Hinduism

Backgrou
nd

The
Vedas

The
Upanisha
ds

The

Name: came from British writers who didnt think of an

appropriate term- comes from Indus River (NW India). In India
called sanatana dharma (eternal law/religion)
Origin: 1500BC- Aryan tribes settled in India, brining Vedism (very
similar to Hinduism), then Upanishads (1000-300BC), Simriti
writings (500BC-AD300) are the 3 interlocking traditions
Meaning: Vedas means wisdom used to refer to the earliest
writings of Hinduism
Four basic Vedas:
1. Wisdom of Verses (Rig-veda)- hymns
2. Wisdom of Sacrificial Formuals (Yarjur-veda)- praise of gods
3. Wisdom of Chants (Sama-veda)- how the verses are
chanted
4. Wisdom of the Atharvan Priests (Atharva-veda)- like first
three with more of a magical nature
Influence on Hinduism:
- Lots of gods-polytheism, main gods: Indra (warrior and
storm), Agni (fire), Soma (plant juice in priest drinks for
rituals)
- Rituals and sacrifice- Soma (priest pouring juice over and
alter + priest got high to communicate special powers), fire
ritual Agni (sacrifice to get blessings from gods), Indian
wedding ceremony, cremation
Meaning: Upanishad means sitting near an allusion to sitting in
a class learning from the greatest teachers of India. Contain
parables and anecdotes- meant to give insight into life, the
universe and everything
Five main ideas:
1. Brahman the One: mysterious background force life force
of the universe, priests are called brahman as they are
connected to it. From Brahman everything came; to
Brahman everything will return. It is the flame from which
everything originates- creation, humans, the gods, etc.
2. Atman the Soul: the external life-force which exists in
every living creature. A spark from the big Flame
(Brahman). Goal in life is to free the atman from the
impurities of worldly existence Brahman
3. Samsara entrapment: reincarnation entrapmentregurgitation into the harsh realities of physical existenceatman will never return to the Brahman because of
Samsara.
4. Karma Power behind entrapment: the reason why people
are reincarnated- means action and the consequences of
action. Goal is to not come back as something better, but
to not come back at all
5. Moksha the Release: a release from the cycle of reexistence- liberation. Merging your Soul with the Ultimate
Soul.
Meaning: Smriti means remembered writings- influence beliefs

Smriti

and practices of modern Hindus

The Bhagavad-gita, or Song of the Lord- story about battle
between two cousins. Hero: Prince Arjuna and advisor Krishna
(incarnation of Vishnu)- story influences modern Hinduism
through:
1. The four castes- hierarchical view of humanity (have been
challenged recently by Ghandi)
1) Priests (Brahmans)
2) Warrior-kings (Ksatriya)
3) Common people (Vaisyas)
4) Servants (Sudras)
2. Path of duties (karma-yoga)- dharma- path of duty often
governed from caste, actions must be performed with
detachment- without any desire for any outcome- every
action done with a result in mind will trap you in
reincarnation
3. Path of Knowledge (jnana-yoga)- avoid action altogethercontemplation + self-denial brahman.
4. Path of devotion (bhakti-yoga)- performing all your actions
with absolute devotion to a god he will deliver you from
the effects of karma. Done through love and affection for
favourite god or through rituals
Devotion to Vishnu (Vishnavism)- Vishnu thought to emboy the
preserving qualities of Brahman, seen as the friend and preserver
of humanity- devotion escaping birth and re-birth to release
Devotion to Siva (Sivaism)- seen as the master over nature and
human beings- not responsible for anyone or anything and is
capable of unpredictable acts of domination

Buddhism
A practical philosophy first taught by Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha the
enlightened one). It teaches that the suffering of the world, which is all
pervasive, is the direct result of human desire: desire for wealth, comfort, selfrecognition, etc. By removing such desires- through practicing the Buddhas
teachings- men and women are able to escape the pain of the world and be
enlightened
Backgrou
nd

