Week 6 Axial Age Religions Axial Age Ancient Israel Ancient Greece Zoroastrian Persia
Imperial China Hindu India Axial Age Offshoots Christianity Manichaeism
Buddhism, Jainism & Sikhism Islam Sometimes referred to as
Revealed religions Monotheistic religions Textual religions But misnomers. Pre Axial Age Gods and humans distinct but similar
Divine and human world similar; close Morality: obligation to ones group Religion=ethnic religion Or, state religion Leader is descendant of gods. Afterlife not clearly defined Axial Age Intellectual elites Moral & Political order separate.
Pre-axial age culture become peripheral General intolerance official orthodoxy. Transcendental vision
There is a world history Curiosity about other people Morality general; applicable to all Possible to missionize. Tension How to bridge gap between mundane and divine realms?
Concept of salvation Escatology. Zoroastrianism Probably among oldest living religions Today
11,000 Zoroastrians in Iran 200,000 Parsees Religion of Persian Empire