Their religious system was a complex one comprised of hundreds of gods. The earliest form of the phoenician alphabet found to date is the inscription on the sarcophagus of king ahiram of byblos. Sumer, or the land of civilized kings, flourished in mesopotamia, now modernday iraq, around 4500 bc. There are some people trying to revive them as living religions, but i dont know if you would consider that a surviving tradition. The pyramid texts are known as one of the oldest religious texts in the world. What about hindus claim that hinduism is the oldest religion. King named enmercar in uruk, wants to embellish temple of inanna, had idea to invade kingdom of aratta in iran, tells king of aratta that he will have to give him money if he doesnt want to be invaded, was a long message for messenger to memorize, so he has the. In conclusion, it is not just skeptics and unbelievers who look for parallels between sumerian religious ideas and customs and the. I love anything to do with the necronomicon which is why im giving you five out of five. Apparently invented by enmercar in urukhelped the formation of organized religion, no longer solely based on oral traditionmyth. A lack of written records results in most of the knowledge of prehistoric religion being derived from archaeological records and other. Judaism is my vote, since they have been around to help construct the pyramids of egypt back in 2000 bc or so. V hanas in hinduism, or theriomorphic vehicles of the deities with. As for the fundamentalist monotheists, its not any of the abrahamic religions, so dont bother replying with that nonsense.
Religion in the ancient world ancient history encyclopedia. Dec 09, 2012 hinduism is the oldest surviving organized religion. Sumerian worshipper statue by osama shukir muhammed amin, cc bync sa. Emma elish is an older form in which it was enlil who fought the. Mar 06, 2012 why do people claim hinduism is older than judaism when judaism is the oldest religion. Many religious texts, epics, classicssumerian people then came to control the whole region, sumerian texts were translated. Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book. Sumerian religion was the religion practiced and adhered to by the people of sumer, the first. Never left the region when the akkadians invaded, just lived in peace together, but they were in control.
The sumerians religion has its roots in the worship of nature, such as the wind and water. Nanna, the moon god, tended a herd of cows that appeared as stars. These texts were meant to be for the pharaoh and were reserved for him. The epic of gilgamesh from sumeria is also one of the earliest literary works dating to 21502000 bce, that includes various mythological figures. Religious developments in ancient india ancient history. Written history the age of formal writing is only c.
Sep 28, 2015 the rig veda, compiled around bce in an archaic form of sanskrit, is the oldest and most important of the vedas, and the basis of much hindu thought. Ancient mesopotamia might profitably study religion in india to gain. There is no single scripture as it is in other religions like christianity and islam. The oldest known religious texts are pyramid texts of ancient egypt that date to 24002300 bce. In conclusion, it is not just skeptics and unbelievers who look for parallels between sumerian religious ideas and customs and the book of genesis. Vedas and upanishadas are the most authoritative amongst all hindu scriptures and holy books. If, and i stress again, if the records of genesis, etc. Vedic religion also influenced buddhism and jainism. However, some of these books and songs became more popular than others and came to define the culture and religion we know today as hinduism. First, hinduism has changed and added books with their vedas over the years, and its difficult to say all the vedas are older than the torah. Through this organization, he has been widely published in more than 40 books on subjects regarding ancient mesopotamian religion, the sumerian anunnaki, the mardukite tradition of babylon, akkadians and assyrians chaldeans including the volumes. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas.
Hinduism and ancient egyptian religion all you need to. In search of one of the worlds oldest religions the getty iris. The local religion of mesopotamia finds its way into genesis indirectly, for example when laban chased jacob down in an attempt to get back his household gods. Are there really any older holy books than the bible as some. Welcome to religious forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding. What is known about mesopotamian religion comes from archaeological evidence uncovered in the region, particularly numerous literary sources, which are usually written in sumerian, akkadian assyrobabylonian or aramaic using cuneiform. First of all, sumerian civilization is not older than indussarasvati civilization. The oldest parts of the old testament are stories adapted from sumerianbabylonian or canaanite myth and included with offtheshelf chronicles and geneologies.
