The Great Courses: Religions of the Axial Age: An Approach to the World's Religions
Format: DVD
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 8 ratings
Product Description
These 24 extraordinary lectures offer you the rare opportunity to relate your own spiritual questions to a variety of ancient quests for meaning and transcendence. Professor Muesse looks at the historical conditions in which the world religions arose and explores how they answered shared metaphysical and human dilemmas. The Axial Age - a pivotal era between 800 and 200 B.C.E. - saw the rise of many of the world's religions in Iran, South Asia, and China. On this stirring journey, you'll learn about the rise of Zoroastrianism in Persia (now Iran); Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism on the Indian subcontinent; and Confucianism and Daoism in China. You'll also see how these religions compare, contrast, and contribute to contemporary Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Through sacred texts, modern scholarship, and thoughts arising from his own personal experiences, Professor Muesse reveals what it meant to be a conscious, morally responsible individual in the Axial Age. You'll enjoy a ringside seat as each founding sage wrestles with moral accountability, the nature of self and ultimate reality, good versus evil, suffering and transcendence - all topics that still puzzle us today.
Product details
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
Package Dimensions : 10.3 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches; 9.6 Ounces
Media Format : Unabridged
Studio : The Teaching Company
ASIN : 1598032828Best Sellers Rank: #38,435 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)#25,337 in DVDCustomer Reviews:
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 8 ratings
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Top reviews from the United States
Buttchops
5.0 out of 5 stars Good backgroundReviewed in the United States on July 29, 2014
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Very interesting and informative. We're using this in adult Sunday School (Adult Forum) in a Unitarian Universalist church. The lectures are about 30 minutes, then we discuss what we've seen. I was especially interested in Zoroastrianism, and enjoyed learning about the beginnings of the non-Christian religions from 800-200 BC. It's a good series.
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meadowreader
5.0 out of 5 stars ExcellentReviewed in the United States on August 14, 2010
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Absolutely first rate in every respect. The instructor really, really knows his stuff, and his lectures are very well organized, his presentation is utterly clear and completely understandable. I did not expect to like this course nearly as much as I did, and I look forward to watching it all again sometime in the near future. Highest recommendation.
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Audrey Hawkins
5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of my favorite Great CoursesReviewed in the United States on January 11, 2015
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This is a great introductory lecture series. I watched it as a supplement to my world religions course and it helped a lot. Prof. Mark W. Muesse is an excellent teacher.
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D. Nykiel
4.0 out of 5 stars This is a GREAT series of lectures!Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2018
The lecture series, “The Great Courses: The Axial Age” by Prof. Mark W. Muesse, talks about the various religious and philosophical movements that developed from the roughly the eleventh century BCE through the eleventh century CE, a period referred to by the philosopher Karl Jaspers as “Die Atzenzeit,” or “The Axial Age.
Lecture 1 sets the scene for the entire course and discusses the general characteristics of the Axial Age, such as an increased emphasis on the importance of virtue as a means of spiritual salvation, the belief in an afterlife, and so on. Lecture 2 is about the Noble Ones; Lectures 3 and 4 focus on the Zoroastrian religion of Iran. Lecture 5 talks about South Asian civilizations before the Axial Age, while lecture 6 talks about the beginning of the Indian Axial Age. Lectures 7-10 focus on Hinduism. Lectures 11-15 deal with Buddhism. Lecture 16 is about Jainism. Lecture 17 is an overview of the history of East Asia before the Axial Age, while lecture 18-21 focus on Confucianism, while lectures 22 and 23 are about Taoism and Confucianism, and lecture 24 sums up the course.
I was surprised to learn about that interesting, abstract high god worshipped by the Aryans known as Daus Pitr, or “Father God.” I also had never heard of another early Hindu deity, the Soul of the Bull. I wonder whether the worship of that god evolved into the contemporary custom of worshipping of the bull god, Nandi.
