Chapter 8: Ancient Cultures
Everything builds on or with what came before. This applies to religions as well.
The ancestors of the Aramean people were nomadic shepherds and traders. For them, water sources, grazing lands, weather, shelter, predators, and other people would have been among the most significant factors in their lives. Based on the Adam and Eve story, they would have been matriarchal in their structure.
Often nomadic people choose high points of land as sacred spaces that feel close to the heavens. The Majorville Medicine Wheel sits on a high point in Southern Alberta from which one can see a long way in every direction. The Viking Ribstone in Eastern Alberta sits on a high point from which one can see a long way in every direction. These are both sacred places for the Blackfoot Nation. The story of Abraham preparing to sacrifice Isaac takes place on one of those sacred spaces. Places with reliable water became special places as well and some stories in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures center on ancient wells.
Empires tend to be patriarchal, and the Arameans became patriarchal by the time of Abraham.
Stories and relics from other countries were heard and adapted by these Arameans. The Sumerian legend of Gilgamesh was adapted to become the story of Noah. The ziggurats built by the Babylonians as they lay in ruins in the desert inspired the story of the Tower of Babel.
Tribes and cities usually had patron gods. As tribes came to be part of larger entities, their gods became incorporated in pantheons for the emerging nations. The Greek pantheon, the Roman Pantheon, and the Norse pantheon are the ones best known by westerners. The stories that go with each pantheon reflect various aspects of human life magnified. Some of their stories are still popular today. The story of Sisyphus eternally rolling a stone up a hill connects with people who feel as that is their life.
A dominant Greek philosophy valued the spiritual over the physical. This view influenced Paul in his beliefs and writings which contrasted with his Jewish roots which saw the physical as sacred gift.
Zoroastrianism which might date back to 2000 BCE influenced Judaism in the century before Jesus introducing the ideas of good and evil as entities, heaven and hell, and a final judgement. Many current Christian beliefs reflect the influence of this ancient religion.
Christianity has also been influenced by ancient Celtic, Germanic, Norse, and Roman religions in the shaping of practices around Easter, All Hallows Eve, and Christmas. Ancient beliefs and practices influence the shape and practice of Christians in Africa and Latin America. One example is the Mexican Day of the Dead.
The Christian faith continues to be influenced by beliefs and practices from other ancient cultures. Hinduism influenced some Christians in terms of practices such as meditation. Indigenous beliefs influence many Christians in terms of our relationships with the rest of creation and with other people with their strong emphasis on respectful relationships and the idea of Mother Earth.
If we believe God’s love and wisdom is present in all of creation, then we can seek and accept the best of what other traditions have to offer to us to enrich and deepen our faith and practices. Influences from ancient cultures are not good or bad, they just are. We are free to choose to adopt, adapt, or reject those influences in terms of how they strengthen or weaken our core beliefs and our living out of what we believe.
Everything builds on or with what came before. This applies to religions as well.
The ancestors of the Aramean people were nomadic shepherds and traders. For them, water sources, grazing lands, weather, shelter, predators, and other people would have been among the most significant factors in their lives. Based on the Adam and Eve story, they would have been matriarchal in their structure.
Often nomadic people choose high points of land as sacred spaces that feel close to the heavens. The Majorville Medicine Wheel sits on a high point in Southern Alberta from which one can see a long way in every direction. The Viking Ribstone in Eastern Alberta sits on a high point from which one can see a long way in every direction. These are both sacred places for the Blackfoot Nation. The story of Abraham preparing to sacrifice Isaac takes place on one of those sacred spaces. Places with reliable water became special places as well and some stories in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures center on ancient wells.
Empires tend to be patriarchal, and the Arameans became patriarchal by the time of Abraham.
Stories and relics from other countries were heard and adapted by these Arameans. The Sumerian legend of Gilgamesh was adapted to become the story of Noah. The ziggurats built by the Babylonians as they lay in ruins in the desert inspired the story of the Tower of Babel.
Tribes and cities usually had patron gods. As tribes came to be part of larger entities, their gods became incorporated in pantheons for the emerging nations. The Greek pantheon, the Roman Pantheon, and the Norse pantheon are the ones best known by westerners. The stories that go with each pantheon reflect various aspects of human life magnified. Some of their stories are still popular today. The story of Sisyphus eternally rolling a stone up a hill connects with people who feel as that is their life.
A dominant Greek philosophy valued the spiritual over the physical. This view influenced Paul in his beliefs and writings which contrasted with his Jewish roots which saw the physical as sacred gift.
Zoroastrianism which might date back to 2000 BCE influenced Judaism in the century before Jesus introducing the ideas of good and evil as entities, heaven and hell, and a final judgement. Many current Christian beliefs reflect the influence of this ancient religion.
Christianity has also been influenced by ancient Celtic, Germanic, Norse, and Roman religions in the shaping of practices around Easter, All Hallows Eve, and Christmas. Ancient beliefs and practices influence the shape and practice of Christians in Africa and Latin America. One example is the Mexican Day of the Dead.
The Christian faith continues to be influenced by beliefs and practices from other ancient cultures. Hinduism influenced some Christians in terms of practices such as meditation. Indigenous beliefs influence many Christians in terms of our relationships with the rest of creation and with other people with their strong emphasis on respectful relationships and the idea of Mother Earth.
If we believe God’s love and wisdom is present in all of creation, then we can seek and accept the best of what other traditions have to offer to us to enrich and deepen our faith and practices. Influences from ancient cultures are not good or bad, they just are. We are free to choose to adopt, adapt, or reject those influences in terms of how they strengthen or weaken our core beliefs and our living out of what we believe.
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