Ch.7-Section I. India

Overview

• The historical books of the Bible focus on Israel, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome
• Empires such as India, China, and Africa also developed
• Christianity is growing quickly in Asia and Africa
• Understanding the cultures of these areas aids Christians

India

• India is diverse in topography, climate, and population
• The triangular subcontinent stretches from southern Asia into the Indian Ocean as a peninsula
• Terrain ranges from rainforests to deserts, from coastal plains to the Himalayas
• The earliest Indian civilizations began alongside the Indus and Ganges Rivers
• Natural barriers such as mountains and seas did not isolate India
• Merchants, invaders, and tribes crossed the northwestern border, resulting in a mix of peoples, customs, and languages

Early Civilization

• India gets its name from the Indus River, where the earliest civilization flourished around 2300 BC
• Knowledge of this civilization comes from the cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa
• These cities were carefully planned with straight streets and brick houses
• Evidence shows they had advanced drainage and sewer systems
• Early inhabitants traded with Egypt and Mesopotamia
• Around 1500 BC the Aryans migrated into the Indus Valley
• The Aryans were herdsmen that established the Sanskrit language
• Knowledge of the Aryans comes from the Vedas, religious literature containing traditions and beliefs
• The formative of Indian history lasted from 1500 to 500 BC

Key Features of Indian Society

• Indian society has changed little since ancient times
• The family is important with the extended or joint family, with the oldest male as the authority
• Individual interests were secondary to the family
• Parents chose spouses to maintain family position
• The Aryans settled in rural villages governed by a headman or council of elders
• Village life has remained vital
• Indian population was divided into rigid social groups called castes, with strict rules for each
• Marriage outside one's caste was forbidden
• There were thousands of castes divided into four class groups: priests (Brahmans), rulers/warriors, merchants/traders, and servants/serfs (Sudras)
• Outcastes ("untouchables") were outside the caste system performing menial tasks
• The status of the caste could not be changed
• The caste system explains the lack of change Indian society

Mohenjo-Daro

• The city was built around 2300 BC, carefully planned with wide streets
• Houses had thick walls to keep cool, built with kiln-baked bricks
• Each house had a well, with drains taking dirty water out of the city
• The city had public baths and a granary
• The city was violently destroyed, possibly by Aryan invaders
• The city was never rebuilt, but recent excavations show there was a grim ending

Religion and the Indian Way of Life

• Religion has shaped Indian culture
• Hinduism and Buddhism originated in India and impacted Asian culture

Hinduism

• Hinduism is ingrained in the Indian way of life and has preserved traditions
• It has no formal doctrine, absorbing gods and concepts
• Over 80% of India are Hindus
• Religious literature like the Vedas and Upanishads contain its tenets
• Hindus believe in Brahman, a great god, that permeates everything
• All deities are manifestations of Brahman, which is referred to as the world soul
• Reincarnation is the process of reuniting the soul with the world soul
• The cycle of rebirths is called the wheel of life
• A person's deeds determine their status in the next life
• Good deeds lead to a higher caste in the next life
• Evil deeds may result in rebirth into a lower caste or animal life
• By following rituals and duties of caste Hindus believe they can gain release and unite with the world soul

Buddhism

• Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 BC), later called Buddha, the "Enlightened One"
• Gautama sought deliverance from suffering and renounced his life
• He attained enlightenment through meditation
• Buddha's Four Noble Truths:
  • Suffering is part of existence
  • Suffering is caused by selfish desires
  • Suffering can be overcome by destroying selfish desires
  • Following the Eightfold Path destroys selfish desires
• The Eightfold Path includes correct beliefs, intentions, speech, conduct, livelihood, effort, thoughts, and meditations
• Buddhists believe people don't need gods to obtain freedom from suffering
• Nirvana is the state of peace where one loses himself into nothingness
• Hindus and Buddhists believe man can achieve eternal peace by living a good life
• The Bible teaches that union with god is through Jesus Christ

Lack of Political Unity

• Indian society has remained the same but political history has changed
• India has been a patchwork of small rival kingdoms
• Foreign invaders established empires provided unity and stability

Mauryan Empire

• In 326 BC Alexander the Great threatened India
• Alexander's army conquered small kingdoms in India's northwestern region but turned back
• Chandragupta Maurya created the Mauryan Empire
• Asoka, Chandragupta's grandson, extended the empire
• He renounced war, converted to Buddhism, and promoted the religion
• Asoka built Buddhist shrines (stupas) and inscribed teachings on stone pillars
• He sent Buddhist missionaries abroad
• Buddhism spread across Southeast Asia but didn't gain a wide following in India
• Hindu priests viewed Buddhism as dangerous to the caste system

Gupta Empire

• The Mauryan Empire collapsed after Asoka's death (232 BC)
• India enjoyed profitable trade with Rome and China during a time of turmoil
• The Gupta Empire reunited northern India in the fourth century AD
• India entered a new era of prosperity and achievement
• Trade flourished, culture spread, and universities attracted students
• There were advances in textiles and ironwork
• It was one of the finest periods of Indian art, architecture, literature, and science
• Gupta literature was renowned for fables and fairy tales
• Kalidasa was an Indian poet and dramatist
• Advances in mathematics, science, and medicine occurred
• Arabic numerals came from India
• Indian mathematicians used negative numbers, the decimal, and zero
• Indian scientists developed theories of gravity
• Indian astronomers knew the earth was round and rotated
• Indian physicians performed surgical procedures in free hospitals
• In the sixth century, the Gupta Empire collapsed under attacks of the White Huns
• India became divided into small warring kingdoms
• Hinduism absorbed foreign cultures

Muslim Domination

• Muslim warriors established a kingdom near Delhi in 1206
• Conflict arose between Muslims and Hindus
  • Hindus believed in many gods, while Muslims acknowledged one
  • Hindus followed the caste system, while Muslims believed in equality
• Muslim control ended at the close of the fourteenth century, leaving hostilities between Hindus and Muslims

Spread of Gospel To India

• According to tradition, the apostle Thomas brought the gospel to India
• Travel between the Roman Empire and India was common in the first century
• Christians likely brought the gospel to India
• Pantaenus traveled as a missionary to India and found Christians with copies of the Gospel of Matthew
• By the fourth century, Christians in Persia contacted Christians in India
• Indians sent leaders to schools in Persia for training until Muslims conquered Persia
• The communities of Indian Christians were still in existence when the Portuguese landed in India in the fifteenth century