Ancient Middle Eastern Beliefs

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how the religious views of the Mesopotamians, Egyptians and Hebrews all had important implications on each culture's unique view of life and death, including the afterlife. It looks at how each religion developed according to the history and reality of the people living during their time. It examines how the Egyptians and Mesopotamians developed a polytheistic religious outlook, while the Hebrew people developed a monotheistic culture. It considers how the Hebrew religion is much more similar to the Egyptian religion considering its positive outlook and affiliation with a God or gods, unlike the Mesopotamian belief system which may be considered very negative. It shows how ultimately, though each of these religions are different, they developed as a result of the physical and cultural influences of the people living during ancient times.

From the Paper:

"The religion of the people of Mesopotamia was all encompassing, the center of daily life (fortunecity, 2003). The Mesopotamian views on religion include a belief in gods that represent the good fortunes of life. The Mesopotamians also believed that their did not exist any all-powerful king or god, but rather that power should be shared among many small government systems, and that kings, as they were mortal, were ultimately subject to the will of the gods (fortunecity, 2003). The Mesopotamian also lived by the code of Hammurabi, to be discussed further. Like the Mesopotamians, the Egyptians also believed in worshiping many "gods" and attributed the good things that happened in life to the appeasing of their gods. The Egyptians, much like the Mesopotamians, relied on the gods for their good fortune, and those in some sense perhaps lived their lives in an effort to appease the gods."

More papers on Ancient Middle Eastern Beliefs:

• Comparison Essay # 149010 : "Religions in Ancient History"
• Book Review # 98301 : "The Modern View of the Middle East"
• Analytical Essay # 25055 : "What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response"

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