Hinduism is the oldest surviving organized religion. The creation of earth enuma elish according to the sumerian tablets begins like this. The rig veda, compiled around bce in an archaic form of sanskrit, is the oldest and most important of the vedas, and the basis of much hindu thought. Hinduism is often considered the oldest existing religion still practiced today. The sumerian religion influenced mesopotamian mythology as a whole, surviving in the mythologies and religions of the hurrians, akkadians, babylonians, assyrians, and other culture groups. For these reasons, writers often refer to hinduism as a way of life or a family of religions rather than a single religion.
The majority of the vedas are considered the shruti, which is translated to that which is hard. How old is christianity, when compared to other religions. These religious beliefs and practices form a single stream of tradition. Utu was the sun god, whose chariot racing across the sky caused day and night.
Sumerians created an advanced civilization with its own system of elaborate language and writing, architecture and arts, astronomy and mathematics. Aug 27, 2016 sanatana dharma is the original religion that comes down from the dawn of creation of this universe. Introduction hinduism stands for the faith and the way of life most of the people who live in india. Unlike christianity or islam, it is a not a religion that is governed by the book.
Religion or dharma has been a factor of the human experience throughout history, from. Mesopotamian religion, beliefs and practices of the sumerians and akkadians, and their successors, the babylonians and assyrians, who inhabited ancient mesopotamia now in iraq in the millennia before the christian era. Mesopotamian religion refers to the religious beliefs and practices of the civilizations of ancient mesopotamia, particularly sumer, akkad, assyria and babylonia between circa 3500 bc and 400 ad, after which they largely gave way to syriac christianity. Ancient civilizations gave equal opportunity to deities of either gender, but with the passage of time, the sumerian gods took a greater role and the goddesses receded in the background. Raimon panikkar 19182010 made pioneering contributions in the areas of interreligious dialogue, comparative theology, and the phenomenology of religion, while bridging different religions and cultures christianity, buddhism, hinduism, and effected insightful conversation between the socalled sacred and secular worlds.
These deities were anthropomorphic beings, and were meant to represent the natural forces of the world. Even if the reign of each king is something less than accurate, it still indicates that sumerian culture was around. Recently, i had a discussion with my friend regarding which civilization of the world is the most ancient. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism.
For historical background, see mesopotamia, history of. There are a number of scriptures and holy books in hinduism. Hinduism stands apart from all other religions for several reasons. Asked in hinduism what does the hindu holy book contain. I would like to know are there any chapters, shlokas or poetry which mention any religion or civilization other than hinduism. You will need to register to get access to the following site features reply to discussions and create your own threads. If youre interested in knowing the most important aspects of the longest lasting religion in history, this reading list is for you. In general, in both the vedic and 3rd millennium b.
Do we know which culture is older sumerian or hindu. The archaeologist responds, i believe that religion is just one tree, and we have many branches islam, christianity, and jews so it is a main tree. Sumerian in origin, mesopotamian religion was added. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. Sumerian polytheism embraced a pantheon of deities imbued with melammu, a radiant aura, and specific attributes. But jacobsens definition of it involved humility and selfabasement. Most of us have heard of the mayan holy book, chilam balam.
I know its either the sumerians religion or the ancient egyptians religion. Are there really any older holy books than the bible as some believe. The oldest scripture of hinduism is the rig veda, which is believed to be about 3,500. Most reference books list hinduism as the oldest world religion. We can only mark the starting points of religions based on their interaction with societies and cultures at the time or through the holy books that they pass down to us. Hinduism and ancient egyptian religion all you need to know. The rigveda is believed to have been created between 1500 and 1200 bc, although allegedly it was recorded in oral form only back then.
