Hinduism and Judaism

At the same time that cities were growing, people began developing new ideas about religion. In animism, most deities were identified with specific places. Over time, people developed more abstract beliefs in which deities were not fixed in location. As people moved, they could take their deities with them. In some places, belief in many gods (polytheism) was replaced with a belief in just one supreme deity, monotheism.

Hinduism The belief now called Hinduism is sometimes categorized as polytheistic and sometimes as monotheistic. The origins of Hinduism go back at least 3,500 years. People called Aryans from north of the Himalaya Mountains migrated south to what is now Pakistan and India. They spoke an Indo-European language, and they brought with them scriptures called the Vedas and a belief that many deities existed. However, over time, people came to regard all deities as the expression of one supreme deity.

The Vedas taught that the soul of a person is reborn, or reincarnated, many times. Eventually, a soul would spiritually advance enough to become liberated from this cycle of death and rebirth. The Vedas taught that people should organize society into sharply defined classes, called castes. The caste system prohibited social mobility. While the caste system kept society stratified, society was also unified.

Zoroastrianism A clear example of an early form of monotheism is Zoroastrianism. This belief system developed in Persia. Followers of this faith focus on human free will and the eternal battle between the forces of good and evil.

Judaism The most influential example of monotheism is Judaism. Its earliest adherents were known as Hebrews or Israelites, but they have long been called Jews. Judaism developed in and around what is now the state of Israel. The Jewish people trace their history to the teachings of Abraham, who lived about 4,000 years ago.

Jews believe that they have entered into a covenant, or mutual promise, with their God, whom they call Yahweh. In return for their devotion, Yahweh would consider them his chosen people. Judaism was further developed with the codification of Hebrew Scriptures, sometimes called the Old Testament.

Like Judaism, two other faiths—Christianity and Islam—are also monotheistic religions that looked back to Abraham as an important figure. Christianity and Islam will be discussed later in this Prologue.