History
1. What is Jerry Bentley's thesis?
Large scale conversion only took place when powerful political, social or economic incentives encouraged it and even then it led universally to syncretism rather than outright adoption of a foreign cultural tradition.
2. According to Bentley's book, what does the term conversion mean?
Conversion is an extremely complicated process involving the involving the communication of beliefs and negotiation of values across cultural boundary lines, but a process that had the potential to bring about a thorough transformation of an entire society.
3. What are the three Patterns of cultural conversion that Bentley discusses?
Political, Social, Economic
4. What pre-modern group were the key instigators of voluntary conversion?
Islamic merchants
5. How did the Silk Road lead to conversion?
It helped the spread of different religions and faiths such as Buddhism, Christianity, as well as Islam.
6. Whose alphabet is the foundation of the western alphabet?
The ancient Phoenician alphabet
7. Where did Buddhism originally develop?
Northern India
8. What were the causes of Chinese resistance to Buddhism?
Spokesmen for the Confucian and Daoist traditions
9. What were the means by which Buddhism spread to China?
When Buddhism came to China from India in the 1st century C.E. via the Silk Road trade routes, the Chinese thought it was a version of the native Taoist tradition. Buddhist monks and missionaries. P.76
10. In what ways is Christianity syncretistic to Roman religion?
St. Augustine transformed Neo-Platonism into powerful Christian philosophy, and the birthdate of the unconquered pagan sun god became Christmas, which is also the birthdate of Jesus.
11. Why are Charlemagne and the Frankish kingdom important to the spread of Christianity?
He spread Christianity across central Europe, his conquests expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire, was responsible for an intellectual and cultural revival
Large scale conversion only took place when powerful political, social or economic incentives encouraged it and even then it led universally to syncretism rather than outright adoption of a foreign cultural tradition.
2. According to Bentley's book, what does the term conversion mean?
Conversion is an extremely complicated process involving the involving the communication of beliefs and negotiation of values across cultural boundary lines, but a process that had the potential to bring about a thorough transformation of an entire society.
3. What are the three Patterns of cultural conversion that Bentley discusses?
Political, Social, Economic
4. What pre-modern group were the key instigators of voluntary conversion?
Islamic merchants
5. How did the Silk Road lead to conversion?
It helped the spread of different religions and faiths such as Buddhism, Christianity, as well as Islam.
6. Whose alphabet is the foundation of the western alphabet?
The ancient Phoenician alphabet
7. Where did Buddhism originally develop?
Northern India
8. What were the causes of Chinese resistance to Buddhism?
Spokesmen for the Confucian and Daoist traditions
9. What were the means by which Buddhism spread to China?
When Buddhism came to China from India in the 1st century C.E. via the Silk Road trade routes, the Chinese thought it was a version of the native Taoist tradition. Buddhist monks and missionaries. P.76
10. In what ways is Christianity syncretistic to Roman religion?
St. Augustine transformed Neo-Platonism into powerful Christian philosophy, and the birthdate of the unconquered pagan sun god became Christmas, which is also the birthdate of Jesus.
11. Why are Charlemagne and the Frankish kingdom important to the spread of Christianity?
He spread Christianity across central Europe, his conquests expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire, was responsible for an intellectual and cultural revival