Religious Roots of Europe: The Study of Ancient Religion

<p>Explore the religious roots of Europe in Rome! This course offers deep insight into ancient religion in the Roman Empire and how it shaped Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It gives you a strong foundation for understanding religion, society, and identity across time.</p><p>This course is the first module in the Religious Roots of Europe programme and introduces you to the development of religion in the Roman Empire in its relation to society in the period during which Judaism, Christianity and Islam emerged. It also introduces you to the methods and theories that are used in the study of ancient religion. This is important since the knowledge and skills you acquire during the course will constitute the foundations for subsequent discussions in other modules of the program. </p><p>The ancient religious world was fundamentally polytheistic and pluralistic, though there were also limits to what was acceptable. In this context, Judaism went through a decisive formative phase (the Mishna, the Talmud). Developing from Judaism, Christianity was shaped by the same religious world; it took over and continued essential aspects of this world but also defined itself in contrast to Judaism and ‘paganism‘. Islam later took shape in a self-conscious relationship to the type of religion that had been developed by Jews and Christians in the ancient world. </p><p>To understand the emergence of these three monotheistic religions, it is necessary to know something about the soil from which they grew: the religion and society of the ancient Mediterranean world during the age of the Roman Empire. </p><p><br/></p>