The

Founder: Siddhartha Gautama an Indian prince of the warriorking caste of society about 500s BC 400s BC
Origin: The prince was overcome with grief when he saw
1. A frail old man
2. A desperately ill man
3. A corpse
4. A Hindu ascetic a guru who had chosen the Path of
Knowledge
Following this he was so overwhelmed with the peace of the
fourth man that he set out to find an answer for suffering. To do
this he wandered the Ganges River in North East India studying
the ancient Hindu traditions- but this was not sufficient
The Enlightenment: After rejecting the path of luxury and the path

Middle
Path

God, the
Soul and
the Self

of denial he found the path of no desire

The Middle Path: Avoiding self-indulgence AND self-denial (the
middle path) will cause calm, special knowledge, enlightenment =
Nirvana
The Caste System: was rejected- no distinction between members
of the human race
Rejected the Brahmans and atman as taught in Hinduism
There is no God and there is no you as this is just a combination
of physical and mental activities going on in the same space- you
are an illusion
Goal: to help people realise that they do not ultimately existrealisation of this IS enlightenment
The 5 aggregates of attachment- how people attach to the idea of
self
1. Matter (rupa)- yourself, physical factors
2. Sensation (vedana)- feelings from material items (e.g.
happiness as the effect of material causes)
3. Perception (samjna)-

The Four
Noble
Truths
The
Eightfold
Path
Types of
Buddhis
m

Judaism
Judaism: the devotion to the God of Israel
-

Israel founded in 1948 was the lad that was said to be ruled by Jewish
monarchs (e.g. King David) in 1000-100BC
It has both geographical and spiritual significance to the Jewish people

Four Stages of Judaism

1. Foundational Judaism (2000-500BC)
Around 1800BC Abram was approached by God to leave his country,
family, culture and pagan Gods in return for his descendants to be
turned into a great nation
Introduction of circumcision (brit milah) as a sign of belonging to the
chosen family- hence valuing of family in the Jewish religion
Exodus

The descendants of Abraham increased exponentially- the family

became a mini nation with a population of over a thousand, but
they were a slave-nation to the Egyptians, working on massive
building programmes of northern Egypt in the mid-1200s BC
Moses- a loyal Jew wanted to stop the abuse and slaughtering of
his people by the Egyptians- this was a significant event in the bible

(Passover) where a series of tragedies resulted in the release of the

Jewish people
Leaving across the Yam Suph (Red Sea), they were free to become
the great nation promised to Abraham before- this event is regarded
as a microcosm for their entire history and as a symbol for their
future

Tanak (The Jewish Bible)

Moses was told by God to go up Mount Sinai- here he received 3

books of Jewish scripture (Shemot = Exodus, Wayiqra = Leviticus,
Davarim = Deuteronomy) which made up the laws of Jews- Torah
Torah: is the instruction of God to the Israelites and they make up
the first 5 books of the Jewish Bible. If Jes obeyed the social and
ritual laws of the Torah, this would ensure prosperity of their land,
security of their nationhood and fulfilment of their role as a model
of wise and just society
The two other sections of the bible are Neviim (Prophets) and
Ketuvim (Writings) which with the Torah make up the Tanak

King David

David was the second king of Israel- his throne was established
forever
The Messiah is Hebrew for the anointed one, according to
prophecies in the Tanak, a future son of David would be the
Anointed One
AD100-200, Jewish teachers said the Messiah would come as
Israels obedience to the Torah- hence they have one fixed prayer
said daily for the longing of the Messiah

The First Temple (900s BC)

King Solomon built the great temple of God in the holy city of
Jerusalem
Within the temple they offered animal sacrifices to God on burning
altars in the heart of the temple
The offerings depended on the ritual used (e.g. expression of thanks
to God- people brought harvest)
Most significant sacrifice takes place on the Day of Atonement, or
Yom Kippur a day of celebrating the mercy of God toward the
whole of Israel

Destruction of the first temple (586BC)

Israel is invaded by the Babylonians who destroy the temple- the

second temple is built (512 BC)
2. Interim Judaism (500BC-100AD)
During this time Jewish factions competed for prominence
Destruction of the Second Temple

