1. Judaism Founder – Abraham – approx. 2000 BCE
from city of Ur in Mesopotamia
follower of old religions with personal gods
moves his family to Palestine based on orders from his personal god – Yahweh
man of great faith

2. Judaism Ethical Monotheism
Key contributions  Law and ethics
Moses – approx 1200 BCE
leads Hebrews out of slavery from Egypt
key belief  received Ten Commandments from God – Exodus 20: 1-17
Ethical Monotheism

3. Judaism People to know (besides Moses & Abraham) - David
Events to know (besides the Ten Commandments)
- Solomon
- Division of kingdom into Judah and Israel
- Conquests by Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians, Greeks, & Romans
Babylonian Captivity
- Jewish Diaspora

4. Christianity Christianity is born in Palestine during Roman occupation
Four Jewish sects
Pharisees
Sadduccees
Essenes
Zealots
Jesus – founder of religion
born c. 6-4 BCE
life known through New Testament - Gospels
attracted followers with simple message of loving God and brotherhood of humanity
used Parables

5. Christianity Central concept  Resurrection
belief that Jesus died and rose from dead after 3 days
grants Christians hope in the next life  redemption
Jesus left no writings
depended on disciples (apostles) to spread word
initially attracted few followers
Paul makes religion a world religion

6. Christianity Paul – Second Founder attracted non-Jews – Gentiles
- particularly among Hellenized populations
Pharisee who has epiphany moment
taught Jesus died to atone for sins and faith alone can gain salvation – spread new religion
taught using epistles  letters
executed in Rome around year 65

7. Christianity Why did this religion appeal to Romans?
Rome going through time of mystery cults – Christianity fit b/c of idea of divine savior & resurrection into better & eternal life
promise of equality
- occasional persecutions – particularly under Diocletian who believed it was a threat to his authority

8. Christianity Constantine
313 – becomes Roman emperor (Battle of Milvian Bridge)
- makes Christianity legal  Edict of Milan
calls Council of Nicaea in 325 to settle doctrinal issues
Arian controversy – was Jesus human or divine?
Nicaea does 2 things - declared Jesus to be of the same substance as God - uncreated and coeternal with Him
- Arianism is heresy
- Trinity

9. Christianity Key Figures Theodosius - 387 Augustine – 354-430
sinner early in life  Confessions
City of God
fall of Rome – Adrianople, Vandals
synthesized Plato with Christian thoughts
City of God City of Man
Heaven Rome
Eternal Temporal
Perfect Imperfect
God Man
Important Unimportant

10. Christianity Beliefs of Augustine
- God existed in the souls all humans
- people should devote all their time & attention to God and not be corrupted by worldly concerns
- human souls could be saved by the grace of God
- individuals were chosen by God to receive divine grace - predestination
- human soul could not receive God’s grace unless that person belonged to the church and had received the sacraments
- human weaknesses could be overcome with the help of the sacraments of the church

11. Christianity Division of the Christian Church 3 Issues
- Petrine Doctrine
Council of Chalcedon
Pope Leo I
Iconoclastic Controversy
Emperor Leo III
Great Schism – 1054
- Roman Catholic – west
- Eastern Orthodox - east

13. Islam Spread of Islam Arabia – 570 - hot & arid trade routes bedouins
small cities around oasis
pagan

14. Islam Mecca & the Ka’aba
Mecca becomes center of Arabian life b/c of Ka’aba
worship place
tourist attraction
Yathrib (later known as Medina)
multicultural, multi-religious cities

15. Islam Muhammad (570-632) orphaned and raised by uncle – Abu Talib
Quraysh tribe
merchant
marries wealthy widow age 25 (she was 40)
The Revelations
received first revelation in 610 in cave
first convert – wife
Abu Bakr

16. Islam “Recite, recite!” - monotheism
Jews and Christians – People of the Book
- new religion (Islam) supersedes previous
Islam  “Submission to will of Allah
Muslim  one who has submitted to will of Allah
- “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet”

17. Islam Five Pillars Faith Prayer Almsgiving Fasting Hajj
problem with the Ka’aba
converts come slowly
death of Khadijah and Abu Talib - 619

18. The Hajj

19. Islam 622 – flight to Yathrib (renamed Medina)  Hijrah
beginning of Islamic calendar
8-year war with Mecca
- 630 war ends with Muhammad and Muslims victorious
- Ka’aba accepted as part of Islam
- all Meccans convert to Islam
Return to Medina (becomes center of Islam
Muhammad dies 632

20. Islam – The Four Caliphs
no succession to the prophet given
how to select of caliph (successor)?
Options  relation to Muhammad
 community consensus
Abu Bakr chosen to succeed
unites Arabia
collects revelations into Qur’an
Umar ( ), aka Umar the Great
campaigns to spread Islam  conquers Sassanid Persia, Egypt, and 2/3 of Byzantine Empire

21. Islam – The Four Caliphs
Reasons for rapid expansion
-good generals
- tax policy
- tolerance
- weakness of Sassanid & Byzantine Empires
- restlessness of Bedouins united by Islam
- Umar assassinated by Persians during Hajj

22. Islam – The Four Caliphs
Uthman ( )
considered holy man
Umayyad Tribe – last Meccan tribe to accept Islam
allows cousin to continue conquests  Mu’awiya
reaches western Africa
Uthman assassinated 656

23. Islam – The Four Caliphs
Ali – FINALLY ( )
son-in-law (married Muhammad’s daughter Fatimah) and cousin (father was Abu Talib) to Prophet
many claimed he should have been original successor
- battles Mu’awiya for control
defeats Mu’awiya (battle of Siffin) but allows him to live and continue civil war
Ali assassinated 661

24. Islam – Umayyad Dynasty
Mu’awiya becomes caliph
establish dynasty
continued expansion
Arab superiority
- centered in Damascus (Syria)
Largest expansion
- include Middle East to Indus R., north Africa, and portions of Spain

25. Islam – Umayyad Dynasty
tremendous growth economically & culturally
construction of important mosque Dome of the Rock 
history
division in Islam continues
resentment of non-Arabs
Andalusia – Umayyad Spain

26. Islam – Abbasid Dynasty
Golden Age of Islam
less expansion
cultural development
750 – 1258
centered in Baghdad
end of Arab superiority
fragmentation

27. Islam – Abbasid Dynasty
unparalleled achievements
Science  recovered ancient scripts to make advances in medicine, astronomy
Ibn Sina (Avicenna)
Math – Arabic numbers & algebra
Literature – A Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights)
based on Harun al-Rashid
Philosophy & Religion – Averroes
synthesize Aristotle and Islamic doctrine
- Technologies include irrigation, gunpowder, sailing (astrolabe), water power
- Falls to Mongol invasions in 1258