Global Unit Three: Universal Religions
Goals:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Introduce the idea of “universal” religions
Discuss the historical spread of those religions and the role of missionaries.
Introduce the notion of syncretism- how religions change in different contexts.
Examine how religions change when they become “state-sponsored” religions.
Pre-reading: Chapter 5 of World History by C, Goucher and L. Walton: “The Spread of
Religions”
please read pages 120-129 on the spread of Buddhism. Over the next couple of weeks, we will
examine these “universal religions” and the role that they play in different societies.
Answer:
What are the characteristics of “universal religions”?
What are some of the core beliefs of Buddhism?
How did Buddhism spread to China? What challenges did Buddhism face in China?
How and why did Buddhism spread to Korea and Japan?
One characteristic of universal religions is syncretism-the ability to blend and absorb local
cultures and beliefs within a new belief system. Give two examples of syncretism in the
Srivijayan and Khmer empires.
Class #1
Aim: What is a universal religion?
Procedures:
• Transition from last unit: in early civilizations, between 3000-1000 BCE, gods were local,
related to fertility, related to ruler’s power, and had natural powers. Between 500 BCE and 650
BCE, monotheism (the spread of a single god or power) will spread. Why? World historians tend
to attribute it to: a. the growth of cities and civilizations. Religions with a clear moral vision and
a call for care for the poor were more useful in world where clans and tribes were disappearing
and urban chaos more apparent. b. World historians also point out that universal religions could
only come into being once trade networks and contacts allowed people to imagine that they knew
the extent of the known world.
• Discussion: give out handout 3.1. What does it tell us about how religions spread? What are
the different “uses” of religion?
Lecture: What is a universal religion? Some religions are called universal or missionary religions.
They spread and seek to convert new believers across different cultures. The characteristics of a
universal religion are:
1. They have a written canon to create common basis for thought and action.
2. They must have a vigorous community of believers willing to preach their religion to
potential converts.
3. They are helped by having political power.
4. They must resonate with the economic values of the society it hopes to convert.
Christianity early on denounced the charging of interest but changed its position in the
Byzantine Empire, a society with more trade. Both Buddhism and Islam were spread by
merchants and traders.
5. They must have an effective communication system- churches, mosques, or temples to
spread religion.
• Look at maps: religions in the world today, spread of Buddhism, Islam and Christianity.
• Film on three religions: Start at 1:28-9:30
http://www.learner.org/courses/worldhistory/unit_video_7-1.html?pop=yes&pid=2150# Before
watching have students make a chart:
When it is founded
Core beliefs
When and where it spreads
Examples of how it spreads
Examples of how it adapts to new cultures (syncretism)
Examples of how it works with states
• Give back test from unit 2.
HW: Read “The Travel Records of Chinese Pilgrims Faxian, Xuanzang, and Yijing” at
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/travel_records.pdf
Read pages: 24 and the section on Xuanzang (28-30). Write a short paragraph about what
Xuanzang’s journey tell us about the spread of Buddhism in China.
Watch the video on the Longmen caves: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1003/video and read the
brief description: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1003/
What do the Longmen caves tell you about the spread of Buddhism in China. Why would
Buddhist monks sculpy these caves?
Class #2
Aim: How did Buddhism spread?
Procedures:
• Discuss homework. Buddhism spread out of India in the 1st century ce (around the same time
that Christianity was born). There were two great schools Mahayana (Central Asia, China, Japan
and Korea) and Theravada (Sri Lanka, Tibet and Southeast Asia). Buddhism offered a challenge
for many new converts with ideas of karma and nirvana. It allowed rulers to unite people across
ethnic lines. The lower classes liked Buddhism because everyone could aspire to nirvana.
Buddhism became prominent in China (along with Taoism and Confucianism). By 477 CE, there
were over 6,000 temples and 77,000 monks. Buddhism was supported for many years by Chinese
leaders. Then, there was a change in 845 CE.
• Core concepts: Why do we suffer? desire
The Middle Way: the Middle Way is a life lived between the extremes of self-denial and selfindulgence.
Eight-fold path: To see the world in the light of the Buddhadharma is to have Right View, not
only recognizing the suffering that is caused by desire, but also the Path that leads to the ending
of all such suffering, based in the Right Intention to let go of lust, ill-will, and cruelty. In other
words, to lead a harmless life. Right Speech, Action, and Livelihood grow out of such an
intention, directing one’s lifestyle in a more selfless, rather than selfish, direction. Right Effort is
the avoidance of unwholesome states and the cultivation of wholesome ones. Right Mindfulness
and Concentration take this well-directed mind and hone it to the point where it is on the
precipice of the great void that is known as Nirvana.
