ABSTRACT
Several new religions emerged – or at least codified their texts – between 600 bce and 650 ce, generally on the fringes of classical empires. These include Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This chapter discusses some commonalities in the development of these new religions, beginning with how they evolved from previous polytheistic faiths. It surveys each religion in turn. The chapter provides some comparative analysis of these religions, and an analysis of their respective geographic spread. The gendering of gods reflects the broader personalization of monotheistic gods. Religions had long attributed the hidden workings of the universe to beings with characteristics much like humans. Deism is a more dramatic alteration to polytheistic beliefs than is monotheism. The oldest of today’s major religions is Hinduism. The Hindu pantheon likely drew in part on Middle Eastern and Indus Valley religions.
