Radical ChangeRadical Change

Confucianism and Taoism (China) Pre-Socratics (Greece) Buddhism, Jains, Hinduism (India) Yahwehism (Hebrews) Zoroastrianism (Persia)

The Persians: Achaemenid Empire (558-330 BCE)

The Persians: Achaemenid Empire (558-330 BCE)

Migration of Medes and Persians from central Asia, before 1000 BCE– Indo-Europeans

Capitalized on weakening Assyrian and Babylonian empires

Cyrus (r. 558-530 BCE) founder of dynasty– “Cyrus the Shepherd”

Peak under Darius (r. 521-486 BCE)– Ruled Indus to the Aegean– Capital Persepolis

Characteristics

23 Administrative divisions Satraps Persian, but staff principally

local System of spies, surprise audits

– Minimized possibilities of local rebellion Standardized currency for taxation

purposes Massive road building, courier services

ZoroastrianismZoroastrianism

Persian origins in dispute religion similar to the Aryans Persians: Indo-Europeans

Pre-Zoroastrian ReligionPre-Zoroastrian Religion

personified natural forces terrestrial, atmospheric, celestial

The Axial AgeThe Axial Age ca. 600 B.C. change in all major cultures the Iron Age more complex societies nomadic vs. sedentary lifestyle

ZoroasterZoroaster

history uncertain date uncertain location uncertain

ZoroasterZoroaster

writings: the Gathas part of the Avesta traditional date: before 500 B.C. new dating: before 1100 B.C.

– based on linguistic evidence, not ancient stories

The GathasThe Gathas

poems language difficult and archaic unsystematic

Zoroaster, con’t Zoroaster, con’t

intellectual and ethical monotheist dualist tendencies

– a world divided between Good and Evil– between the god and his enemy

Zoroaster, con’tZoroaster, con’t

revelation from Ahura Mazda Lord of Wisdom modest and uncomplicated monotheism emphasis on a cosmic struggle

Ahura Mazda

Aingru Mainyu

light

matter

(truth, soul, mind)

(lie, body, flesh)The Physical World

The Cosmic World

Spenta Mainyu

Cosmic StruggleCosmic Struggle

followers of Wisdom followers of the Lie

Ahura MazdaAhura Mazda

one god lofty and abstract

Ahura Mazda, con’tAhura Mazda, con’t

“He that in the beginning thought, “Let the blessed realms be filled with lights, he it is, who by his wisdom created Right...I have conceived of thee, Oh, Mazda, in my thought that you are, the First who is also the Last, the Father of Good Thought, the Lord to judge the actions of life.”

The WorldThe World

a battleground between Good and Evil humans have a choice helped by angelic spirits

– Good Thought, Right Action, etc. tempted by devils and demons

For the GoodFor the Good

prosperity in the present life immortality and eternal reward destruction of the world by fire final judgment reward: blissful heaven or a fiery hell

A New ReligionA New Religion

Zoroaster condemned the old, bloody cults

intended his religion to be a universal, salvationist religion

offered one god to all of mankind intended for the individual, not the group

Individual ResponsibilityIndividual Responsibility

right thinking and right conduct– Good thought, good words, good deeds

not a function of the “nation” first religion to recognize the individual

human– morality and ethics– individual responsibility

Spread slowlySpread slowly

mostly Persia– changed by the MAGI– following his death

ImportanceImportance

fundamental influence on Judaism Babylonian Captivity Pharisees Christianity

Hebrew religion / JudaismHebrew religion / Judaism

traditional history Abraham from Ur, in Sumer basis in fact ??

Coogan, Michael D. The Oxford History of the Biblical World

Jewish ScripturesJewish Scriptures

record traditional history relationship between Yahweh and His

People– the Chosen People

Hebrew bibleHebrew bible

the Torah the Prophets the Writings

Hebrew bible: OriginsHebrew bible: Origins

difficult and complex owes much to Mesopotamian models but also Egyptian literature and

Canaanite religion

Historical Source ??Historical Source ??

very little of it is considered historical by Biblical scholars, archaeologists, and historians

but often all which is available use with caution

FocusFocus

not “historical” in the usual sense focus is religious

– often magnified all out of proportion complied over hundreds of years

– erratic and inconsistent

Traditional historyTraditional history

the Patriarchal Period the Judges the Monarchy the Babylonian Captivity

Early eventsEarly events

Genesis– cosmological myth, not history– invented genealogy, not history

actual history– wanderings of semi-nomadic tribes– Semitic speaking– patriarchally organized

“Abraham and his descendants”

Earliest Possible DateEarliest Possible Date

Exodus Ramses II the Hapiru (Habiru) the “divine Plan”

YahwehYahweh

a tribal god, a war god comes to demand exclusive worship “no gods in front of me” not monotheists