• Read Ashoka primary document: Ashoka; Historical background: (304-232 BCE) Was part of
the Maurya Dynasty. He conquered much of what is present day India. In 260 BCE he
conquered Kalinga, a region on India’s eastern coast. He converted to Buddhism after witnessing
the massive deaths in Kalinga. Helped to spread Buddhism all over Asia by sending monks out.
Buddhism lost force in India after the last Buddhist ruler died (the Pala Dynasty) in the 12th
century. Hinduism and Islam became more influential (see primary document below).
• Read “Bone of Buddha” primary document.
• Conclusion: Buddhism is spread by missionaries and merchants. In Ashoka’s case the state
supports Buddhism; in Tang China the state becomes nervous about the wealth and power of
Buddhists and represses Buddhism.
• In groups, fill in chart based on homework from last two nights.
• Use the spread of Buddhism map to date the spread of Buddhism.
HW: Please read: http://www.beaconschool.org/~bfaithfu/thespreadofchristianity.pdf
1. How did Christianity spread?
2. What similarities and differences do you see with the spread of Buddhism?
Class #3
Aim: How did Christianity spread?
Procedures:
Historical background:
Though there is little historical certainty about much of Jesus life, most scholars agree that he was
a Jew from Galilee born between 7-2 bce and died 30-36 BCE. He spoke Aramaic, was a
preacher, and ran afoul of the Jewish and Roman authorities. The region, known as Roman Syria,
had been under Roman control since 64 BCE.
Core ideas
(Most of the words and ideas from Jesus were written 30-50 years after his death in the gospels).
Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples
came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Discuss homework.
http://www.learner.org/courses/worldhistory/unit_video_7-1.html?pop=yes&pid=2150#
start at 10:00-17:30
Why does Christianity spread? Fill in chart from movie and homework.
How is it like and unlike the spread of Buddhism?
HW: Please read each of the primary documents
in: http://www.beaconschool.org/~bfaithfu/Christianityandrome.pdf. Tomorrow you will write a
short essay in class. For tonight, in the margins next to each primary document, write down the
main idea and any questions you have about the document.
Class #4
Aim: How did Christianity go from a persecuted sect to a state religion?
Procedures:
• Introduction to Roman religion: For the Romans, religion was the core of all; gods were in
everything, and everything was in the hands of the gods
I. Roman State and Private Religion
A. Private Religion: The Household
• lares and penates (household spirits)
• genius of the ancestors (e. g., imagines maiorum) – Romans had images of their ancestors
to worship. the dead: Manes-spirits who represented the dead.
B. State cult
• Apollo on the Palatine (near House of Augustus), Jupiter on the Capitoline
• imperial cult: few emperors failed to attain divine status (usually after death)
• polytheistic, anthropomorphic
• state control: elected priesthoods (e. g., pontifex maximus) priests as politicians (some
exceptions: flamen Dialis)
C. Greek influence
syncretism (e. g., Jupiter/Jove = Zeus, Juno = Hera, etc.)
• Discuss each of the primary documents.
• Teach students thesis as a road map (should include the arguments for each of three body
paragraphs)
• Have students write a thesis. Have two students read them out loud.
• Have students find one piece of primary text to support each of their three arguments.
• Conclude: discussion: how does Christianity go from a persecuted text to a state religion?
HW: Read pages 139-145 in the "Spread of World Religions" handout.
1. What are some of the core beliefs of Islam?
2. How and why does Islam spread so quickly?
3. How do the Umayyad's maintain their political/religious caliphate?
4. How do the Abbasid's maintain their political/religious caliphate?
Class #
Aim: How and why did Islam spread in the 7th century?
Procedures: Define and explain the significance of:
Chronology on board
570-birth of Mohammed
622- Mecca to Medina; marks the origins of Islam and the Islamic calendar
632- Muslim control of Arabia around Mecca and Medina
632-661- Four caliphs; Muslims conquer Syria, parts of Persia and Egypt; Sunni-Shiite divide.
661-750- Umayyad Caliphate; spread to Spain, No. Africa to the Indus River Valley.
Core text:
Chapter (2) sūrat l-baqarah (2:177)
Sahih International: Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousne
the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the n
help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they
in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous.
The Five Pillars consist of:
•
Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith
•
Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day
•
Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy
•
Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan
•
Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca
• Review homework
Lecture:
I.