The second temple was constructed in 512 BC

After the Persians (6-4th centuries BC), the Hellenistic (Greek)

Empire, under Alexander the Great ruled Israel- under his rule
thousands of Jews suffered, some even slaughtered
This sparked a Jewish rebellion- which resulted in a victory for the
Jews under the leadership of Judas Maccabeus, who restored Jewish
worship and rededicated the temple to the one true God (164 BC)this event is celebrated as Hannukah (Dedication) festival, which
occurs around Christmas
Following this was a century long dynasty of Jewish priest-kings who
ruled Jerusalem, but the arrival of the Romans resulted in heavy
taxes and a strong military presence throughout the region
Jewish attempts at uprisings were quickly shut down, resulting in
the massacre of people of Jerusalem as well as the destruction of
the second temple on August 29, AD70
The remains of the second temple consist only of a 50m section of
the western wall (the Wailing Wall), where modern Jews cry out to
God for restoration of his temple
There was only hope in the prophets whose sacred writings
promised not only disaster for Israel but great glory in the future

Following this came the 5 different visions of what Israel should be and do, these
are the different Judaisms in the interim period
Sadducees: aristocrats and priests
Conservative Jews who rejected innovations in the faith, especially
ones that might diminish the role of priest and temple
They were seen as religious aristocracy in Jerusalem
As this group were cooperative when Romans came to power in
Israel (63 BC), they were able to influence the holy city, increasing
their temple-focused vision of Judaism
Essenes: apocalyptic holy men

Thought to be the scholars of the Dead Sea Scrolls

They avoided the impure cities of Israel and lived in self-sufficient
communities where they shared possessions, studied the Torah and
engaged in meticulous bathing and eating rituals

Zealots: fighters and patriots

Loyal to the traditions of Judaism and violently opposed to Roman

presence in the holy land
Opposed the Sadducees who cooperated with the Romans, and the
Essenes who removed themselves from public life, the Zealots
fought
They staged uprisings (climaxing AD60-70) where they assassinated
Jewish leaders who were thought to be collaborating with Romans

Followers of Yeshua: heretics of a false Messiah

Yeshua ben Yosef (Jesus son of Joseph) rejected the aims of the
Zealots, demanded than Jews love their enemies

Some called him the healer and the prophet, but some denounced
him as a magician and deceiver (especially the Sadducees)
Some believed he was the Messiah- this threatened to upset the
good relations between the Sadducees and Romans
He was removed and crucified outside of Jerusalem during Passover
in AD30, but his followers continued his teachings. This became the
basis for Christianity

The 5th type of Judism set the course for the next two millennia (Classical
Judaism)
3. Classical Judaism
The Pharisees

This group, consisting of scholars and ordinary believers stressed

the need for personal purity- members of this became known as
Pharisees
They developed intricate rules concerning the affairs of daily
existence which became known as the tradition of the elders as
they were passed from generation to generation
Pharisaic teachers (rabbis) stressed the importance of personal
devotion to the Torah- this was emphasised after the destruction of
the temple
The emergence of the synagogue (500-200BC) allowed for their
success- the synagogue was an official gathering of Jews (min. 10
males) who met to pray, hear the Torah, sing and to study

The Mishnah (The Dual- Torah)

After the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, many rabbis fled

and established separate communities devoted to studying the
Torah. There, rabbis were required to learn and memorise the Tanak
as well as the insights and rulings or rabbinic predecessors
They regarded that what God spoke to Moses at Sinai was only part
of the revelation, the rest was passed on orally from generation to
generation
Around AD200, the leader of the Jews of Palestine (Roman Israel)
Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi, decided to bring together all the traditions of
the elders into the Mishnah
The Mishnah records the sayings and legal opinions of about 150
rabbis from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. It has 63 chapters in 6
topical divisions [1. Agricultural rules, 2. Laws about appointed
times (religious festivals), 3. Commands relating to women
(marriage and divorce), 4. Rules about legal damages, 5.
Regulations about the Jerusalem temple, 6. Decrees on purity
(foodlaws, bathing rituals, etc.)]
The Mishnah is regarded as a holy book that is equal to the Tanak
as both record Gods instruction to his people

