This document provides an overview of major belief systems of the classical period, including Hinduism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Greek Rationalism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Christianity. It discusses their origins, core beliefs around existence after death, how they challenged social hierarchies and appealed to lower classes, spread through missionaries and trade routes, and changes as they spread to new regions. Buddhism and Christianity in particular challenged social class systems and women's roles, and spread through monastic orders and missionaries taking the religions' messages to new areas.

1. CLASSICAL
BELIEF SYSTEMS
Intro

2. Hinduism, Judaism,
Zoroastrianism, Buddhism,
Greek Rationalism, Legalism,
Confucianism, Daoism &
Christianity
Belief Systems of the Classical
Period

3. Belief systems in CONTEXT
 Historians view belief systems in the
context of time and place.
 For example: Buddhists in India in the 300s ce were
not the same as Buddhists in Southeast Asia in the
1800s ce though some of the core beliefs remained
unchanged.
 Historians view belief systems as an
influence ON culture AND influenced BY
culture.
 For example: Christianity changed Roman culture
and Roman culture changed Christianity

4. Hinduism
Oldest
Belief System

5. Judaism . . . Monotheism

6. Greek Rationalism –
Emphasis on Human Reason
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

7. Zoroastrianism
Good vs Evil / Heaven & Hell

8. Confucianism –
Influenced Government, Social
Structure, & Family

9. Siddhartha Gautama -
the founder
Emerges from
Hinduism
Changes as it spreads
from South Asia to
South East and East
Buddhism

11. Jesus of Nazareth- the
founder
Began as a Jewish sect &
spread through the
Roman World
Changes as it spreads from
the Middle East to Roman
World and Africa
Christianity

12. Christianity Jesus of Nazareth –
Founder

13. Hinduism, Judaism,
Zoroastrianism, Buddhism,
Greek Rationalism, Legalism,
Confucianism, Daoism &
Christianity
Belief Systems of the Classical
Period

14. Foundations
 Which religions was the oldest
institutional religion of the early
belief systems.
 Which religion began in the Middle
East around the 1200s
monotheistic religion

15. Foundations
 There is no recorded founder of
Hinduism – it is the oldest
institutional religion of the early
belief systems.
 Judaism began in the Middle East
around the 1200s bce when it had
its own political empire.
 First monotheistic religion

16. Foundations
 Which religion emerged in East
Asia in the 600s to 300s BCE from
the teachings of Laozi / Laotzu
 Which religion arose in Persia in
the 500s BCE from the teachings of
Zarathustra with a concept of good
and evil forces fighting for control
of the world?

17. Foundations
 Daoism emerged in East Asia in the
600s to 300s BCE from the
teachings of Laozi
 Zoroastrianism arose in Persia in
the 500s BCE from the teachings of
Zarathustra

18. Foundations
 _____ the founder of Buddhism,
was originally a ______ in the
upperclass.

19. Foundations
 Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha),
the founder of Buddhism, was
originally a Hindu in the
upperclass.
 Buddhism emerged in South Asia
out of Hinduism starting in the 500s
bce.

20. Foundations
 ______ the founder of Christianity,
was a lower-class ______ living in
Roman controlled Middle East at
the beginning of the common era.

21. Foundations
 Jesus of Nazareth, the founder of
Christianity, was a lower-class Jew
living in Roman controlled Middle
East at the beginning of the
common era.
 The Jesus movement became
Christianity with non-Jewish
converts.

23. Existence after Death
 Hinduism and Buddhism – Existence is
cyclical until one breaks from the cycle
and becomes eternally spirit.
 Reincarnation
 Zoroastrianism & Christianity – Existence
is linear; one lives and then becomes
eternally spirit.
 “Heaven / Hell”

24. Challenges to Society
 Both Buddhism & Christianity, more than
the other belief systems, challenged the
social class systems and women’s status.
 Buddism in South Asia, Han China
 Christianity in the Roman world.
 Especially in the early centuries, these
religions appealed to lower classes and
women. Why?

25. Spread
 Groups within Buddhism and Christianity
supported missionaries – men and women
who purposely took the message of a
religion into different regions.
 Both developed MONASTIC ORDERS –
Communities of Monks and Nuns
 Religions also spread through conquest,
along trade routes, and through
migrations.

26. Spread
 Religions also spread through conquest,
along trade routes, and through
migrations.

28. Spread
 Buddhism spread from South Asia into East
and SE Asia.
 Buddhism by the 500s ce was stronger in
areas where it spread than where it
originated.

30. Spread
 Judaism spread after the Romans exiled
Jews to new territories in Europe
 Christianity spread into the Roman
Empire, into North and East Africa, and
beyond.
 Christianity by the 1200s was stronger
in areas where it had spread than in
where it originated.

33. Spread & CHANGE
 As religions spread and new
interpretations arose – there were
changes, splits into different sects (or
groups), and new influences
 In classical period – Buddhism split into
Mahayana and Theravada

36. Texts
 The founders of Buddhism and
Christianity did not record their own
statements or life story.
 Which belief systems are connected to
these texts?
Vedas and Upanishads
Torah
Gospels & Epistles
Analects
Sutras / Dhammapada

37. Greek Rationalism…What’s up with that???
In Greece, some intellectuals like
SOCRATES, PLATO, and ARISTOTLE
abandoned mythology and created a
philosophy that emphasized. . .
 Natural laws govern the world & humans can
understand those laws through reason
 Using reason to describe human behavior
(first histories – Herodatus)
 questioning of earlier “wisdom” and
assumptions
---had a major influence on Western Civilization

38. Hinduism, Judaism,
Zoroastrianism, Buddhism,
Greek Rationalism, Legalism,
Confucianism, Daoism &
Christianity
Belief Systems of the Classical
Period