– henotheists– monolatry

YahwehYahweh

a local god of the Sinai Some similarities with Baal and El adopted by Moses

– an Egyptian– or at least someone with an Egyptian name

a covenant

The Law and the Promised LandThe Law and the Promised Land Yahweh gave the Law The Hebrews invade Palestine the Hebrews killed everyone and

everything to attain the Land– at the direction of Yahweh– divinely sanctioned genocide– “dedicated to Yahweh”

Archaeological evidenceArchaeological evidence

inconclusive no hard evidence for the biblical story end of the Bronze Age

– general upheaval– the Sea Peoples

Early Hebrew OrganizationEarly Hebrew Organization

patriarchal tribal not a specific, related ethnic group common denominator: Yahweh

Fundamental Changes Fundamental Changes

adoption of monarchy replacing old, tribal leaders Gideon: no thanks Saul: doesn’t know any better

Yahweh, Only ??Yahweh, Only ??

unable to maintain exclusive worship sedentary lifestyle: complimentary deities adopted many Canaanite gods

– Yahweh got angry

adopted many Canaanite rituals– bloody sacrifice of living things– Yahweh was happy– traditional date: 1020-1000 B.C.

SaulSaul

beginning of “historical period” perhaps, perhaps not succeeded by “David”

– Archaeological evidence is in dispute– Jerusalem– united the tribes?– power vacuum in the area

ExpansionExpansion

by slaughter and invasion by murder and marriage “he was a man after God’s own heart” Gulf of Aqaba to Syria destruction of tribal institutions

The Northern KingdomThe Northern Kingdom

destroyed by Sargon II, in 721 B.C. Assyrian Empire “ten northern tribes” disappear

The Southern KingdomThe Southern Kingdom

destroyed by Nebuchadrezzar 598 and 587 the Babylonian Captivity

Development of monotheismDevelopment of monotheism

monarchy and captivity time of great stress evolution of Hebrew religion

The ProphetsThe Prophets

contemporary with the monarchy representing older, Stone Age values against the changes of the Iron Age

The Prophets, con’t The Prophets, con’t

supported the Yahweh-only idea during exile

Jeremiah and Ezekiel Cyrus the Great

– Persian conquest of Babylon– freed exiles– rebuilt temple in 538 B.C.– beginnings of monotheism

The ProphetsThe Prophets

spokesmen for the older religion of the desert and the Stone Age

perceived by some as especially holy– soon claimed to be the ONLY spokesmen

for Yahweh– excluding even the priests of Jerusalem

began to give unsolicited advice– political and social reformers

The Prophets, con’t The Prophets, con’t

preservers of the Plan the covenant the salvation of a Faithful Remnant destruction for all others

The Prophets, con’tThe Prophets, con’t

attacked the monarchy attacked the priests attacked the status quo all are the very model of evil punishment for wrongdoing

– delivered by other nations

Principal ImplicationsPrincipal Implications

Yahweh controls other nations Yahweh, therefore, controls the destiny

(The History) of ALL Peoples– an instrument to chastise and punish His

Chosen People afterthought: justice and mercy

Divine Interventionist PolicyDivine Interventionist Policy

to punish His People and..incidentally...to punish evil and

preserve the Good introduction of a universality element

Yahweh-OnlyYahweh-Only

Josiah: 621 cult of Yahweh Deuteronomy first hint of monotheism

Yawehism: 500 B.C.Yawehism: 500 B.C.

fundamentally different a universalist god and a limited number

of people more restricted than Zoroastrianism

DisastersDisasters

Assyrian and Babylonian Captivities victory for other gods??? what to do to maintain the covenant???

– keep the Law more scrupulously– keep it more exactly– even if only a FEW will be saved in the

kingdom of God

Ezekeial and Second IsaiahEzekeial and Second Isaiah

justify the ways of God to Man more rigorous obedience to the Law looking forward to a New Kingdom

– earthly– for the Righteous Few

influenced by Zoroastrianism– During and after the Babylonian Captivity

Some Books for youSome Books for you

Mary Boyce. A History of Zoroastrianism Robert M. Seltzer. Religions of Antiquity Norman Cohn. Cosmos, Chaos, and the World to Come. The Ancient

Roots of Apocalyptic Faith P. Davies. In Search of Ancient Israel I. Finkelstein. The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology’s New Vision of

Ancient Israel and the Sacred Texts. Richard Elliott Friedman. Who Wrote the Bible K.L. Knoll. Canaan and Israel in Antiquity A.S. van der Woude. The World of the Old Testament B.S.J. Isserlin. The Israelites William F. Albright. Pretty much anything…. Ancient Religions bibliography online:

www.etsu.edu/cas/history/religionbib.htm

More booksMore books

William G. Dever. Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From?

William G. Dever. What Did the Biblical Writers Know and When Did They Know It?

William G. Dever. Did God Have A Wife? Archeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel (…and his extensive bibliography)

M.P. Lemche. Early Israel D.B. Redford. Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times A. Ben Tor. The Archaeology of Ancient Israel Susan Ackerman. Under Every Green Tree: Popular

Religion in Sixth Century Judah