World Cultures Unit 4

Belief System

a set of principles or tenets which together form the basis of a religion, philosophy, or moral code.

Traditional Religion

a religion that has originality and is not modernized, also known as "indigenous," "animism," "primal" or "tribal" also mainly Polytheistic

Universal Religion

religion that attempts to appeal to all people, not just those who live in a particular location

Polytheism

Belief in many gods

Animism

Belief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life.

Syncretism

a blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into one faith

Shinto

"Way of the Kami"; Japanese worship of nature spirits

Kami

Sacred beings worshipped in Shinto, nature spirits and ancestors

Yoruba

A West African people who formed several kingdoms in what is now Benin and Southern Nigeria.

Olorun

the supreme god of the Yoruba

Orissa

most outstanding examples or Nagara architecture

Maurya Empire

Indian empire founded by Chandragupta, beginning with his kingdom in northeastern India and spreading to most of northern and central India

Chandragupta Maurya

founder of the Mauryan Empire

Ashoka

Leader of the Mauryan dynasty of India who conquered most of India but eventually gave up violence and converted to Buddhism.

Arthashastra

The famous ancient Indian book on statecraft, economic policy, and military strategy. Written by Kautilya.

Rock and Pillar Edicts

laws written by Ashoka reminding Mauryans to live generous and righteous lives

Gupta Empire

The decentralized empire that emerged after the Mauryan Empire, and whose founder is Chandra Gupta.

Sri Gupta

Founder of the Gupta dynasty

Chandragupta II

Gupta emperor, he ruled India during the height of Gupta power.

Brahmanism

ancient ritual traditions in which Brahmins played a key role; it grew out of older Vedic religious beliefs and helped lead to Hinduism

Hinduism

A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms. There are three main gods

Brahma

A Hindu god considered the creator of the world.

Vishnu

A Hindu god considered the preserver of the world

Shiva

A Hindu god considered the destroyer of the world.

Mahabharata

a great Indian epic poem, reflecting the struggles of the Aryans as they moved south into India

Ramayana

one of two classical Hindu epics telling of the banishment of Rama from his kingdom and the abduction of his wife by a demon and Rama's restoration to the throne

Bhagavad Gita

The most important work of Indian sacred literature, a dialogue between the great warrior Arjuna and the god Krishna on duty and the fate of the spirit.

Dharma

In Hindu belief, a person's religious and moral duties

Bhakti

devotion to a deity or guru

Atman

in Hindu belief, a person's essential self

Karma

the effects that good or bad actions have on a person's soul

Samsara

the cycle of life and rebirth in Hinduism

Moksha

The Hindu concept of the spirit's 'liberation' from the endless cycle of rebirths.

Brahman

A single spiritual power that Hindus believe lives in everything

Complex Monotheism

Many gods being in a religion but one god is above them all (Hinduism)

Siddhartha Gautama

(Buddha) The prince who is said to have founded Buddhism.

Buddha

Means "Enlightened One." He is said to have found a path for overcoming suffering.

Sangha

The Buddhist community of monks and nuns

Dhamma (Dharma)

teachings of Buddha, also the truth

Middle Way

A basic Buddhist teaching that rejects both the pleasures of sensual indulgence and the self-denial of asceticism, focusing instead on a practical approach to spiritual attainment.

Four Noble Truths

as taught by the Buddha, the four basic beliefs that form the foundation of Buddhism

Noble Eightfold Path

Calls for individuals to lead balanced and moderate lives, rejecting both the devotion to luxury and the regimes of extreme asceticism. (Buddhist Belief).

Nirvana

The state of englightenment for Buddhists.

Theravada

'Way of the Elders' branch of Buddhism followed in Sri Lanka and much of Southeast Asia It downplays the importance of gods

Mahayana

The name of the more mystical and larger of the two main Buddhist sects. This one originated in India in the 400s CE and gradually found its way north to the Silk road and into Central and East Asia.

Vajrayana

The Vehicle of the Diamond - Named for the vajra, the Buddha's diamond scepter; prevalent form of Buddhism in Tibet; emphasizes the harnessing of sensual energies to attain nirvana.

