Possible Essay – According to the Gospel of John, what were the specific offenses (charges) that Jesus committed? I.e., how did he get in so much trouble in the first place?

Polytheistic world view – theology polytheistic anthropomorphic; morality – identify natural phenomena; why take chances? Hubris; syncretism ; afterlife: mystery cults – Isis and Osiris; Dionysus; Demeter and Persephone; Adonis (Attis)

Hero cults

Monotheistic World Views

Axial Age 800-600 BC - Polytheism vs. monotheism

Judaic World view –Yahweh; morality revelational and based in law; prophets monotheism; afterlife; reforming prophets 850-500 BC;Torah, body of law

Zoroastrian religion, Mithras cult –

Gymnosophistai – naked philosophers, Indian philosophers, Jainists, Buddhists (ca. 500 BC), Great spirit, transmigration of the soul – forward or back, morality,

Greek Philosophical world view – Rational thought - empirical science and dialectic; Socratic method; theology – NOUS - logos ; morality – immorality stems from ignorance

Otium – freedom from subsistence labor, religion, warfare, politics, empirical thought, dialectic

Enlightenment – divine reason, becoming one with the nous, mind; emanations = logos

Socrates, ethics, how to live a just life in an unjust world; Plato

STOIC, EPICUREAN, CYNIC

Koine greek

Zeno the Stoic philosophy = divine reason nous = logos, dialectic,

Epicurean philosophy – cultivate your own garden; Lucretius, On the Nature of things. Seek pleasure.

Cynic philosophy – Peripatetic philosophers

	Polytheistic	GREEK	HEBREW
FAITH	All gods exist	Divine reason	One god, revelational
Worship	Sacrifice	Contemplation	Obey laws
Morality	Don’t offend gods	Ignorance causes evil	Laws are divine, but man must choose
Punish ment	Gods can be bribed	Ignorance causes pain	redemption
Afterlife	Shades in hades	Enlightenment?	progeny