The Religions Book

55

more a philosophy than a religion, as
it concentrated on enlightenment
without the need for gods.
This focus on moral philosophy
was also prevalent in the religions
that evolved in China and Japan.
In the ordered society of the great
Chinese dynasties, religion and
political organization became
intertwined. Daoism, proposed
by the legendary scholar Laozi,
advocated a religious way of life
compatible with Chinese society.
Confucius built on this to develop
a new belief system based on a
reinterpretation of respect for
the hierarchy, and reinforced by
ritual. Later, in Japan, traditional
religions were unified to create the
state religion, Shinto, which showed
special reverence to ancestors and
encouraged followers to connect
with them through ritual practices.

By the 6th century BCE, the Greek

city-states had been established,

and classical Greek civilization was

exerting a strong influence on the

eastern Mediterranean region.

Religion (although the Greeks did

not have a specific word for it)

was very much a part of life, and,

although the gods were believed to

live separately from the people, they

were imagined to lead remarkably

similar lives. The history of the

Greek people, as interpreted by

Homer in his epic poems, was

also the history of their gods. The

hierarchy of deities, with their very

human lifestyles and tempestuous

relationships, mirrored Greek

society. As well as offering an

explanation for aspects of the

world, the deities gave reasons for

the vagaries of human behavior,

and with their help it was possible

to divine the future, choose

auspicious times for action, and

even defeat enemies. Most of the

time they existed alongside people,

unconcerned with human affairs,

but, to keep them happy, the

Greeks erected temples, performed

rituals, and held regular festivals.

As the early civilizations rose

and fell, many of their beliefs faded

away, or were incorporated into

the religions that replaced them;

the pantheon of Greek mythology,

for example, was absorbed into

Roman mythology, and along

with Celtic and other beliefs,

into Christianity. Some religions,

however, such as that of the

Norse, were still practiced until

the Middle Ages, and others,

including Shinto, Jainism, Daoism,

and Confucianism, have survived

into the modern age. ■

ANCIENT AND CLASSICAL BELIEFS

8 TH–7TH CENTURIES BCE

6 TH CENTURY BCE

599–27 BCE 5 TH–4TH CENTURIES BCE 9 TH–10TH CENTURIES

551 BCE 8 TH CENTURY CE 13 TH CENTURY

The Greek poet

Homer writes the

Iliad and Odyssey,

and Hesiod writes

his Theogony

(Origin of the Gods).

The Chinese sage Laozi

describes the dao, the

way, and establishes

Daoism in China.

The Indian sage

Mahavira establishes

the central tenets

of Jainism.

The classical period

of the Ancient

Greek civilization

begins in the eastern

Mediterranean.

The Vikings flourish,

spreading their religion

across northern Europe

and in Iceland and

Greenland.

Confucius, founder

of Confucianism, is

born in Zou, Lu

State, China.

Two collections of

Japanese mythology, the

Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki,

are compiled as a resource

to support Shinto as

national religion of Japan.

Icelandic epic

poems describing

Norse mythology

are composed and

recorded in

the Eddas.