NYU Epic of Gilgamesh and New Schools Contract with Predecessors Religious Views Response

Please pay attention to the times of these texts. Knowing the dates that these texts were created is very important for answering the questions below. (For example, some of the excerpts from Rig Veda are older than the Upanishads and some other excerpts in the texts assigned for Hinduism).

Please answer 2 questions from the pool here: (the answers should based on the reading, no need to research)

• In what ways do the teachings of the new schools contrast with the ‘religious’ views of their predecessors in their respective regions? Hint: What role does the human being play in this new teaching? Please give examples.

• What do we learn fromThe Teachings of the Magi: A Compendium of Zoroastrian Beliefs about Zoroastrianism?

• How did ‘Epic of Gilgamesh Tablet XI’ tell the story of flood? Who was Utnapishtim and what did he do? Is this story familiar to you? If it is, how is it familiar? (Hint: Remember Noah’s story in both Christianity and Islam)

• Please focus on Kevin Reilly’s Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader. Please think about the changing nature of Hinduism from the earliest Vedas to the latest Upanishads. Please use the earlier selections and later selections to show how Hinduism has changed in time.

• Please reflect on our texts from Confucius and Lao-Tzu. What do we learn from these texts about their understanding of spiritual? What were the things that important for Confucius and Lao-Tzu?

Please also ask a question at the end of discussion.