Bodhisattva

a person who has attained enlightenment but who has postponed nirvana in order to help others achieve enlightenment

Kushan Empire

ruled central asia to northern india, important in spreading budhism to chinese, took control of the trade route that connected india

Kanishka the Great

A powerful ruler who presided over the Kushan kingdom, ca. 78-125 CE.

Sogdians

A people who lived in central Asia's commercial centers and maintained the stability and accessibility of the Silk Road.

Stupa

Buddhist shrine that is shaped like a dome or mound

Kumarajiva

"The Master Translator." He was a Buddhist monk who translated many Buddhist texts into Chinese

Xuanzang

A famous Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early Tang period.

Six Dynasties Period

The period after the Han Dynasty's collapse in which nomadic groups (and Buddhism) began to enter China.

563-483 BCE

Life of Buddha

150 CE

Buddhism reaches China

50 BCE-250 CE

First Silk Road trade

268-232 BCE

Reign of Ashoka Maurya

30-375 CE

Kushan Empire

220-589 CE

Six Dynasties Period

300s-700s CE

height of Sogdian influence

Judaism

A religion with a belief in one god. It originated with Abraham and the Hebrew people. They preserved their early history in the Torah.

Torah/Pentateuch

The first five books of the Bible and the primary text for Judaism

Hebrew Bible

A collection of sacred books containing diverse materials concerning the origins, experiences, beliefs, and practices of the early Hebrew people.

Patriarch

the male head of a family or tribe

Abraham

Founder of Judaism who, according to the Bible, led his family to Canaan in obedience to God's command.

Semitic

A term referring to Semites, a number of peoples of the ancient Near East, from whom the Israelites descended

Israel

an ancient kingdom of the Hebrew tribes at the southeastern end of the Mediterranean Sea

Israelite

an early name for the Jewish people

Moses

The Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites from Egypt across the Red sea on a journey known as the Exodus

Canaan

An ancient name for the land of Israel

Diaspora

Jews living outside Israel

Judah

the fourth son of Jacob who was forebear of one of the tribes of Israel,

Judea

Area where most Jews lived that was conquered by the Romans by 63 BC, Roman Kingdom

Covenant

A solemn agreement between human beings or between God and a human being in which mutual commitments are made.

Babylonian Exile

In 587 BC, the Babylonians pillaged Judah, destroyed the Temple and the city of Jerusalem, and banished the people in chains to serve as slaves in Babylon. The Exile lasted until 539 BC.

Abrahamic Religion

Monotheistic faiths emphasizing that trace their origins to Abraham. Judaism, Christianity, Islam.

2000 BCE

Judaism begins with Abraham

1020 BCE

Creation of ancient Israel

587/586 BCE

Destruction of the First Temple of Judaism

538 BCE

End of Babylonian Captivity

70 CE

Destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans

Orthopraxy

"Correct practice"; the prohibition of deviation from approved forms of ritual behavior.

Orthodoxy

right belief

Christianity

A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.

Jesus

A Jew from Galilee in northern Israel who sought to reform Jewish beliefs and practices. He was executed as a revolutionary by the Romans.

Pontius Pilate

Roman Governer who sentenced Jesus to death

Paul of Tarsus

A Jew from Asia Minor that played the most influential role in the spread of Christianity.

Imperial Cult

in the Roman world, a partly political and partly religious ceremony in honor of the emperor who was recognized as a superhuman or divine figure

Gospels

Four books in the New Testament that tell the story of Christ's life and teachings

Martyr

A person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs

Vibia Perpetua

a Christian martyr who wrote about being persecuted for her faith

Constantine

Emperor of Rome who adopted the Christian faith and stopped the persecution of Christians

Nicene Creed

The decree that Christianity is legal in Rome

Byzantium

the civilization that developed from the eastern Roman Empire

Edict of Milan

313 CE Constantine makes Christianity the primary religion of the Roman Empire

27 BCE

Founding of Roman Empire

29 CE

Jesus is crucified

313 CE

Edict of Milan

476 CE

Fall of the (Western) Roman Empire