Syncretism and the origin of Islam
a. Arab tribes had emphasized generosity; had lost those values; Islam restores.
b. Allah was the chief god among Arab polytheists; became only god.
c. Mecca had been center of religious activity for Arabs; maintained by Islam
d. Traders flocked to Mecca; the pilgrimage.
II. Characteristics of Dar al Islam: Map growth of empire in 632 ce, 656 ce and 750 ce. Show map at: http://www.map
a. Between 632 ce and 750 ce, Islam spread because of weak neighbors, good army, religious fervor, and
(was a message of equality and tolerance). Extended from Morocco to China. United by Arabic langua
b. Political characteristics: Islam was born connected to the state. Abbasids allowed for local autonomy a
ulema, local Islamic leaders, created Sharia-law that would govern social, economic and family behavi
c. Cultural characteristics: include translation of Persian and Greek texts into Arabic (onto paper from Ch
philosophy; nonrepresentational art-especially in architecture; idea of contagion in medicine; algebra i
knowledge because of trade in Africa and the Indian Ocean. Cities: Baghdad (richest city in the world
(Great intellectual center with 400,000 manuscripts; Islam had learned of paper from China)
d. Economic characteristics: Expanded agriculture greatly with irrigation; grew wheat barley and rice; use
manufacturing centered around carpet production in Persia and iron work in Damascus; trade was exte
Africa, and Asia.; improvements in banks allowed checks to be cashed throughout empire. Built on tra
caravans might include 5,000 camels. Like Rome’s roads and sea. Because of Islam’s spread, the mark
connected with the markets of the Indian Ocean.
e. Social characteristics: was highly diverse ethnically, but at times there were conflicts between Arabs an
egalitarian push even between people of different classes; slaves-used mainly as domestics and manual
the egalitarian message; slaves could not be Muslim; what to do with converts?; Islam advanced wom
on infanticide, and allowing women to own property; but also social segregation and polygamy.
f. Historians speculate that during the reign of Harun al-Rashid (842 - 847) Baghdad was the largest city
population of between 700,000 and 1,000,000 inhabitants - a cosmopolitan mix of migrants that includ
among others.
Watch: PBS Islam: Empire of Faith (from Hejira to conquest of Mecca) (27:00-41:00)
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/islam-empire-faith/
HW: Read “How Islam Won, and Lost, the Lead in Science” http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/30/science/how-islam-w
science.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print
1. Why was it important for medieval Muslims to study astronomy?
2. How did the Muslims use the texts of Greek thinkers? Why would these be useful?
3. List ways that medieval Muslims used science to bolster their religious understanding.
4. Why did Muslims stop emphasizing scientific study? Explain.
Class #
Aim: Aim: What were the cultural achievements of the Abbasid Caliphate?
Procedures:
1. Review homework
Show clip of learning in Baghdad (12 minutes) from Islam by PBS.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/islam-empire-faith/
2. Group jigsaw activity on learning in the Islamic empire (economy, math, arts, medicine,
astronomy and science). Have student work in a group of four. Each group gets four
articles; each person reads one article and takes notes. They should share with members
from their group to answer the question: What were the most significant cultural
contributions of Islamic civilization in the Middle Ages?
3. Have each student write a one-page essay for Wikipedia that answers the question: What
were the most significant cultural contributions of Islamic civilization in the Middle
Ages?
HW: Write a paragraph. What were five significant intellectual achievements of the Abbasid
Caliphate. Make an argument for the achievement that you consider to be most important.
Class #
Aim: How did Islam spread?
Procedures:
Web Module
The Spread of Islam to West Africa
Today you are traveling to West Africa and travel back in time. You will be visiting three empires: Ghana (830-1235 C
Songhai (1340-1591). Answer the questions below in your notebook.
1. Step #1: Click on the link below and read “The Trans-Saharan Gold Trade.” Then, answer the questions.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gold/hd_gold.htm
a. Who was involved in trans-Saharan gold trade? What was traded?
b. Click on the map. Locate Timbuktu. Where was the gold? The salt? How did the traders connect to the Mediterran
c. How did Muslim merchants influence the development of trade in West Africa?
d. Why did the early rulers of Mali not spread Islam?
e. Click on the image. How is the king of Mali represented by this Spanish artist?
