bhakti
Hindu devotional movement that flourished in the early modern era, emphasizing music, dance, poetry, and rituals as means by which to achieve union with divine
Catholic Counter-Reformation
An internal reform of the Catholic Church in the 16th century; thanks especially to the work of the Council of Trent, Catholic leaders clarified doctrines, corrected abuses and corruption, and put a new emphasis on education and accountability
Condorcet and Idea of progress
A French philosopher and mathematician who argued that human affairs were moving into an era of near-infinite improvability, with slavery, racism, tyranny, and other human trials swept away by the triumph of reason
Nicolaus Copernicus
Polish mathematician and astronomer who was the first to argue for the existence of a heliocentric cosmo
Council of Trent
main instrument of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, through which the Catholic Church clarified doctrines and corrected abuses
Charles Darwin
English biologist whose theory of natural selection continues to be seen as a threat to revealed religious truth
Deism
Belief in divine being who created the cosmos but who doesn't intervene directly in human affairs
Edict of Nantes
Issued in 1598 by French King Henry IV that granted considerable religious toleration to French Protestants and ended the French Wars of Religion
European Enlightenment
European intellectual movement of 18th century that applied lessons of scientific revolution to human affairs and was noted for its commitment to open-mindedness and inquiry and to the belief that knowledge could transform human society
Sigmund Freud
Austrian doctor and father of modern psychoanalysis; his theories about the operation of the human mind and emotions remain influential today
Galileo Galilei
Italian astronomer who further developed the ideas of Copernicus and whose work was eventually surpressed by the Catholic Church
Huacas
Local gods of the Andes
Huguenots
Protestant minority in France
Jesuits in China
series of Jesuit missionaries in late 16th and 17th century who, inspired by the works of Matteo Ricci, made extraordinary efforts to understand and become a part of Chinese culture in their efforts to convert the Chinese elite to Christianity, although w
kaozheng
Literally "research based on evidence," Chinese intellectual movement whose practitioners emphasized the importance of evidence and analysis, applied especially to historical documents
Martin Luther
German priest and theologian who inaugrated the Protestan Reformation movement in Europe
Karl Marx
German philosopher whose view of human history as a class struggle formed the basis of socialism
Mirabei
One of India's most beloved bhakti poets, she helped break down barriers of caste and tradition
Guru Nanak
The founder of Sikhism
Isaac Newton
English natural scientist whose formulation of the laws of motion and mechanics is regarded as the culmination of the Scientific Revolution
Ninety-Five Theses
List of 95 depating points about the abuses of the Church, posted by Martin Luther on the door of a church; the Church's strong reaction eventuall drove Luther to separate from Catholic Christianity
Protestant Reformation
schism within Christianity that began with Martin Luther; while the leaders of the movement claimed that they sought to "reform" a church that had fallen from biblical practice, in reality the movement was radically innovative in its challenge to church a
Matteo Ricci
most famous Jesuit missionary in China in early modern period; active in China from 1582-1610
Scientific Revolution
European intellectual and cultural transformation that was based on the principles of the scientific method
Sikhism
religious tradition of northern India founded by Guru Nanak; combines elements of Hinduism and Islam and proclaims the brotherhood of all humans and the equality of men and women
Society of Jesus
Jesuits", Catholic religious society was founded to encourage renewal of Catholicism through education and preaching; it became leading Catholic missionary order beyond borders of Europe
Taki Onqoy
dancing sickness", a religious revival movement in central Peru in 1560s whose members preached the imminent destruction of Christianity and of Europeans in favor of renewed Andean golden Age
Thirts Years' War
Highly destructive war that eventually included most of Europe; fought for the most part between protestants and Catholics, conflict ended with Peace of Westphalia
Voltaire
Pen name of French philosopher, whose work is often taken as a model of Enlightenment questioning of traditional values and attitudes; noted for deism and criticism of established religion
Wahhabi Islam
Major islamic movement led by Muslim theologian Abd-Al-Wahhab that advocated an austere lifestyle and strict adherence to the Sharia (Islamic law)
Wang Yangming
Chinese Philosopher who argued that it ws possible to achieve a virtuous life by introspection, without the extensive education prescribed by traditional Confucianism