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Religion in mesopotamia, egypt, rome and greece
Religions of early civilizations
Religion in mesopotamia, egypt, rome and greece
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Religion in early civilization is a key component to modifying their cultural norms such as the pharaoh Amenhotep of Egypt, attempting too covert to monotheism, and the Egyptians trying to spread polytheism to expand their civilizations and grow their armies. Israelites and Egyptians evolved using the knowledge of both monotheism and polytheism to establish a ground to build their beliefs on.
The Israelites that follow Moses became monotheistic and follow the ten commandments. These commandments establish religious laws that are derived from the code of Hammurabi. Such laws include, “not worshiping another god before him” In Psalms 104, “But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. Praise the LORD, my soul. Praise the LORD”
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(Psalms 104), indicates the importance of monotheism and how much the Israelites value their lord and all he can give. The significance of the Israelites establishing their beliefs in writing of the Torah and in their stories such as Psalm, is that, the Old Testament and New Testament are derived from the ancient documents. “He shapes it in human form, human form in all its glory that it may dwell in a shrine” (Second Isaiah: The Prophecies) demonstrates characteristics similar to the story of Jesus and his crucifixion. Egyptians are known for their beliefs in many gods, that have a designated purpose whether it be for it to rain, to not let the Nile flood, or for fertility.
Knowing this, we know that the Egyptians were polytheistic. For the Egyptians, eternal life is their salvation, and they’ll do anything to reach that. “There is no sin in my body. I have not spoken that which is not true knowingly, nor have I done anything with a false heart.” (Book of the Dead) The Book of the Dead established what must be done to reach “life after death”. The pharaoh Amenhotep contradicted their beliefs in polytheism when he tried to convert the people to a monotheistic based belief. He was the god of the Sun Disc and then changed his name over to Akhenaton to be able to serve the god Aton. He closed temples to other gods so the people would have to worship his god Aton. By doing this, it made priests lose their jobs, as well as the peoples trust in him for taking away their ability to practice their polytheistic beliefs which was all they knew. “Who givest breath to sustain all that he has made!” (Akhenaton’s Hymn to the Aton) Aton was seen as the one true god to Akhenaton, but not to the people. His beliefs caused a lack of faith in Pharaohs after that. A Pharaoh is supposed to practice his beliefs to all gods and carry on those beliefs to their heirs, instead of believing in just
one. Both polytheistic and monotheistic religion, have a significant importance that allows for cultures to evolve and teach beginning steps to having freedom of religion. The Egyptians and Israelites both spread and established new cultural norms, by promoting polytheism and monotheism in which influenced the people.
Between 600 BCE and 600 CE, religion played an important role in the social order of the Middle East. The introduction of monotheistic religions challenged earlier polytheistic religions and caused people to have faith in in one almighty god. Social order was affected by these new understandings because people began to believe that those who sided with God would be granted everlasting life while those who were on the side of evil were sentenced to eternal punishment.
During the New Kingdom of Egypt (from 1552 through 1069 B.C.), there came a sweeping change in the religious structure of the ancient Egyptian civilization. "The Hymn to the Aten" was created by Amenhotep IV, who ruled from 1369 to 1353 B.C., and began a move toward a monotheist culture instead of the polytheist religion which Egypt had experienced for the many hundreds of years prior to the introduction of this new idea. There was much that was different from the old views in "The Hymn to the Aten", and it offered a new outlook on the Egyptian ways of life by providing a complete break with the traditions which Egypt held to with great respect. Yet at the same time, there were many commonalties between these new ideas and the old views of the Egyptian world. Although through the duration of his reign, Amenhotep IV introduced a great many changes to the Egyptian religion along with "The Hymn", none of these reforms outlived their creator, mostly due to the massive forces placed on his successor, Tutankhamen, to renounce these new reforms. However, the significance of Amenhotep IV, or Akhenaten as he later changed his name to, is found in "The Hymn". "The Hymn" itself can be looked at as a contradiction of ideas; it must be looked at in relation to both the Old Kingdom's belief of steadfast and static values, as well as in regards to the changes of the Middle Kingdom, which saw unprecedented expansionistic and individualistic oriented reforms. In this paper I plan to discuss the evolvement of Egyptian Religious Beliefs throughout the Old,
In New Kingdom Egypt, in the 14th Century BCE, one man would attempt to force a change, a revolution, on a people that had remained unchanged and unchanging for 2000 years. This man, the Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, promoted monotheism primarily because of religious intentions and not for political or personal gain. He selected one God, Aten, and it was this deity that was the center of attention during Amenhotep’s reign. Amenhotep IV, who would later take the name Akhenaten, would lead a controversial reign which would result in failure. He would eventually be deemed the “heretic king” (Assmann 149), but what was it that earned him this title? Was Amenhotep IV truly a “heretic king?”