2. Step #2: Read the text below and answer the questions at the bottom: “The Spread of Islam in West Africa” b
University, January 2009
While the presence of Islam in West Africa dates back to eighth century, the spread of the faith in regions that are now
Gambia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali and Nigeria, was in actuality, a gradual and complex process. Much of wh
of West Africa comes from medieval accounts written by Arab and North African geographers and historians. Specialis
explain why Africans converted to Islam. Some emphasize economic motivations, others highlight the draw of Islam’s
stress the prestige and influence of Arabic literacy in facilitating state building. While the motivations of early conversi
that the early presence of Islam in West Africa was linked to trade and commerce with North Africa. The Sahel, the eco
Sahara desert and forest zone, which spans the African continent, was an intense point of contact between North Africa
Sahara. In West Africa, the three great medieval empires of Ghana, Mali, and the Songhay developed in Sahel.
Containment: Ghana
The early presence of Islam was limited to segregated Muslim communities linked to the trans-Saharan trade. In the 11
Al-Bakri, reported accounts of Arab and North African Berber settlements in the region. Several factors led to the grow
class in non-Muslim kingdoms. Islam facilitated long distance trade by offering useful sets of tools for merchants inclu
information networks. Muslim merchant-scholars also played an important role in non-Muslim kingdoms as advisors a
crucial skill of written script, which helped in the administration of kingdoms. Many Muslim were also religious specia
non-Muslims.
Mixing: The Empire of Mali
Over the next few decades, African rulers began to adopt Islam while ruling over populations with diverse faiths and cu
blended Islam with traditional and local practices in what experts call the mixing phase. Over time, the population bega
appropriating aspects of the faith.
The Mali Empire (1215-1450) rose out of the region’s feuding kingdoms. At its height, the empire of Mali composed m
of Mauritania and Guinea. It was a multi-ethnic state with various religious and cultural groups. Muslims played a prom
counselors and advisors. While the empire’s founder, Sunjiata Keita, was not himself a Muslim, by 1300 Mali kings be
them was Mansa Musa (1307-32). He made Islam the state religion and in 1324 went on pilgrimage from Mali to Mecc
showed up in European records because of his display of wealth and lavish spending. Apparently, his spending devalue
several years. The famed 14th century traveler Ibn Battuta visited Mali shortly after Mansa Musa’s death. By the fifteen
dissolved largely due to internal dissent and conflicts with the Saharan Tuareg.
Source:http://spice.stanford.edu/docs/the_spread_of_islam_in_west_africa_containment_mixing_and_reform_from_th
f. What role did Muslim merchants play in Ghana? What does it mean that Muslims in Ghana were “segregated”
g. We have looked at “syncretism” with different religions. What examples of “syncretism” do you see here?
h. How did Mansa Musa spread Islam?
3. Step #3: Read “The Islamic Legacy of Timbuktu” written by Tahir Shah, Saudi Aramco, 1995. Answer the qu
When the grand caravan of Mansa Musa arrived on that scorching day in 1325, the sultan ordered the Granadan archite
who had traveled with him from Makkah, to build a magnificent mosque—one far larger than any the region had know
city. Its name, Jingerebir, is a corruption of the Arabic jami' al-kabir, or "the great mosque." Five hundred years later, i
Barth wrote that the mosque "by its stately appearance made a deep impression on my mind. [It]...includes nine naves,
structure."
Giant and rambling, and one of the first mosques in Africa to be built with fired-brick walls, Jingerebir at once became
it dominates Timbuktu to this day. In times of crisis, in years when rains failed and the Niger River had risen insufficie
giving flood, the people of Timbuktu gathered at Jingerebir. Within the cool shade of its walls, the imam—who often d
lead his congregants in prayer.
According to the tarikhs, Timbuktu's religious leaders, judges and officials all tended to be graduates of the city's illust
study of Islamic principles was regarded as of supreme importance, al-Wazan found "a great store of doctors, judges, p
scholastic elite was underwritten largely by the city's business class, who themselves formed a considerable part of the
Sankore, it was also these scholars who provided energy and direction to civil administration, commercial regulation, l
architectural projects—in addition to maintaining a number of superb libraries. The ranks of the city's elite were limited
provided two-thirds of Timbuktu's qadis, or judges, during the last 500 years.
By the mid-16th century—the so-called golden age of Timbuktu—the city boasted well over 150 schools, and the curri
sciences formed the core of the academic syllabus, including Qur'anic interpretation (tafsir), the traditions of the
Prophet (hadith); jurisprudence (fiqh), sources of the law (usul), and doctrinal theology (tawhid). Apart from the religio
required to study grammar (nahw), literary style and rhetoric (balaghah), and logic(mantiq). Scholars focused on the w
within the context of Islamic society.
