Chapter 8: The Rise of Universal Religions (300-600 CE)

Bantu Migrations

Waves of rapid population movement from West Africa into eastern and southern Aftrica during the first millenium CE that brought advanced agricultural practices to these regions and absorbed most of the preexisting hunting and gathering populations.

Byzantium

Modern term for the eastern Roman Empire (lasting from the fourth to the fifteenth century), centered at its "new Rome," Constantinople (founded by Emperor Constantine in 324 on the site of a Greek city, Byzantium.)

Code of Manu

Part of the handiwork of Brahman piests; a representative code of law that incorporated social sanctions and practices and provided guidance for living within the caste system.

creed

Formal statement of faith or expression of a belief system. A Christian creed or "credo" was formulated by the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE.

Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle) Buddhism

Form of Buddhism that accepted the divinity of Buddha himself but not of demigods, or bodhisattvas.

Hinduism

A refashioning of the ancient Brhamanic Vedic religion, bringing it in accord with rural life and agrarian values. It emerged as that dominant faith in Indian society in the thrid century CE. Believers became vegetarians and adopted rituals of self-sacrifice. Three major dieties - Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva - formed a trinity representing the three phases of the universe (birth, existence, and destruction, respectively) and the three expressions of the eternal self, or atma.

Madhyamika (Middle Way) Buddhism

Chinese branch of Mahayana Buddhism established by Kumarajiva (344-413 CE) that used irony and paradox to show that reason was limited.

martyr

People executed by the Roman authorities for persisting in their Christian beliefs and refusing to submit to pagan ritual or belief.

Sanskrit Cosmopolis

A cultural synthesis based on Hindu spiritual beliefs and articulated in the Sanskrit language that served to unify South Asia in place of a centralized empire.

Universalizing Relgions

Religions that:
-Appeal to diverse populations
-Are easily adaptable across various cultural and geographical areas
-Promote universal rules and principles to guide behavior that transcend place, time, and specific cultural practices
-Are proselytized by energetic and charismatic missionaries
-Foster a deep sense of community felt by their converts
-Are supported by powerful empire.

Outline of Chapter 8

I. Universal religions and common cultures
II. Empires and religious change in Western Afro-Eurasia
III. The Silk Road
IV. Political and religious change in South Asia
V. Political and relgious change in East Asia
VI. Faith and culture in the worlds apart
VII. Conclusion

I. Universal relgions and common cultures

A. Increase in religious ferment throughout Afro-Eurasia
B. Politics shaped religion, and religion shaped politics
C. Universal religion not essential for creating empires of the mind
D. Religion influenced society and culture in other ways
E. Religioud beliefs could travel anywhere

I. Universal relgions and common cultures -
A. Increase in religious ferment throughout Afro-Eurasia

1. West: Christianity
2. India: Vedic evolved into Hinduism
3. Northern India, Asia, China: Buddhism

I. Universal relgions and common cultures -
B. Politics shaped religion, and religion shaped politics

1. Afro-Eurasian spirituality shaped imperial frameworks
2. Western Europe and Christianity
3. Eastern Roman Imperium, Byzantium, and Christianity
4. India, Hinduism, and Buddhism
5. Central Asia, China, and Buddhism

I. Universal relgions and common cultures -
C. Universal religion not essential for creating empires of the mind

1. African Bantu peoples
2. Central American Mayans

I. Universal relgions and common cultures -
D. Religion influenced society and culture in other ways

1. Issues of truth, loyalty, and solidarity
2. Answers about human nature
a. Living in a society
b. Marrying and having children
c. Whom they should obery (an invisible person) and to what extent
d. What martyrs thought worth dying for
e. Helped distinguish between right and wrong
3. Freed cultures of older heritages
4. Led to new identitys shaped by a shared faith
5. Could drive nations apart though intolerance of others' beliefs