I deduct one star because, while it is true that there are other courses that discuss Judaism and Christianity, I do find it odd that he does not devote a whole lot of time to them in this course since, after all, Jesus and most of the Biblical prophets and patriarchs, with the possible exceptions of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael and Jacob, would have lived during that time. I will say, though that the Great Courses lecture series about Judaism, called “Great World Religions: Judaism” by Isaiah Gafni, is worth listening to nonetheless and that you may, therefore, want to buy that one as well, along with Prof. Muesse’s equally fascinating series, “Great World Religions: Hinduism.” I also found it odd that he also does not devote any time to the history of Islam since the prophet Muhammad also lived during the Axial Age. Regarding how Zoroastrians dispose of their dead, Prof. Muesse is actually wrong in how he explains why Zoroastrians don’t bury their dead. Counter to his claims, the Zoroastrian prohibition against burial of the dead has NOTHING to do with “contaminating the soil.” Traditionally, most Zoroastrians traditionally cremate their dead for two reasons: 1) The fire is a symbol of the divine light of God 2) the smoke from a funeral pyre is believed to carry the soul of a dead person to Heaven. Furthermore, there appear to be several different ways that Zoroastrians dispose of the dead. While the most common way for Zoroastrians to dispose of their dead is through cremation---since, after all, fire is considered to be a symbol of God and the smoke is said to carry the soul to Heaven---or, as Prof. Michael Fisher points out, in his own Great Courses series, “A History of India,” amongst the Parsis (the Zoroastrians of South Asia), they choose to simply lay the body out and to allow it to decompose naturally and to be eaten by wild animals. When discussing “East Asia During the Axial Age,” Prof. Muesse makes a mistake when discussing a particularly famous example of ancient Chinese art meant to depict the harmonious relationship between Buddhists, Confucians, and Taoists. He incorrectly states that it depicted the Buddha, Confucius and Lao Tzu engaged in a conversation. In reality, this particular work of art, as pointed out by a Taoist scholar in the world religion documentary series, “The Long Search” (hosted by Ronald Eyre), does NOT depict Confucius, Lao Tzu and the Buddha. It depicts a Taoist priest, a Confucian scholar, and a Buddhist monk who were good friends and who were so into their conversation on their way to their homes that they had been having that they had passed up their own houses and who burst out laughing. As I had said before, the painting in question is meant to depict the harmonious relationship that exists between Confucians, Taoists, and Buddhists.
In spite of these mistakes, I would still highly recommend this course because it is very interesting. If you buy it, you will learn a lot. I sure did.
One person found this helpful
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Daniel A Goldman
5.0 out of 5 stars Really greatReviewed in the United States on June 24, 2013
This is really an incredibly good course. The teacher is kind of folksy, speaks very clearly, conveys really interesting information. I learned a lot, both intellectually (facts), and personally.
I watched the DVD version, and enjoyed the visuals. But I think this would also work well with just an audio version. Overall, really no criticism at all.
One person found this helpful
HelpfulReport
I was surprised to learn about that interesting, abstract high god worshipped by the Aryans known as Daus Pitr, or “Father God.” I also had never heard of another early Hindu deity, the Soul of the Bull. I wonder whether the worship of that god evolved into the contemporary custom of worshipping of the bull god, Nandi.
I deduct one star because, while it is true that there are other courses that discuss Judaism and Christianity, I do find it odd that he does not devote a whole lot of time to them in this course since, after all, Jesus and most of the Biblical prophets and patriarchs, with the possible exceptions of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael and Jacob, would have lived during that time. I will say, though that the Great Courses lecture series about Judaism, called “Great World Religions: Judaism” by Isaiah Gafni, is worth listening to nonetheless and that you may, therefore, want to buy that one as well, along with Prof. Muesse’s equally fascinating series, “Great World Religions: Hinduism.” I also found it odd that he also does not devote any time to the history of Islam since the prophet Muhammad also lived during the Axial Age. Regarding how Zoroastrians dispose of their dead, Prof. Muesse is actually wrong in how he explains why Zoroastrians don’t bury their dead. Counter to his claims, the Zoroastrian prohibition against burial of the dead has NOTHING to do with “contaminating the soil.” Traditionally, most Zoroastrians traditionally cremate their dead for two reasons: 1) The fire is a symbol of the divine light of God 2) the smoke from a funeral pyre is believed to carry the soul of a dead person to Heaven. Furthermore, there appear to be several different ways that Zoroastrians dispose of the dead. While the most common way for Zoroastrians to dispose of their dead is through cremation---since, after all, fire is considered to be a symbol of God and the smoke is said to carry the soul to Heaven---or, as Prof. Michael Fisher points out, in his own Great Courses series, “A History of India,” amongst the Parsis (the Zoroastrians of South Asia), they choose to simply lay the body out and to allow it to decompose naturally and to be eaten by wild animals. When discussing “East Asia During the Axial Age,” Prof. Muesse makes a mistake when discussing a particularly famous example of ancient Chinese art meant to depict the harmonious relationship between Buddhists, Confucians, and Taoists. He incorrectly states that it depicted the Buddha, Confucius and Lao Tzu engaged in a conversation. In reality, this particular work of art, as pointed out by a Taoist scholar in the world religion documentary series, “The Long Search” (hosted by Ronald Eyre), does NOT depict Confucius, Lao Tzu and the Buddha. It depicts a Taoist priest, a Confucian scholar, and a Buddhist monk who were good friends and who were so into their conversation on their way to their homes that they had been having that they had passed up their own houses and who burst out laughing. As I had said before, the painting in question is meant to depict the harmonious relationship that exists between Confucians, Taoists, and Buddhists.
In spite of these mistakes, I would still highly recommend this course because it is very interesting. If you buy it, you will learn a lot. I sure did.
One person found this helpful
HelpfulReport
Daniel A Goldman
5.0 out of 5 stars Really greatReviewed in the United States on June 24, 2013
This is really an incredibly good course. The teacher is kind of folksy, speaks very clearly, conveys really interesting information. I learned a lot, both intellectually (facts), and personally.
I watched the DVD version, and enjoyed the visuals. But I think this would also work well with just an audio version. Overall, really no criticism at all.
One person found this helpful
HelpfulReport