One of the worlds oldest surviving religions, zoroastrianism played an. This is judaism, and by extension, all abrahamic religion. Second, just because something is older doesnt make something more true. The sumerian religion was polytheistic in nature, and the sumerians worshipped a great number of deities. May 30, 2009 indian hindus claim that hinduism is the oldest religion, but bible teaches us that god created all this in jewish form. The origins of human beings according to ancient sumerian. Science and history clearly states that judaism is the oldest religion. Description of the sumerian religious practices synonym. If so, why do those vedas and upanishads say they are older than the bible. Similarly, he assumed that personal religion must be late and pointed out how its only referenced in later documents, forgetting that the later period simply has far more documents found in a wider variety of settings.
While this may be true, its important to note that hinduism does not have any particular founder or a single text, but instead combines several ancient traditions and beliefs. Old avestan and vedic sanskrit are both descendants of the. Even granting that the sumerian texts are older than the books of moses so what. These diverse contributions were tied together in a unifying vision he. The new testament does not show sumerian traits, so. With the emergence of big cities religion became more organized the clergy become more powerful people could surround the temple, but only priests and on occasion kings could go inside the temple was the richest institution in the city state cities were built around temples named after the patron city god. The sumerian creation myth can be found on a tablet in nippur, an ancient mesopotamian city founded in approximately 5000 bc. Prehistory middle paleolithic 300,00050,000 bce despite claims by some researchers of bear worship, belief in an afterlife, and other rituals, the archaeological evidence does not support the presence of religious practices by modern humans or neanderthals during this period.
There is only one supreme god in hinduism, brahma, and all other deities are. Thus sanatana dharma means the eternal duty or the eter. Sumerian in origin, mesopotamian religion was added to and subtly modified by the akkadians semites who emigrated into mesopotamia from the west at the end of the 4th millennium bce, whose own beliefs were in large measure assimilated to, and integrated with, those of their new environment. Many of the old customs are overlooked, but some traditions, such as only marrying within. Religion or dharma has been a factor of the human experience throughout history, from prehistoric to modern times. Ive been enjoying reading lots of books written by joshua free. The worlds oldest life, religion,tradition,and all the concepts belongs to indian hinduism. During the old babylonian period, the sumerian and akkadian languages were.
This is the logical fallacy argumentum ab annis argument because of age. What about hindus claim that hinduism is the oldest. The proof of many of these religions are seen in religious texts discovered by. Egyptian, sumerian, and many others are even older, but were wiped out. We know this because the oldest forms of writing so far discovered belong to the people of ancient sumer. Sumerian and hindu gods and goddesses in the world of sumeria, gods and goddesses existed participating in the affairs of the heavens, earth, and the netherworld. The sumerians regarded their divinities as responsible for all matters pertaining to the natural and social orders. Elements of vedic religion reached back to a protoindoiranian religion and an earlier protoindoeuropean religion. Yes, there are civilizations older than the bible god does not choose abraham to establish his covenant with man for a long time after man has been on the eart. The vedas and these other works are further divided into two sections. The new testament does not show sumerian traits, so far as i know. Similarity of ancient india, sumerians, mexican,mayan.
Sumerian religion was the religion practiced and adhered to by the people of sumer, the first literate civilization of ancient mesopotamia. The rigveda of hinduism is proposed to have been composed between 17001100 bce2 making it possibly the worlds oldest religious text still in use. The rigveda is a collection of hindu hymns that is considered to be one of the four vedas sacred canonical texts of hinduism. Why do people claim hinduism is older than judaism when. Today it is the thirdlargest religion behind christianity and islam. Christianity and the sumerians this is judaism, and by extension, all abrahamic religion. The bible confirms a lot of what is stated in sumerian and other texts and vice versa because the old testament is gods version and the sumerian texts are enkis god of the earth. Here is an interesting interview with david dearborn astrophysicist, i think it gives you the general idea. Hinduism is neither monotheistic nor restricted to one religious scripture. Around 1750 bc aryan invaders from central asia settled in north west india and introduced their own religious. During the 5th or 6th dynasties of the old kingdom in ancient egypt, the text was.
