1. Essential Question:
What are the major differences between the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism?
Warm-Up Questions:
Why were the river valleys of the Tigris-Euphrates, the Nile, the Indus, and the Huang He all centers of civilization?
Name one difference between the Hebrews and their neighbor the Babylonians.

2. OF THE RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS
RELIGIONS
OF THE RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS

3. The Religions of Ancient India
The people of the Indus River Valley developed two major religions that are still practiced today: Hinduism and Buddhism

4. HINDUISM

5. BASIC BELIEFS OF HINDUISM
Hinduism is based on the search for “perfect understanding” and liberation from the human world
This “perfect understanding” is called moksha (also known as nirvana or enlightenment)

6. Moksha is the release of the spirit from the human form
A soul’s karma (good or bad deeds during life) effects your reincarnation (what you come back in life as)
Only those in the upper portion of the caste system (the Brahmins) can achieve moksha

7. Hindus believe in reincarnation (people are reborn into another form)
There were 5 castes (or social classes) which Indians could be born into.

8. Under the caste system, people lacked social mobility (the ability to change social classes).
Moving up in the caste system depends on fulfilling dharma (duty) and gaining karma (doing good deeds)

9. HINDU GODS
Hindus are polytheistic and believe in thousands of gods, but three are considered supreme
There is Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer

10. There is no single Hindu text (like the Christians’ Bible), but rather several written works that explore Hindu philosophy
The most important of these texts are the Bhagavad-Gita, the Vedas and Upanishads

11. Only Aryans could occupy the top caste, and therefore rule India.
The caste system was not only religious, it also had an enormous impact on the lives of Hindus
Only Aryans could occupy the top caste, and therefore rule India.
The Untouchables performed the lowliest tasks & were outside the social order.

12. The caste structure and the religious beliefs determined personal cleanliness, how to eat, what to wear, who to associate with, and so on
Even today, Hindus turn to their religion for guidance in normal daily activities

13. Cows are considered sacred in Hinduism and it is illegal to kill them or eat beef.
The Ganges River is the holiest river for Hindus and has the power to wash away sin and evil.

14. ACTIVITY
How might the belief in reincarnation provided a form of social control? Include karma, reincarnation, and moksha in your answer.

15. JUDAISM

16. The Hebrews originated in an area near Mesopotamia called Canaan (modern day Israel)
The religion and moral laws of the Hebrews (later called Jews) would have an enormous influence on Western culture

17. In about 1800 BCE, God chose Abraham, a shepherd from Mesopotamia, to be the “father” of the Hebrews
God commanded Abraham to lead his people to Canaan, which was the Hebrews’ “promised land”

18. This agreement between God and Abraham was called a covenant
As Abraham and his family traveled from Ur in Mesopotamia to Canaan, God watched over them
Abraham promised that he and his descendents would obey God; in return, God would protect them
This agreement between God and Abraham was called a covenant

19. God commanded a Hebrew named Moses to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt
Hundreds of years after Abraham, the Hebrews migrated to Egypt to avoid a famine; they were enslaved by the Egyptian pharaohs
God commanded a Hebrew named Moses to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt

20. In return for God’s help in escaping Egypt, Moses agreed to a new covenant: the Hebrews must obey the Ten Commandments
The monotheistic (single god-worship) Hebrews wandered the Sinai Desert for 40 years before returning to Canaan, where Abraham had lived
This is when the Hebrews made the change from nomads to settled farmers, herders, and city dwellers

21. The Torah is respected by Christians as part of the Old Testament
This early history of the Hebrews was recorded in the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible
The Torah is respected by Christians as part of the Old Testament
The Torah is written on scrolls and kept in an ornamental chest called an ark. The Hebrews holy building is called a synagogue

22. The emphasis of right moral conduct and worshipping one God is a Hebrew idea that has massively influenced human behavior for thousands of years through Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

23. HISTORY of ISRAEL
From BCE, Israelites were united under 3 kings: Saul, David, and Solomon
Solomon was the most powerful Israelite king. He built a trading empire with Phoenicia and the great Temple of Jerusalem.

24. HISTORY of ISREAL
After Solomon’s death, Israel split into 2 kingdoms: Israel in the north & Judah in the south.
To try & keep peace, Israel and Judah paid tribute to the Assyria empire. Assyria conquered Israel in 722 BCE.
Judah resisted for 150 years before falling to the Babylonian king Nebachadnezzar. The Jews were then exiled to Babylon.

25. ACTIVITY
What is one religion being practiced about the same time as early Judaism?
What are two ways in which early Judaism differed from other religions of the time?