Mesopotamian and Egyptian religions shared two key similarities: polytheism and priestly authority. The religions in Mesopotamia and Egypt were both polytheistic. Their religions were polytheistic because Mesopotamians and Egyptians could not explain many things in that occurred in their lives. Therefore, they assumed that there are different gods for everything. This means that the religion had many gods for different things. In Egypt and Mesopotamia, priests were part of the upper class and were very important in the daily lives of civilians. Priests were part of the upper class because they were thought to have the ability to communicate with the gods. In Mesopotamia, the priests held the highest authority in the religious structure. Egyptian priests were not as powerful in government as Mesopotamian priests were, but they still had significant power. Egypt’s highest religious and military leader was encapsulated in the position of pharaoh. The pharaoh was at the top of all social classes and was considered to be a god-like figure.
During the Reign of pharaoh Akhenaton (Amunhotep IV) which was a short 16 years from 1360 to 1344 B.C.E. He managed to change religion from what it had been to would it became. It went from many gods to a single god and he tried to rub out the existence of other gods. He never listened to anything the people he ruled said and many other things I will discuss in the paper.
A cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith (Merriam-Webster), religion, a journey that can lead to prajna or destruction, an idea that has divided families and friends, a weapon used for centuries to judge, oppress and kill nonbelievers. As civilization evolved so did the need to find meaning and as each new belief system evolved, the harsher the punishment for non-believers became. Sometime, in the fourth century anno Domini, Christians introduced the term ‘pagan’ to the world. Its then negative meaning morphed into an insult, was used by Christians, labeling a group or people to be ‘someone without religion’. (Paganism) In a world, where more equates to better, some sects of monotheism stand firm in the belief that anything other is heresy. With the many similarities between monotheism and polytheism why then
Different types of religion have existed almost as long as mankind has. Many people believe in the institute of religion, but what constitutes religion is still highly debated today. This is largely due to the fact that religion continues to evolve based on cultural norms of the world. Each religion has a set of beliefs that go along with it, and often these beliefs differ from those of another religion. These differences often lead to heated debate and contention as to which religion will best allow people to lead virtuous lives. This confusion leads people to have distorted views about their faith and what it actually means to them. This debate even occurs within different subdivisions of a single religion. Harriet Beecher Stowe 's novel,
The Egyptians believed very much in life after death. As Taylor states in Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, “It is often observed that they appear to have devoted greater efforts and resources to preparing for the afterlife than to creating a convenient environment for living” (Taylor, 2001:12). The Egyptians viewed life on earth as one stage and death as the beginning of another. They believed that, “human existence did not end with death and that survival of the body played a part in the new life” (Taylor, 2001:12). One of the key elements in the Egyptian culture and religion was the preservation of the body. The body was the most important aspect because it was like a portal through which an individual could continue to live after death (Taylor, 2001:46). The Egyptians began building tombs for these bodies to keep them from decaying.
In conclusion, Ancient Egypt has a very complex religion and beliefs that would be considered bizarre in many parts of the world. They believed in many gods, some took part in the creation of the universe. Others brought the flood every year, offered protection and took care of people after they died. The ancient Egyptians thought that it was important to recognize and worship the gods because they represented the peace and harmony across the land.