I. Universal relgions and common cultures -
E. Religioud beliefs could travel anywhere

1. Religious leaders traveled widely
a. Books, scrolls, tablets
b. Discussed their own beliefs
2. Universal religions on the move
a. Travels of Xuanzang
i. Buddhist scripture from India to Chang'an

II. Empires and relgious change in Western Afro-Eurasia

A. The rise of Christianity
B. Religious debate and Christian universalism
C. The conversion of Constatine
D. Christianity in the cities
E. The Christian empire
F. The fall of Rome: a takeover from the margins
G. Byzantium, Rome in the east: The rise of Constantinople
H. Sasanian Persia

I. Universal relgions and common cultures -
A. The rise of Christianity

1. Martyrs
a. Vibia Perpetua
b. Women had important roles

I. Universal relgions and common cultures -
B. Religious debate and Christian universalism

1. Constantine moved Rome to Christian faith
2. Rabbinical reforem of Judaism
3. Discussion over obedience to God
a. Christian Codex

I. Universal relgions and common cultures -
C. The conversion of Constantine

1. Background of Constantine
a. Proclaimed emperor in 306 CE
b. Labarum symbol
2. Proclamation for designating bishops tax exempt
3. Other religions suffered

I. Universal relgions and common cultures -
D. Christianity in the cities

1. Basilicas
a. Cathedra, bishop's throne
b. Heaven on earth
2. Relief to the poor
3. Judges

I. Universal relgions and common cultures -
E. The Christian empire

1. Spread through new languages
a. Coptic
b. Syriac
2. Concil of Nicaea
a. Nicaean Creed
b. Easter
3. Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea in Palestine

I. Universal relgions and common cultures -
F. The fall of Rome: A takeover from the margins

1. The barbarians
a. Status determined by ability to fight
b. Surplus warriors
i. Visigoths migration
2. Goths in Gaul
a. Invited into country by emperor
b. Fall of empire a result of long overextension
c. Goths served as Roman militia in Gaul
3. Continuity in change
a. Roman influence remained
b. Fear of the Huns
c. Attila's empire in Eastern and Central Europe
d. King Alaric II's law code
e. Post-empire Rome like post-Han China
f. The Roman Catholic Church

I. Universal relgions and common cultures -
G. Byzantium, Rome in the east: The rise of Constantinople

1. Highly centralized empire
2. Constantine's "New Rome"
3. Justinian
a. Reformed Roman laws
i. Digest
ii. Institutes
b. Reconquered Italy
c. Hagia Sophia

I. Universal relgions and common cultures -
H. Sasanian Persia

1. Bubonic plague
2. Kings of Eran and An-Iran
a. Royal dynasty ruled Iran and non-Iranians
b. Capital of Ctesiphon (near modern Baghdad)
i. Great Arch of Kesr/Kisra
c. Khusro Anochirwan
i. Sack of Rome's Antioch
d. Persia and Roman War
e. Tolerant of Jews and Christians
i. Christian missionaries
f. Persian armored cavalry
3. An empire at the crossroads
a. Religious tolerance felt under Sasanian rule
b. Jews complied Babylonian Talmud
c. Blend of Greek, Central Asian, and Indian culture
d. Nestorian Christian

III. The Silk Road

A. Sogdian people mantained Silk Road
B. Connected eastern Roman interests with Asia
C. Provided way for universalistic religious movements to flow
D. Central Asia hub of cross-sultural contact
E. The Sogdians as lords of the Silk Road
1. Sogdians, mediators of culture and commerse
a. Religion
b. Language
c. Goods
d. Architechture
F. Buddhism on the Silk Road
1. Buddhism spread to China through traveling monks
2. Buddhist cave monasteries at Dunhuang
3. Large, carved Buddhas
a. Bamiyan
b. Yungang

