The oldest religions of which we have any knowledge go
back about 20-30,000 years. All over Eurasia archaeologists have found figurines of an Earth
Mother Goddess also known as the Goddess of the Animals. The earliest forms are
the Venus figurines:
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
Venus of Willendorf
(Austria)
|
|
Venus of Laussel
(France)
|
|
Venus of
Gagarino, Ukraine |
 |
 |
|
Avdeevo, Russia
20,000 B.P
|
Brno, Czechoslovakia
Around 26000 years BP
|
These
were small carvings of women that could fit into the hand. They were not portraits but
rather faceless idealized representations of well fed, healthy, usually pregnant women with large
buttocks and breasts. Because of these exaggerated sexual characteristics, they are thought
by most paleoanthropologists to be ritual objects symbolizing female fertility. Many of
these stylized carvings are reminiscent of modern abstract art. Venus figurines were made
from 27,000 years ago down to the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago, from Western Europe
all of the way to Siberia and south through northern Africa and South West Asia
 |
| Cave art from Lascaux, France (left and
right) and Altamira, Spain (center) |
Although, cave art
is most abundant in southwest France and northern Spain, it is found all over the Middle East
as well. With the cave art, we see the first large scale, concrete symbols of human
thoughts, feelings, and perhaps even beliefs about the supernatural.
At Çatal Höyük we see the seated figure of a mother of the
animals flanked by lions. The mother of the animals, the bulls, vultures and other animals
are reminiscent of the old Venus figurine religion.
Religion played a
large role in the lives of the people of Sumeria, Ur, Babylon, Egypt, the Hittites, and the
Assyrians. These were polytheistic religions with many gods and goddesses manifest in nature, in
cities, in irrigation and agriculture, the hunt and war.
They were syncretic
religions - that means they freely borrowed from one another and the same pantheon of gods and
goddesses, sometimes with new names and stories of their exploits, was shared between the various
civilizations.
These religions
formed the precursors of Hellenic religions in Greece, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Islam and
Christianity.
Zoroastrianism was
the religion in Persia. Zoroaster lived c.628 B.C.-c.551 B.C. The religion is based on a dualism
in the universe between good and evil. It introduced the idea of Hell and damnation for the
wicked. It is still practiced today. Most believers live in India.
Judaism, Islam and
Christianity are also syncretic. They borrowed ideas of souls, heaven and hell, the last judgment,
a dying god who is reborn to save believers, and many other beliefs from the earlier religions of
Sumer, Ur, Babylon, Persia, Anatolia and Egypt.
Abraham Father
of the Nations - Father of Faiths
Who were Abraham,
Isaac and Ishmael?
While Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam all revere
Abraham as their spiritual ancestor, each religion has a different honorific for him. For Jews he
is Father Abraham. For Christians he is Father in Faith. In the Koran, the holy book of Islam, God
says, “I will make thee an Imam to the Nations,” or leader to all people (Sura 2: 124).
Abraham [according to the Book of Genesis,
Heb.,=father of many nations] , in the Bible, progenitor of the Hebrews; in the Qur’an, ancestor
of the Arabs.
Confluence Tigris and Euphrates
God told, Abraham to leave Ur. He and went up the
Euphrates to Haran, taking his wife Sarah and his nephew Lot. After many years God told him to
keep going, so he went down the coast to Egypt. His wife Sarah was very beautiful and he was
afraid the Pharaoh would kill him and take her, so he told Pharaoh that she was his sister.
Pharaoh did take her, but he didn't kill Abraham. Eventually the truth came out and Pharaoh
sent Abraham and his family out of Egypt. They went to Canaan, where God promised Abraham many
descendants who would become a great nation. But they were old so Sarah gave Abraham her servant,
Hagar, and Hagar bore a son named Ishmael [Heb.,=God hears] also
spelled Isma'il.
When Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90, they had a child,
Isaac [Heb.,=laughter].
To test Abraham's faith, God told him to sacrifice his
son. When it was clear that he would do so, the Angel Gabriel intervened and had Abraham sacrifice
a ram instead.
Moslems believe that the son Abraham was prepared to
sacrifice was Isma'il - the first born by Hagar.
Jews and Christians believe that the son was Isaac,
the first "legitimate" son by Sarah.
Muslims believe that the 12 tribes of Arabs are
descended from Abraham and Hagar through their son Ishmael. Abraham is further regarded as an
ancestor of Muhammad. According to the Qur’an, Abraham and Ishmael rebuilt the Kaaba in
Mecca and instituted pilgrimages there. The Qur’an depicts him destroying the idols of his
father and of his clan. He was the first monotheist, Islam is the restoration of the religion of
Abraham.
Jews believe they are the descendants of Isaac and
that the 12 tribes of Israel come from him. Christianity accepts the old testament accounts of
Abraham as the first monotheist. So all three monotheistic faiths trace their origin to Abraham.
By 1350 BC or so, Moses led the Hebrews
out of bondage in Egypt and they settle in Canaan. Solomon built the first temple.
The Hebrews split into the kingdom of
Israel and the kingdom of Judah or Judeah.
The Israelis worshipped multiple
Canaanite deities (including the golden calf).
The Judeans remained monotheists and
worshipped Yahweh, but also called him by Eloheim and Adonai as honorific titles. El or Eloheim
was a Canaanite God, as was Adonai. The Greeks worshipped Adonai as Adonis. This is what I mean by
syncretism - they would borrow Gods from other religions and combine them.
The Hebrews were conquered by the
Assyrians, Egyptians, and Babylonians They were forced into exile in by the Babylonians who
destroyed their temple and then returned around 540BC. They rebuilt their temple but were
conquered by the Romans. In 70AD when the Romans destroyed the second temple they were again sent
into exile. That was known as the Diaspora. They did not return until the late 19th and mid 20
century. See the
