and published them.
Confucianism

To restore order, Confucius believed that 5 relationships must govern human
society. They are between:

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1. Ruler and ruled
2. Father and son
3. Older brother and younger brother
4. Husband and wife
5. Friend and friend
Being good as a son and obedient as a
young man is, perhaps, the root of a
man’s character
The superior in each relationship is responsible for the well-being of
the other.
With these relationships, Confucius created a guide for proper
behavior based on ethics and morality. He placed the needs of
society above the individual.
Above all, he stressed the importance of education.
In time, his ideas came to dominated Chinese society.
Let the ruler be a ruler, the subject a
subject, the father a father, the son a
son
The Five Relationships
Encourage the people to work
hard by setting an example
yourself. Do not allow your efforts
to slacken
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Lao Zi is the founder of Daoism.
He also searched for ways to restore order to society.
He, however, emphasized the link between people and nature.
Taoists believe that the best way to live was the natural way—
rules are useless and disturbed natural order
Taoists believe that the best government was one with few rules
and laws.
Many Taoist were scientific thinkers—credited with advances in
astronomy, chemistry (credited with discovery of gunpowder),
and biology.
Daoism’s biggest influence can be seen in the art of China.
Daoism
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Legalism was shaped by Han Feizi.
His beliefs shaped the beliefs of China’s early
governments.
He believed that people acted out of their own selfinterest. People would respond to rewards and
punishment; not to Confucius ways of proper
behavior.
Harsh laws imposed by a strong ruler would ensure
order.
Legalism

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Buddhism spread to China in 1 A.D.
Buddhism appealed to the Chinese because it dealt
with life after death. It promised salvation for the
good and punishment for the wicked.
Many Chinese blended their Confucian or Taoist
beliefs with Buddhism. Since neither Confucianism or
Daoism were organized religions (although they are
now both classified as one), Buddhism became the
main religion in China.
Buddha’s Back!