chronology of religions![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Religions have usually been signalized by a prophet or an event; they have overlapped and influenced one another throughout the course of history.
Jesus Christ ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Prophet regarded by Christians as the Son of God; he was crucified and resurrected three days later.
David ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
King of Israel and considered to be the founder of Jerusalem; many of the psalms in the Old Testament are attributed to David.
Calvinism: John Calvin ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Protestant religion based on the theology of John Calvin, who founded Protestantism in France.
Talmud ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Compilation of writings on Jewish law by generations of scholars and rabbis.
Koran ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Sacred text of Muslims; it contains the revelations made by Allah to the prophet Muhammad.
The Great Schism ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Split between the Church of Rome and the Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople; it came about because the Greeks refused to recognize the authority of the pope in Rome.
Saint Peter ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Apostle of Jesus Christ who is considered to have been the first pope of Rome.
Moses ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
God dictated the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai.
Abraham ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The first biblical patriarch who is regarded as the ancestor of the Jewish people; God made his covenant with Abraham.
Shinto ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Polytheistic religion of Japan with divinities such as stars, animals and plants that personify natural forces; Shintoists venerate the emperor.
Confucianism: Confucius ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Religion of China named after the philosopher Confucius, whose teachings emphasize the natural order and hierarchy of things and the importance of being in harmony with nature.
Buddhism: Buddha ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Asian religion named after a sage from India who taught that the aim of life is to abolish suffering and to achieve enlightenment or nirvana.
Hinduism ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Polytheistic religion of India made up of a complex body of ideas, beliefs and practices.
Shiism ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Branch of Islam that resulted from the schism initiated by Muslims who contested the succession of Abu Bakr; they regarded Ali, son-in-law of Muhammad, as the rightful caliph.
Sunnism ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Branch of Islam that observes the Sunna, a body of traditional Muslim law based on the teachings and acts of Muhammad.
Islam: Muhammad ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Religion of Muslims, who believe in Allah as the sole deity; Islam was founded by the prophet Muhammad and its teachings are collected in the Koran.
Lutheranism: Martin Luther ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Protestant religion founded by Martin Luther, a German theologian; in 1517, he wrote 95 theses condemning certain papal practices.
Anglicanism: Henry VIII ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Protestant religion of the Church of England; when the pope refused to grant him a divorce, Henry VIII provoked a schism with Rome.
Protestantism ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The Christian churches that grew out of the Reformation; Protestantism posits a personal relationship with Christ requiring no intermediary.
Orthodox Church: Michel Keroularios ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The Eastern Christian churches that separated from Rome in 1054; Michel Keroularios, the patriarch of Constantinople, initiated the Great Schism.
Catholicism ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Christian religion that recognizes the authority of the pope in matters of dogma and morality.
Judaism: Old Testament ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Religion that holds that the Jews are God’s chosen people; the Old Testament tells the story of the covenant between God and the people of Israel.
Christianity: New Testament ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as related in the New Testament, which is made up mainly of the Gospels and Epistles.