Classical Belief Systems: COTWhat are some reasons for changes? What are some reasons for continuities?

Comparing Classical Belief Systems

• In both South Asia(Mauryan under Asoka) and Western Europe(Christianity under Rome’s Constantine), political leaders embracing of new belief systems led to their rise and spread, Christianity and Buddhism would inspire building projects and the embracing of peaceful ideology, however, Buddhism would all but disappear in India (being assumed into the pantheon of Hinduism) while Christianity would serve as the glue to hold Europe together long after the fall of Rome

• While in Eastern Asia philosophies would served to cement the social order, in Classical India however, it would be the religiously rigid caste system which would serve the same purpose. In Han China , Confucianism, Legalism and Taoism would be embraced by many, in Gupta India, Hinduism would serve as the monolith applying to all people. Their worldview, however, would prove similar in the cyclical view of political authority and life

Comp: Classical Nomads

In the classical world 600 B.C.E-600 C.E both the Polynesians and Bantu would independently spread their agricultural technologies as well as contribute to the diffusion of their languages, however the Bantu would migrate across the Sub-Saharan African continent while the Polynesian sea-farers would sail across the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Or

The Germanic tribes and Huns in the classical world both posed a threat to the classical empires they served in the periphery. The Huns, however were a much more formidable force contributing to the decline and fall of both the Han Dynasty and the Gupta empire and forcing the Germanic tribes into Rome. The Germanic tribes, would serve in Rome’s military ultimately attack Rome from the inside.

Reasons for change

• New Empires (state sponsored)• Appeal of less elitist beliefs• Role of missionaries and universalizing appeal• Conversion of leaders ( Constantine and Asoka)• Tolerance or discrimination of religion (philosophy)• New open trade routes influence spread• Disagreements between believers (sects.branches,divisions)

Reasons for continuity

• Tradition ( tied to society)• Ethnic religions (Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism)• Belief system and government united• Role of monasteries/missionaries• Promise of a better afterlife (salvation, Moksha, Nirvana)• Benefits of being a majority stronghold

Europe(West and East)

• United under Roman Empire• Originally polytheistic (first Celtic/Germanic deities, then Greco-Roman)• Adoption of Christianity by Emperor Constantine will facilitate its spread by 4 th century

C.E.• Edict of Milan/ Council of Nicaea (universalized creed)• Paul of Tarsus credited with its diffusion• Missionaries facilitate its spread• Benefits of Christianity• Assimilation of Christianity• Diaspora of Jews in Southern Spain and Eastern Europe

Middle East

• Contest between Persian’s tolerance (state sponsored Zoroastrianism)• Judaism under attack by the Romans (Diaspora 71 C.E Masada)• Jesus born under the reign of Augustus• Early Christians discriminated (as were Jews) violating Roman polytheism (Emperors

were seen as Gods)• Influence of Hellenistic philosophy on Messiah prophecy• Zoroastrianism influence on Christianity’s duality of good and evil

Sub-Saharan Africa

• Bantu stateless societies predominantly animistic worshipping forces of nature• Ancestor veneration• Christianity introduced to Kingdom of Axum• Becomes the oldest Coptic Christianity community in the world establishing trading

ties with Rome

South Asia

• Hinduism becomes more complex (influence of Greeks?)with

Baghavad Gita• Chandragupta Maurya’s adviser Kautilya develops “Arthastras”• Chandragupta Maurya adopts Jainism• Asoka Maurya converts to Theravada Buddhism• Buddhism spreads along silk route and Indian Ocean trade• Buddhism absorbed by Hinduism in Indian Subcontinent (spreads to S-E

Asia and China)• 500 years later, Gupta establishes Hinduism as state-sponsored (Golden Age

of Hinduism)

East Asia

• Out of the chaos of feudal Zhou Dynasty comes 3 (Confucianism, Legalism and Taoism)

• Legalism sponsored the Chin Dynasty (Confucian scholars executed for teaching virtue)

• Han Wu Di established civil service exam placing an emphasis on Confucian ideology (still a place for legalism-military and Taoism- peasant farmers) to maintain and regulate society

• New religion from India (Buddhism) somes in through trade routes and appeals to women, nomads and non ethnic Han Chinese.

• Government grows intolerant of Buddhist monasteries (no taxes, no fighting, foreign religion)

COT: Classical Belief Systems

• In South Asia during the Classical age (600 B.C.E-600 C.E. Hinduism remained a force of both social cohesion as well as a way to centralize the fragmented Gupta Empire with its Sanskrit text, however, the introduction and state support of Buddhism through Asoka Maurya would facilitate the spread of this new belief system throughout the empire.

• Or• In East Asia during the Han Dynasty Confucianism was introduced into the civil service

government by Han Wu Di, women became supplicant over Confucian inspired “admonitions” by Ban Zhao. Taoism (formed in the Zhou Dynasty) would retain its popularity especially in the countryside by the peasants.

• Or• In Sub-Saharan Africa during the Classical Age, the continued migration of the Bantu s

would maintain their animist belief system, their stateless societies would be draw together through the principles of ancestor worship. The introduction of Christianity (Coptic) though the Roman Empire to the Kingdom of Axum (Ethiopia) would begin a pattern of religious conversion that would change the religious demographics of Eastern Africa.