IV. Political and relgious change in East Asia

A. Gupta Dynasty
B. The transformation of Buddha
C. The Hindu transformation
D. A code of conduct instead of an empire

IV. Political and relgious change in East Asia -
A. Gupta Dynasty

1. United northern India
2. Chandra Cupta
a. Supported poets and playwrights
b. Mahabharata

IV. Political and relgious change in East Asia -
B. The transformation of Buddha

1. The Nahayana (Greater Vehicle)
2. Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle)
3. Buddha became a god
4. Religion also incorporated local spirits

IV. Political and relgious change in East Asia -
C. The Hindu transformation

1. Brahmanism changed to become known as Hinduism
2. Believers became vegetarians
3. Identified with agrarian culture
4. Absorbed Buddhist and Jain practices
5. Three major deities represented the three phases of the universe
a. Brahma
b. Vishnu, the most prominent
c. Siva
6. Eternal self - atma
7. Monotheism
8. Personal devotion called bhakti

IV. Political and relgious change in East Asia -
D. A code of conduct instead of an empire

1. Hinduism established "correct" social order
a. Laws of Manu
i. Marriage
ii. Profession
iii. Dietary rules
iv. Way to cope with changing society
2. Hinduism spread to areas away from state control
3. Religious belief helped create a shared "Indic" culture

V. Political and relgious change in East Asia

A. Northern and southern China
B. Buddhism in China

V. Political and relgious change in East Asia -
A. Northern and southern China

1. Three kingdoms created following the fall of the Han
a. Shu
b. Wu
c. Wei
2. Six Dynasties Period - time of civil war
3. Wei dynasty:
a. Kept Chinese imperial standards
b. Adapted army to urban-based military technology
c. Built public works with corvee laboras did the Han
d. Tried to make government more "Chinese"
i. Dowager Empress Fang's land reforms

V. Political and relgious change in East Asia -
B. Buddhism in China

1. Kumaraji, Buddhist scholar and missionary
a. Translated Buddhist texts into Chinese
b. Clarified Buddhist terms and philosophy
c. Established Madhyamika Buddhism
2. Provided legitimacy for northern states
3. Took on different forms in different religions
4. Daoism, alchemy, and the transmutatuion of self
a. Two new Daoist traditions
i. External alchemy
ii. Internal alchemy

VI. Faith and culture in worlds apart

A. Bantus of sub-saharan Africa
B. MesoAmericans

A. Bantus of sub-Saharan Africa

1. Bantu language unified people through sub-Saharan Africa
2. Bantu history
a. Migrated east and west
b. Absorbed other hunting and gathering populations
c. Settles agriculturalists
i. banana crops
d. Organized into small-scale societies
3. Bantu vision of the world
a. Intense relationship to the world of nature
b. Ancestral spirits
c. Diviners and charms

B. MesoAmericans -
1. Teotihuacan

a. city-state
b. Warfare helped control hinterlands
c. City's political influence limited beyond local area
d. Culturally and economically influential throughout MesoAmerica
e. Influence waned by fifth century
f. City burned by invaders

B. MesoAmericans -
2. The Mayans

a. No great metropolis, but thousands of villages
b. Shared language
c. Connected by trade
d. Kingdoms revolved around hubs and hinterlands
i. City-state
ii. Large Cities
e. Highly stratified, with an elaborate class structure
f. Subsistence farmers
g. Shared culture
h. Early writing
i. Skilled in mathematics
j. Excelled at building
k. Blood sacrifice

VII. Conclusion

A. Fall of Mediterranean Rome and Han China led to an era when religion and common culture provided the means for holding together large parts of Afro-Eurasia.
B. Christianity adopted by Rome coalesced with the building of Constantinople
C. Weakening Han allowed Buddhism to spread into China
D. Weak central state in India led to reform of Vedic into Hinduism
E. Sub-Saharan Africa and MesoAmerica did not experience the spread of universalizing religions
F. 300-600 CE saw the emergence of three great cultural unities defined in religious terms as:
1. Christianity
2. Brahmanism/Hinduism
3. Buddhism