As the number of students increased, so did the fields of study available. Subjects such as history, mathematics, astrono
the wealth of courses available.
Although Timbuktu prided itself on the rigor of its teaching for even the youngest of pupils, visiting traders or travelers
they stayed in the city. Thus many itinerant non-Muslim merchants were led to conversion in Timbuktu through encoun
older visitors could be assured that the city's scholastic community would educate them. Indeed, the people of Timbukt
philanthropic that they would afford any visitor an education regardless of his means—maintaining that anyone who ha
desert metropolis had earned himself a scholarship.
Likewise, those born in Timbuktu to humble families were also guaranteed their education. So great was the fervor for
tailors of Timbuktu, among other craft guilds, founded their own centers of learning where instructors oversaw both the
environment, students worked as apprentice tailors while they were also instructed in the foundations of Islamic schola
Timbuktu is said to have had more than 26 establishments for tailor-scholars alone, many employing more than 100. Th
the city's role as a significant manufacturer of cloth.
At the height of the city's golden age, Timbuktu boasted not only the impressive libraries of Sankore and the other mos
ones. One of the greatest, containing more than 700 volumes, was left by the master scholar Hajji Ahmad bin 'Umar. H
many of the rarest books ever written in Arabic, and he copied and annotated a considerable number of the volumes him
i.
Mansa Musa and the Mali kings who followed him built Timbuktu into a major Islamic center. What were its
j.
Look at the map carefully. Why would Timbuktu’s geographic location be ideal for trade between the Mediter
4. Step 4: Look at the photograph gallery at UNESCO World Heritage Site: Timbuktu
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/119/gallery/
k. What are the characteristics of the mosques in Timbuktu?
5. Step 5: Over the summer of 2013, there was intense fighting in Timbuktu between local Islamic people (who w
government of Mali and later France) and Islamist fighters allied with al qaeda. Read the first 11 paragraphs o
literary gems face Islamists and decay in fight for survival” (Guardian, May 2013).
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/20/mali-literary-treasures-battle-survival
l.
Why might Islamist fighters attack a Muslim scholarly archive in Timbuktu?
• Conclusion: discuss student answers. Collect work.
HW: For this homework assignment, I would like you to review your class notes for the last six classes, your homewor
make sure to be as specific as possible and use specific evidence. The writing for this assignment will not take long; th
while.
1. Core beliefs: state two fundamental similarities (use text to support you) and two differences (use text).
2. When and where does each religion spread: state two fundamental similarities and two differences.
3. Support by states: state two fundamental similarities and two differences.
Class #
Aim: Prepare for the test
Procedures:
• Review HW
• Mock quiz (see below)
• Review for test
HW: Study for quiz. Quiz prep sheet:
Vocabulary:
Eight-fold Path
Theravada/Mahanya
Xuanzang
Ashoka
Paul
Constantine
Catholic/Orthodox/Protestant
Charlemagne
Prince Vladimir
Five pillars
Abu Bakr
Sunni/Shiite
Umayyads
Abbasids
Mansa Musa
Timbuktu
Short answers
Name the first empire to adopt Buddhism.
Name the first empire to adopt Christianity.
Name the first empire to adopted Islam.
Name one place that Buddhism spread to in the first 300 years after Buddha.
Name two places that Christianity spread to in the first 200 years after Jesus
Name two places that Islam spread in the first 100 years after Muhammad.
Name two places that Buddhism spread to between 300-800 CE
Name two places that Christianity spread to between 400-1000 CE
Name two places that Islam spreads to between 800-1400 CE.
Name three characteristics of universal religions.
Name two values that are similar in the Eight-fold Path, the Sermon on the Mount, and the Five
Pillars
What did Emperor Wuzong’s Edict do?
What did the Edict of Milan do?
What were five important intellectual achievements of the Abbasid period?
Short essay
Compare/contrast (c/c): the core beliefs of the three religions
c/c: how and why they spread
c/c: how and where they were adopted by states
c/c: how they used syncretism
Handout 3.1
Why and how do religions spread?
As different as Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam were, there were certain common elements that
helped to explain why they all spread so widely and so successfully. Compare the experiences of
the missionaries below:
·
Frumentius—who later became Bishop of Axum—assisted Christian merchants, arranged
for them to build churches, and translated the scriptures from Greek into the local language. By
the sixth century, European demand for relics was insatiable. For the pious, relics were
manifestations of holy presence, credited with miraculous cures; they were often magnificently
enshrined. Ultimately, the widespread distribution of relics helped to spread Christianity beyond
the Roman Empire. Merchants carried the religion from port to port down the African coast of the
Red Sea to Axum, in what is now northern Ethiopia. Frumentius, a Christian from
Constantinople, is credited with converting Ezana, the king of Axum, in the early fourth century.
