The Origins and Diversity of Axial Age Civilizations

Contents

Contributors Preface Contents Introduction: The Axial Age Breakthroughs-Their Characteristics and Origins S.N. Eisenstadt Part I The Origins of the Axial Age in Ancient Greece Introduction: The Axial Age Breakthrough in Ancient ix XI Greece S.N. Eisenstadt 29 I. The Emergence of Second-order Thinking in Classical Greece Yehuda Elkana 40 2. The Emergence of an Autonomous Intelligence among the Greeks Christian Meier 65 3. Dynamics of the Greek Breakthrough: The Dialogue between Philosophy and Religion S.C. Humphreys 92 4. The Meaning of the Word cr&~a. (Body) in the Axial Age: An Interpretation of Plato's Cratylus 400C R. Ferwerda Ill Part II The Origins of the Axial Age in Ancient Israelwith a Comparative Look at Assyria Introduction: The Axial Age Breakthrough in Ancient Israel S.N. Eisenstadt 127 5. Myth and Reality in Ancient Israel Benjamin Uffenheimer 135 v VI CONTENTS 6. The Protest against Imperialism in Ancient Israelite Prophecy Moshe Weinfeld 169 7. On Self-Consciousness in Mesopotamia Peter Machinist 183 8. Monarchy and the Elite in Assyria and Babylonia: The Question of Royal Accountability Hayim Tadmor 203 Part III The Secondary Breakthroughs in Late AntiquitySecond Temple Judaism and Christianity Introduction: The Secondary Breakthrough in Ancient Israelite Civilization-The Second Commonwealth and Christianity S.N. Eisenstadt 227 9. Eschatology, Remythologization, and Cosmic Aporia Michael E. Stone 241 10. Old Wine and New Bottles: On Patristic Soteriology and Rabbinic Judaism Gedaliahu G. Stroumsa 252 11. The Role of Christianity in the Depolitization of the Roman Empire Hans G. Kippenberg 261 12. Architects of Competing Transcendental Visions in Late Antiquity G. W. Bowersock 280 Part IV The Origins of the Axial Age in China and India Introduction: The Axial Age Breakthrough in China and India S.N. Eisenstadt 291 13. Historical Conditions of the Emergence and Crystallization of the Confucian System Cho- Yun Hsu 306 14. Was There a Transcendental Breakthrough in China? Mark Elvin 325 15. The Structure and Function of the Confucian Intellectual in Ancient China Tu Wei-Ming 360 16. The Historical Background of India's Axial Age Hermann Kulke 374 17. Ritual, Revelation, and Axial Age J.C. Heesterman 393 18. Asvatthaman and B~hanna9a: Brahmin and Kingly Paradigms in the Sanskrit Epic David Shulman 407 19. Some Observations on the Place of Intellectuals in Max Weber's Sociology, with Special Reference to Hinduism Edward Shils 427 20. The Reflexive and Institutional Achievements of Early Buddhism Stanley J. Tambiah 453 Contents Part V Islam VII Introductory Remarks: Islam S.N. Eisenstadt 475 21. The Emergence of Islamic Civilisation Michael Cook 476 Notes 485 ...