Religion in History

Hebrew religious beliefs differed from the beliefs of other people in the ancient Middle East. "Of all the ancient civilizations, it was the Hebrews who exerted perhaps the greatest influence on western society as well as the western intellectual tradition" ("Hebrew'). The Hebrews first appeared in Mesopotamia and then migrated from Mesopotamia to Canaan and then into Egypt and back to Canaan. The Hebrew people were different. For them, there was only one god, Yahweh. This was a fundamental difference between the Hebrews and their neighbors in the ancient Middle East.

The Egyptians, Babylonians, and others did not worship Yahweh. Not Reason but Revelation was the cornerstone of the Hebrew faith" ("Religion"). Yahweh was the focus of Hebrew life; therefore, the Hebrews would give no praise to royalty. Moses received the Ten Commandments as guidelines for the Hebrews. The poor, children, and sick were all protected and rich and poor were to be treated under the same laws. Personal property was not most important and did not define a person for the first time.

Hebrews' felt that Yahweh was fair; however their neighbors felt different about their Gods. "The ancient lands of Canaan, Israel, and Judah were overrun at various times. The peoples who ruled them brought with hem their own gods and religious practices. Wherever they went, the Hebrews kept their customs and their belief" ("Hebrew"). The Persians were settled in the area long before the Hebrews. "The Persians had two gods, Ahura Mazda, who created all the good things in the world, and Ahriman, who created all the bad things in the world.

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These two gods were at war all the time. Their struggle kept the world in a delicate balance. If one god gained the upper hand, then more of his influence would be felt" ("Middle"). The Phoenicians also believed in gods that were responsible for parts of nature, such as rain and wind. Baal, the storm god, was the second most important Phoenician god, behind El, the chief god" ("Middle"). The Phoenicians also believed in a life after death, as did their neighbors the Egyptians.

Both embalmed their dead and wrapped them in linen; the Phoenicians placed the bodies in stone coffins in hillside cemeteries It was believed that people could decide which god they wanted to follow. "Those who followed Ahura Mazda, the god of good, did good deeds like keeping their word, giving to the poor, treating other people well, and obeying the king. Those who followed Ahriman did bad things, like lying, cheating, being lazy, and being reedy' ("Middle"). In the end, Ahura Mazda would triumph and good would win. People who supported this god would enjoy happiness after death.

Those who supported Ahriman would be punished for that support. "This religion, later called Zoroastrianism, was the religion practiced throughout the Persian Empire when Alexander the Great conquered it in 330" ("Middle"). With his influence, Alexander brought the religion of the Greeks. Sumerians and Hebrews had many similarities and differences in their beliefs. They both give high regard to the Gods. Gods have the most power and can bring ood fortune, good harvest, good health, and good life. On the other hand, the Gods can take all these goods back and cause death, sickness, and plague.

Sumerians and religious beliefs of the Hebrews from the belief systems of Egypt or Mesopotamia was clearly their monotheism. This monotheism made possible for a new awareness of the individual. Man had the capacity to choose between good and evil. Sumerians practice polytheism; in fact, they think of the Gods as human. Eastern polytheism used images to represent their gods and goddesses. The Sumerians believed that the forces of nature were alive. The people couldn't control these forces of nature, so they worshipped them as gods.

The people also believed that they were living on Earth only to please the gods. "The Sumerian gods included Anu, the ruler of the gods; Enki, the god of earth; and Enlil, the god of the air, who separated heaven and earth. Enlil it was also who gave the Sumerians their knowledge of farming" (Hebrew'). Each Sumerian city also had its own god. The focus of the city was the ziggurat, a large temple, which was the home of that city's god. The priests who worked in the ziggurats were the only ones who knew the will of the gods, so hey were very powerful.

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