Midrash and the Talmud

Midrash: a body of works devoted to interpreting sections of the

Tanak
Talmund: a body of works which interprets the Mishnah (there are 2
Talmunds)

Festivals of Classical Judaism

1. New Year (Rosh Hashanah): signifies the important duties as people of
God. It begins with a 10 day period of soul-searching where Jews assess
their relationship with God and with one another. Synagogues sound
the rams horn (shofar) as a spiritual awakening
2. Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur): 10 days after the New Year, the day
commemorates Gods mercy. Sacrifices used to be made, but now it is
marked by prayer, confession of sin, abstaining from food, drink and
sex and a synagogue servies from morning until evening
3. Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot): 5 days after Yom Kippur, this
commemorates the period when Israel wandered in the wilderness of
Sinai, for 8 days Jews sit in frail huts to eat their meals
4. Passover (Pessah): on the 14th of Nisam (around March-April), Jews have
a weeklong celebration for Gods rescue of his people from Egypt.
Special foods are eaten with various traditional prayers and blessings
said during the meal
5. Feast of Weeks (Shavuot): 50 days after Passover, this celebrates the
giving of law at Sinai. It is also called the Pentecost, it is marked by
special synagogue services where portions of the Tank are read
Other Holy Days
1. Sabbath (Shabbat): marks the cycle of the week- it commences at
sunset on Friday evening and concludes at sunset on Saturday evening.
During this time no work is conducted and it is a time for Jews to attend
the synagogue, eat special meals, light candles and study the Torah
2. Bar/bat Mitzvah: Marks a teenagers transition into Jewish adulthood. It
was declared 13 was the age when boys could understand and obey
the dual-Torah. They are called to the front of the Synagogue, where
the Tanak is found and he reads aloud two set passages, one from the
Law and the other from the Prophets
3. Hannukkah: dedication of the temple
Prayers of Classical Judaism
1. The Shema: a three line statement Jews are obligated to say in the
morning and evening- The statement proclaims there is one God, who
has set his affection on one people (Israel)I emphasising the
importance of Gods instruction
2. The Eighteen Prayers (Shmoneh Esrei or Amidah): are meant to be said
every day (on the Sabbath only half are said), it is similar to the Lords
prayer
4. Modern Judaism (1800-present)
3 distinct Judaisms emerged

1. Reform Judaism: the way of integration- Change in the form of Jewish

ceremonies evolved into a desire to change the substance of Jewish
belief
There was a want for change to make Judaism more suitable for
the changing society
Greatest change was the rejection of the oral Torah- the Mishnah
and Talmund are seen as human wisdom which can be disregarded
They also do not look forward to or pray for the revived Jerusalem
temple
The intricate food laws and Sabbath rules are considered too
restrictive and as obsolete
2. Orthodox Judaism: the way of separation- believe in the Tanak, Mishnah
and the Talmund
Adhere to the strict rulings of the ancient rabbis keeping
conservative in the operation of synagogue services etc.
Deep integration into the politics of society is rejected- Jews are
seen as the chosen people and must keep themselves clean
There are two types of Orthodox Judaism, one completely rejects
integration with society, and one which allow some integration
3. Conservative Judaism: the way of compromise- a middle position
created around 1850
Maintain the food laws, Sabbath rules and all major festivals and
believe in the Messiah and the commitment to preserving the
Hebrew language
Also accept the Mishnah and Talmund- believe the Torah must be
analysed, but the teachings of ancient rabbis can be changed
It is conservative in practice, but flexible in thinking
Zionism: the way back to the holy land
-

The argument than Jews should be allowed to find their own state- become
a political and geographical which they can govern themselves
Following WWII, the UN resolved that the surviving Jews of would be
allowed to move to Palestine- May 1948, the modern State of Israel was
created- returning Jews to the holy land

Islam