·
Charlemagne: At the end of the eighth century, Charlemagne expanded the political and
religious frontiers of his realm through conquest. For example, having vanquished the Saxons, he
offered them the choice between death and conversion to Christianity. Most chose the latter. Pope
Leo III rewarded Charlemagne for his efforts. On Christmas Day, 800 CE, Charlemagne was
crowned Emperor, legitimizing his rule over the former Roman Empire in Western Europe.
·
Prince Vladimir was impressed by Byzantium’s wealth and power. Recognizing the
political advantages of an alliance, he converted to the Christian Orthodox Church and married a
sister of the Byzantine Emperor Basil II. Then, on a single day in 988 CE, he marched the entire
population of Kiev into the Dnieper River to be baptized.
·
Xuanzang: As a young monk, Xuanzang quickly exhausted the Buddhist texts that were
available to him. In 627, he set out for India in order to master the faith. Imagine his journey: For
two years he traveled by foot, horse, and elephant along the Silk Roads to reach India. His
journey began in the Chinese capital of Changan and continued to Turfan, Samarkand,
Kanchipuram, and Nalanda, where, according to his writings, he encountered hundreds of
monasteries and thousands of brethren. It was nearly 20 years before Xuanzang returned from
India to China, where, in 645, he arrived with a great collection of texts and artifacts. The
emperor of the Tang Dynasty gave him a hero’s welcome. His pilgrimage had such an impact on
Chinese culture that his travels inspired one of the great classics of Chinese fiction: Journey to the
West, written in the sixteenth century.
·
Sufis: Some of the most effective Islamic missionaries were the mystics known as Sufis.
Sufism developed out of an ascetic movement that appeared in the seventh century, and it became
a major force in the spread of the faith. By the tenth century, Sufism was the most popular form
of Islam. One of the special aspects of Sufism that made it accessible to new people was its use of
local languages; legalistic Islam was bound to Arabic. A second aspect was Sufism’s ability to
accommodate local traditions of piety with its own forms of ritual. A third component of
Sufism’s popularity is the fact that Sufis worked at street level; they met and operated as ordinary
people, not as agents of government or officials of a church.
Why is the distribution of examples weighted in favor of Christianity? To what extent do you find
the sources about missionaries reliable? What other examples of missionaries do you think could
be included here?
Source: From The Spread of Universal Religions: Buddhsim, Christianity and Islam (AP Unit)
Handout 3.2
Ashoka: Rock and Pillar Edicts
Asoka (304-232 BC) was third king of the Mauryan dynasty and is regarded by many as the most
exemplary ruler of the ancient world.
Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, has caused this Dhamma edict to be written.[1] Here (in my
domain) no living beings are to be slaughtered or offered in sacrifice. Nor should festivals be
held, for Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, sees much to object to in such festivals, although
there are some festivals that Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, does approve of.
Formerly, in the kitchen of Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, hundreds of thousands of
animals were killed every day to make curry. But now with the writing of this Dhamma edict only
three creatures, two peacocks and a deer are killed, and the deer not always. And in time, not even
these three creatures will be killed. [2]
Beloved-of-the-Gods speaks thus:[31] This royal order is to be addressed to the Mahamatras at
Samapa. I wish to see that everything I consider to be proper is carried out in the right way. And I
consider instructing you to be the best way of accomplishing this. All men are my children. What
I desire for my own children, and I desire their welfare and happiness both in this world and the
next, that I desire for all men.[32]
The people of the unconquered territories beyond the borders might think: "What is the king's
intentions towards us?" My only intention is that they live without fear of me, that they may trust
me and that I may give them happiness, not sorrow. Furthermore, they should understand that the
king will forgive those who can be forgiven, and that he wishes to encourage them to practice
Dhamma so that they may attain happiness in this world and the next. I am telling you this so that
I may discharge the debts I owe, and that in instructing you, that you may know that my vow and
my promise will not be broken. Therefore acting in this way, you should perform your duties and
assure them (the people beyond the borders) that: "The king is like a father. He feels towards us
as he feels towards himself. We are to him like his own children."
Handout 3.3
“EMPEROR WUZONG’S EDICT ON THE SUPPRESSION OF BUDDHISM”
Buddhism was a fundamental part of the culture, religiosity, and even the skyline of Tang China.
