Dqweekseven00

Chapter 7 DQ Jennifer Sun Why did Buddhism and Christianity spread when and as they did? Thesis Statement: Buddhism and Christianity spread when and as they did due to the tightly bounded connections between trade and travel, religion, and imperial politics involved in the extensive trade networks of this time period.

Buddhism ♠

Trade and Travel

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♠ ♠ Religious promotion

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Monks, missionaries, and pilgrims who followed the Silk Road, came in contact with the Indian subcontinent or the Indian Ocean brought Buddhism to Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. Fa Xian travelled to different Buddhist sites in Afghanistan, India, and Sri Lanka (where he lived for two years). He left written records and brought his findings back to China. Ashoka’s son led missionaries to Sri Lanka. Ashoka’s daughter brought nuns there, as well as a branch of the Bo tree which Buddha received enlightenment under. Buddhist monks probably travelled to Burma, Thailand, and Sumatra.

Christianity ♠ ♠

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Missionaries were sent along the Red Sea trade route to convert those in Yemen and Ethiopia. Christianity that developed in Nubia was brought from Ethiopia.

Christian emperors in Constantinople sent missionaries to convert those in Yemen and Ethiopia. 4th century C.E., two Syrian boys survived an Ethiopian attack and were adopted by the king. After the king’s death one of the boys Frumentius helped establish Christian Communities.

♠ ♠ Imperial Politics

Buddhist ideas spread without the origin in a single ethnic group. King Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire in India and King Kanishka of the Kushans of northern Afghanistan promoted Buddhism during the third and second centuries C.E.

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Armenia served recurrently as a battleground between Iranian and Mediterranean states. The development of an Armenian alphabet allowed Christianity to spread.