Religion was a major part of Ancient Egyptians’ lives. Their faith was so engrained in them that it was more of a lifestyle than a set of beliefs. The Egyptians practiced polytheism, or the worship of many gods, and they believed that their pharaoh was a god on Earth (Doc 3). The people worshipped the pharaoh and gave him all respect and power. They believed that their two main goals in life were to keep the pharaoh and the other gods happy and to live a good life so that they may enjoy a happy life after death. Their shared faith strengthened their society because everyone was working toward the same goal. Groups were not divided based on what god they worshipped. Instead, the fact that every person lived to please the same gods and wished to go to the same afterlife gave them something in common and brought them together as a community. Sumerians also practiced polytheism and believed that their priests were connected to the gods. The people thought it was their responsibility to keep the gods happy, and believed that if the gods were pleased, they would allow their people to be content as well (Doc 6). Because of their desire to please the gods, Sumerians performed every task to the best of their ability. For example, they invested lots of time and money into their ziggurats, or temples, because they only wanted to give their best to the gods. The Sumerians’ devotion to every task ensured that everything was done well and helped their civilization
In ancient times, when humans were in the infant stage of development of human history, humans’ understandings of nature were just based on their imagination. While facing the powerful forces of nature, people are aware that their own strength is pretty small, and their fate is controlled by an invisible power-- they called this unknown force “god”. With the passage of time, people seem to foresee the possibility of overcoming nature, and they begin to look forward to their own peers, a powerful figure, to complete the great cause of beating nature, which inspired the idea of religion. From The Epic of Gilgamesh and The code of Hammurabi, we could have an overview on how religion emerged, changed and worked in Mesopotamia.
It is a common mistake to believe that the ancient Egyptians were fixated with death. The Egyptians saw life in everything, and believed in a second life. The Egyptians spent most of their lives preparing for death so it is easy to see where this misconception has come from. The Egyptians believed in a better life, and using their time to prepare for this was how they believed they could reach it. Brewer & Teeter (2007) note “The Egyptians' solution to the frightening prospect of death was to transform the end of life into something understandable – death became a simple transition from the life they knew to eternal existence in a real...
In the Egyptian Empire, salvation doesn't mean “deliverance from sin”, it means “a source or means of being saved from harm, ruin or loss”. The Egyptian people believed that the leaders of their nation were not only considered leaders, but they were also considered to be gods. For example, the Pharaohs were the leaders of the Egyptian Empire and also considered to be a god. The Egyptians praised them and revolved their lives around making the Pharaohs happy. This happiness from the Pharaohs would result in harmony and balance in the empire. Balance and harmony would include good harvest seasons and protection from invaders trying to posses the land. In other words, if the Egyptians praised the gods correctly, the Pharaohs would save the people of Egypt from being harmed by a flood or drought, ruined by foreign invaders or the loss of the theocracy. Salvation would only occur when Pharaohs were kept
After a superficial glance into the realm of Hinduism, one may make the emphatic and definitive claim that the religion is certainly monotheistic. Surely, the coexistence of 330 million gods and goddesses must be an obvious indication that the faith is the antithesis of monotheism. However, after gaining a deeper understanding of the Hindu tradition, it becomes apparent that the Western constructs and perception of the terms polytheism and monotheism may not be entirely applicable or suitable to approach a religion like Hinduism. Outside of Hinduism, it would be fairly logical to assert the mutual exclusivity of polytheism and monotheism. In Hinduism, on the other hand, the ideas of worshipping multiple gods and worshipping one god manage to
Religion helps establish mankind’s place in the order of the universe. As civilization began to be established through the domestication of animals, the irrigation and cultivation of agricultural crops, and life became more complex (moving from mainly a hunter/gather existence to one that could settle down and have more time to consider advanced ideas) people began to consider questions such as, where life comes from, is there a creator or creators who helped make the world, and what happens after we die. Religion helped answer some of these questions. It gave people purpose, meaning, and perspective. Religion helped establish nations in the case of religious theocratic governments. In many of the ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians, the Mayans, and even Mesopotamia, the priests and other religious leaders played prominent roles in help shaping the laws and government of these civilizations. As his...