As such, it is not surprising that Tang emperors should have had ambivalent feelings about
Buddhism, both as a religion and, even more so, as an assemblage of institutions and people —
temples, monasteries, monks and nuns — which held substantial wealth in land and other
resources but which did not pay taxes. The following edict from Emperor Wuzong (r. 841-846) is
indicative of the seriousness with which Tang emperors regarded Buddhism. The fact that
Emperor Wuzong was a fervent Daoist and anxious to seek a Daoist elixir of immortality and
thus heavily under the influence of Daoist priests adds another twist to the plot.
[Buddhism] has spread to the hills and plains of all the nine provinces and through the walls and
towers of our two capitals. Each day finds its monks and followers growing more numerous and
its temples more lofty. It wears out the strength of the people with constructions of earth and
wood, pilfers their wealth for ornaments of gold and precious objects, causes men to abandon
their lords and parents for the company of teachers, and severs man and wife with its monastic
decrees. In destroying law and injuring mankind, indeed, nothing surpasses this doctrine!
Now if even one man fails to work the fields, someone must go hungry; if one woman does not
tend her silkworms, someone will be cold. At present there are an inestimable number of monks
and nuns in the empire, each of them waiting for the farmers to feed him and the silkworms to
clothe him while the public temples and private chapels have reached boundless numbers, all with
soaring towers and elegant ornamentation sufficient to outshine
the imperial palace itself.
The temples of the empire that have been demolished number more than 4,600; 26,500 monks
and nuns have been returned to lay life and enrolled as subject to the Twice‐a‐Year Tax; more
than 40,000 privately established temples have been destroyed, releasing 30 or 40 million qing of
fertile, top‐grade land and 150,000 male and female servants who will become subject to the
Twice‐a‐Year Tax. Monks and nuns have been placed under the jurisdiction of the Director of
Aliens to make it perfectly clear that this is a foreign religion. Finally, We have ordered more
than 2,000 men of the Nestorian and Mazdean religions to return to lay life and to cease polluting
the customs of China.
Alas, what had not been carried out in the past seemed to have been waiting for this opportunity.
If Buddhism is completely abolished now, who will say that the action is not timely? Already
more than 100,000 idle and unproductive Buddhist followers have been expelled, and countless
of their gaudy, useless buildings destroyed.
3.4
Quiz
Name _________________________________________
Name the first state to adopt Buddhism ______________________
Name the first state to adopt Christianity ____________________
Name the first state to adopted Islam _______________________
Name one place that Buddhism spread to in the first 300 years after Buddha _________
Name two places that Christianity spread to in the first 200 years after Jesus ______
and _______________________.
Name two places that Islam spread in the first 100 years after Muhammad. __________
and _________________________.
Name two places that Buddhism spread to between 300-800 CE ___________
and _______________________ .
Name two places that Christianity spread to between 400-1000 CE ____________
and _______________________.
Name two places that Islam spreads to between 800-1400 CE _______________
and __________________________ .
Name three characteristics of universal religions: __________________ and
_____________________ and ____________________________.
Name two values that are similar in the Eight-fold Path, the Sermon on the Mount, and the Five
Pillars. ________________________ and __________________________.
What did the Edict of Milan do? _______________________________________
What did Emperor Wuzong’s Edict do? ____________________________________________
3.5
Found
er &
core
beliefs
Where
and
when
it
spread
BUDDHISM
Siddhartha Guatama
(563-483 CE?) in
northeastern India.
Emerges in the
context of Hinduism.
Key concepts:
nirvana, karma, the
middle way,
compassion, four
noble truths, eight fold
path.
There were two great
schools Mahayana
(Central Asia, China,
Japan and Korea) and
Theravada (Sri Lanka,
CHRISTIANITY
Jesus of Nazareth
born between 7-2
bce and died 3036 bce in Roman
Syria. Context:
Judaism and
Roman
polytheism.
Key concepts:
love, care for
poor, kingdom of
God, golden rule,
non-violence.
ISLAM
Muhammad-570632 in Mecca.
Context: Arab
tribes were
polytheists. Both
Judaism and
Christianity were
present in area.
Key concepts: one
god, care for poor,
five pillars
Spreads among
Jews and gentiles
in the Roman
empire in the 300
years after Jesus’
Islam spreads
rapidly from 630660 CE from
Arabia into the
Middle East,
Compare/Contrast
Set broad moral
messages for
society.