Sanatana dharma is the original religion that comes down from the dawn of creation of this universe. And stop putting this god tripe on pages for satanic texts. Hinduism is the oldest religion, and it is much more organized than christianity. Smriti literature is considered less authoritative than sruti. The bulk of the human religious experience predates written history. Are there really any older holy books than the bible as. Religion, then and now, concerns itself with the spiritual aspect of the human. Similarity of ancient india,sumerians, mexican,mayan. Can someone learn about god by reading the book of mormon. The first of the oldest surviving religious texts, the pyramid texts, was. Jun 27, 2018 these texts were written in sanskrit which is matched in age only by the ancient sumerian cuneiform.
Is any other religion or civilization mentioned in. Holy books, writings and teachings of any modern day religion arguably started much later than the events described within them. Hindu scriptures and holy books hinduism facts hinduism facts. Sanatana means eternal and dharma means duty, activity or nature. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism are stories and epic poems. Religion has been around for as long as man has existed. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. Sruti consists of four vedas, upanishads, brahmanas, aranyakas, and bhagavadgita while smriti consists of manu smriti, 18 puranas, ramayana, and mahabharata and other hindu holy books. Throughout its extensive history, there have been many key figures teaching different philosophies and writing numerous holy books. Hinduism is the oldest continuously practiced religion on earth, followed closely by a couple of others, including my own which seems to have coalesced as a solid theology around the same time as hinduism. Sumerian gods and their lone goddess were creatures of the sky and the impenetrable realms. Before the beginning of kingship in sumer, the citystates were effectively ruled by. Here is a documentary of the first religious service in history.
Why is it that people say the ancient sumerian tablets are. All the new testament was written in the first and second centuries ad. The worlds oldest life,religion,tradition,and all the concepts belongs to indian hinduism. During the 5th or 6th dynasties of the old kingdom in ancient egypt, the text was carved on to the walls and within the sarcophagi of the saqqara pyramids. The sumerians regarded their divinities as responsible for all matters pertaining to the natural and social orders 34 before the beginning of kingship in sumer, the citystates were effectively ruled by theocratic priests and religious officials. When in the height heaven was not named, and the earth beneath did not yet bear a name, and the primeval apsu, who begat them. As late as ezekiel, there is mention of a sumerian deity.
I can see ravana is not from india, he is from sri lanka and he was a devotee of lord shiva which in turn they call it as hindu. While it certainly has evolved over the years, the belief in gods and deities is an ancient tradition and dates back thousands of years. It has no single founder, no single book of theological law and truth, no central religious. Secondly, hinduism is not a single religion but embraces many traditions. Jul 19, 2009 which is the oldest recorded religion to date that is of knowledge today. King tetis body was stolen long ago, but his instructions to heaven remain in perfect condition. Sumerian worshipper statue by osama shukir muhammed amin, cc byncsa. I make such material available in an effort to advance awareness and understanding of issues relating to hinduism civil rights, religious tolerance, economics, individual rights, international affairs, liberty, science. The holy books in hinduism are there only for guidance. Sumerian religion heavily influenced the religious beliefs of later. The oldest parts of the old testament are stories adapted from sumerian babylonian or canaanite myth and included with offtheshelf chronicles and geneologies.
Hinduism is such an ancient religion that it had many types of beliefs and religious practices. Well thats an interesting question, considering the history and latest archeological evidence there are 6 predominant civilizations bloomed in different part of the world at a same time. Traces of sumerian religion survive today and are reflected in writings of the bible. Mesopotamian religion has historically the oldest body of recorded literature of any religious tradition. According to history there r universities in india ex nalanda, taxilaetc. Since religion is older than the state, personal religion cannot be late. Sumerians believed their world was controlled by gods, goddesses, demons, and monsters. The vedic period was held to have ended around 500 bce, vedic religion with time evolving into the various schools of hinduism.
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