Spread of World Religions

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Spread of World Religions

• From the Axial Age to the end of the First
  Millennium

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Forced Conversion

• Islamic World
• jihadstriving
• internal struggle versus evil
• external war against enemies of faith
• initially against Muhammads enemies
• after death against apostates
• then Byzantium and Sasanid
• enemies allowed to convert
• or pay tax
• or go to war

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Islamic Expansion
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Forced Conversion cont.

• The Christian World Christendom
• Charlemagne 700s
• Saxons given choice of baptism or death
• Alfred the Great
• Celts convert for peace
• Olaf of Norway
• torture or conversion
• Buddhism
• Asoka
• Kaniska of Peshawar
• Anuruddha took Buddhism to Burma

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Charlemagnes Empire
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Charlemagne
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Alfred the Great of Wessex
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King Olaf of Norway
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Spread by Trade

• Silk Road for Buddhism (dominate)
• Chinese monks built temples
• endowed by merchants
• Uighurs
• steppe people serving as mercenary caravan guards
  
• picked up Manichaeism
• derivative of Zoroastrianism
• sparked temple building
• eventually replaced by Buddhism

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Spread by Trade cont.

• Christianity
• only moderately successful on Silk Road
• few Christians engaged in long-range trade
• Armenians kept to selves
• Nestorians human Jesus vs. divine Jesus
• some patches of temple building
• Islam
• expanded via sea routes
• mosques in merchant communities
• China
• E. Africa
• Saharan trade routes took Islam West

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Conversion of Kings

• start at top and watch religion trickle down
• Early Christianity
• social outcasts
• Religion of slaves and women
• initially hostile to wealth
• religion grew as women evangelized
• husbands
• children
• minority religion until 4th century

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Conversion of Kings cont.

• Constantine 312 AD converts to Christianity at
  battle of Milvian Bridge
• converted to gain political backing for bid for
  Empire
• mixed pagan unconquered sun with Christian
  ideas
• Lord of Hosts not God of Love
• Christianity no longer persecuted
• Eventually Christianity official religion of
  Roman Empire
• Loses traditional pacifism

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Conversion of Constantine
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Conversion of Kings cont.

• King Ezana of Ethiopia converts to Christianity
  in the 340s
• Believed to be son of Ethiopian war god
• At end of his life converted and waged war under
  the banner of Lord of Hosts
• built churches
• King Trdat of Armenia converts in 314 AD
• converted to gain alliance with Rome and
  Constantine

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King Ezana
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King Trdat
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Diplomatic Conversions

• Small kingdoms between Rome and Persia shifted
  religions with alliances
• Christian
• Zoroastrian
• Muslim

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Buddhism and Politics

• China
• Often used by new monarchs to legitimize rule
• Buddhism never wholly dominant
• traditional rituals
• Confucianism
• Chinese distrust of foreigners
• periodically persecuted
• 820s-840s AD thousands monasteries dissolved

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Buddhism and Politics cont.

• Korea approximately 500 AD
• Buddhism brought to Koguryo by refugees from
  China
• quickly reconciled with traditional Korean
  religion
• Slow to spread beyond
• Japan approximately 600 AD
• diplomacy with Korea
• refugees from China
• reconcile with Shintoism
• government and religion same word
• animism
• Japanese Buddhism distinctive mix

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Buddhism and Politics cont.

• Tibet
• slow monastic colonization
• chose Theraveda over Mahayana Buddhism
• didnt adopt until late 800s
• India
• Buddhism unsuccessful as state religion
• Huns seen as proof of Buddhism failure
• driven back to traditional gods
• Codified with caste system into Hinduism

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The Russians and Christianity

• Converted on Constantinian model
• Vladimir of Kiev
• History of paganism
• Needed to break power of priesthood to set up
  kingdom
• Searched for religion
• Discovers Muslims (no good)
• Visits Hagia Sophia and is impressed
• Convert to Orthodox Christianity and marries
  Byzantine princess (Anna Porphyrogenita)
• Required services in Slavic language (beginning
  of Russian orthodoxy)

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Vladimir of Kiev
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Hagia Sophia
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Kiev, capital of modern Ukraine
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Islam and the Turks

• Turks warlike central Asian people
• Karakhanids first Turks to be Islamic
• Brought new manpower and warriors to Islam
• Seljuk Turks convert in 985 AD and descendants
  would come to rule empire

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Turkish Warriors
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Monasticism and Religion

• Christian Monasticism
• Upheld Roman tradition of learning
• Different types of monks
• Benedictine (founded by Benedict 542 AD)
• Changed pagan shrines to St. shrines
• Sought to instate paradise on earth
• Isolation and contemplation
• Various other orders

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Benedictine Monks
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Monasticism in other Religions

• Monasticism more important in Buddhism than in
  Christianity
• Withdrawal from world to find religion
• Preserver of learning
• Islamic Sufism
• Muhammad was against asceticism
• Christian monastic roots too deeply engraved
• Mystics fasting and meditation

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Buddhist Monks
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Women in Religions

• Guardians of religious tradition
• Nuns prayer and scholarship

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What makes a World Religion

• FLEXIBILITY
• ADAPTABILITY