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  4. Origin and Formation of Religions in Ancient Asia

Origin and Formation of Religions in Ancient Asia

Objectives

a) To understand the foundational role of Asia in the formation of the major religious systems.
b) To understand the idiosyncrasies of ancient religious conceptions.
c) To know the specialized literature and historiographical issues of greater importance within the History of Religions.
d) To understand the main characteristics of ancient religious systems
e) To develop the oral and written skills to present the results of a critical research.
f) To acquire knowledge that allow further in-depth studies of ancient Asia.      

General characterization

Code

722051149

Credits

10.0

Responsible teacher

Francisco José Gomes Caramelo

Hours

Weekly - 3

Total - 280

Teaching language

Portuguese

Prerequisites

Available soon

Bibliography

BRISCH, N. (ed.), Religion and Power- Divine Kingship in Ancient World and Beyond, Chicago, The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 2008
GOODISON, L., MORRIS, C. (eds.), Ancient Goddesses: the myths and the evidence, London, British Museum Press, 1998.
INSOLL, T. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of Ritual and Religion, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2011.
PORTER, B. N. (ed.), One God or Many? Concepts of Divinity in the Ancient World: Essays on the concept of monotheism/polytheism in ancient Assyria, Egypt, Greece and Israel, Casco Bay, Casco Bay Assyriological Institute, 2000.
OTTO, R., The Idea of the Holy, New York, Oxford University Press, 1966
RIES, J. (dir.), Traité d'Anthropologie du Sacré, vol. 1, Paris, Desclée, 1992.
ROSA, J-P. (ed.), Encyclopédie des Religions, vol. 2, s.l., Bayard Éditions, 1997.
WALLS, N. (ed.), Cult image and divine representation in the Ancient Near East, Boston, American School of Oriental Research, 2005

Teaching method

 In each session, students should engage in discussions about specialized literature, as well as written, iconographic and material documents. The evaluation will have a written essay (70%) preceded by three oral presentations (10% each) where each student should present and discuss the progress of their research.

Evaluation method

Assessment methods - Three oral presentations (10% each)(30%), Written Essay(70%)

Subject matter

1) The main sources to analyze ancient religious systems: problematics and theorical-methodological perspectives.
2) The phenomenology of the religious thought.
3) The construction of deities; the syncretic processes and the monotheistic tendencies in ancient religions.
4) The conceptions about origins and destiny: the cosmogonic, theogonic and anthropogonic narratives.
5) The phenomena of communication between the divine and the human: divination techniques and prophetic events.
6) The organization of the religious systems: temples, priesthood, and cultic practices.
7) The legacy of ancient religious systems to the monotheistic religions.