All three led to the
creation of new
texts: the sutras in
Buddhism, the
New Testament in
Christianity, and
the Koran in Islam.
Poor embrace all
three.
Islam spreads the
fastest.
Christianity and
Islam were
Tibet and Southeast
Asia).
Buddhism spreads
throught India and Sri
Lanka between the 5th
and 2nd centuries.
Buddhism spreads
into China, southeast
Asia, Korea and Japan
between 2nd century
BCE and 3rd century
CE. Spreads to
Southeast Asia
between 1000-1400
CE.
How
it
spread
s
Exam
ples of
adapta
tation
(syncr
etism)
Politic
Missionaries:
examples Faxian in
the 400’s, Xuanzang
and Yijing in the
600’s. Buddhist
monks spread widely.
Written texts:
Buddhist texts were
translated into
Chinese, using Taoist
and Confucian
concepts.
Relics: Faxian
describes many relics
in India.
Trade: Trade along
the Silk Road spread
Buddhism. Many
merchants were
Buddhists.
Buddhist texts were
translated into
Chinese, using Taoist
and Confucian
concepts.
death.
Great Schism
1054- The Roman
Catholic Church
based in Rome
and the Orthodox
Church based in
Constantinople
divide.
Germanic tribes in
northern Europe
converted to
Christianity
around 500 CE
and Russia in 900
CE.
Missionaries: Paul
is example,
spreading
Christianity in
Roman Empire
Written texts: The
gospels are
organized by the
end of the 1st
century CE.
Relics:
Trade: Example
Axum.
Persia, North
Africa and Spain.
persecuted early
on.
Spreads into West
Africa, East Africa
and Asia after
1,000 CE.
Buddhism and
Christianity were
adopted by large
empires (Mauryan
and Roman
Empires); Islam
creates an empire.
Sunni and Shiites
divide. Persia
adopts Shiite
tradition.
Missionaries
Written texts:
Koran. Arabic is
spread as Islam
spreads.
Missionaries play a
larger role in
Buddhism and
Christianity.
Trade plays a large
role in spreading
Buddhism (the Silk
Road), Christianity
(Roman roads),
Islam (in West
Africa and Asia).
Texts are translated
in Buddhism and
Christianity, not
Islam.
All three religions
survive splits.
West Africans
adopt Islam but
continue traditional
practices
Buddhists accepted
popular worship of
local gods in China
and southeast Asia.
Christianity adapts
to Roman
customs.
Christmas
celebrated in
December, taking
over Winter
Solstice. Roman
gods become
saints.
Ashoka; Historical
Christianity
Islam is both a
Islam is born as
al
patron
age by
kings
or
emper
ors
background: (304-232
BCE) Was part of the
Mauryan Dynasty. He
conquered much of
what is present day
India. He converted to
Buddhism after
witnessing the
massive deaths in
Kalinga. Helped to
spread Buddhism all
over Asia by sending
monks out. Buddhism
lost force in India
after the last Buddhist
ruler died (the Pala
Dynasty) in the 12th
century. Hinduism
and Islam became
more influential (see
primary document
below). Example:
Edicts of Ashoka.
Buddhism became
prominent in China
(along with Taoism
and Confucianism).
By 477 CE, there
were over 6,000
temples and 77,000
monks. Buddhism
was supported for
many years by
Chinese leaders.
Then, there was a
change in 845 CE.
Example: Wuzong’s
suppression of
Buddhism.
becomes the state
religion with
Constantine (Edict
of Milan 313 CE)
and Theodosian
Code (380 CE).
Romans support
building of
churches.
Spreads to
Germanic people.
Frankish king
Clovis adopts
Christianity in 496
CE.
Prince Vladimir
spreads
Christianity to
Russia in 987 CE.
Byzantine Empire
becomes a center
of Christianity
after the fall of
Rome.
political and
religious
movement from the
start. Examples:
The Umayyad and
Abbasids
Caliphates.
Mali Empire in
West Africa.
both a political and
religious
movement.
Islamic leaders
conquer broad
areas in the 600’s
and the people
within them
convert slowly over
hundreds of years;
Buddhism and
Christianity spread
among people and
eventually gain
state support
Christianity and
Buddhism become
state religions after
many years:
Ashoka and
Theodosian.
Caliphs were
political and
religious
authorities. In
Rome, the pope is
separate from
political rulers; in
Byzantine Empire,
the emperor was
both a political and
religious power.
Ashoka sets model
for Buddhist
kingship.
Religions play role
in legitimizing
states.