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Animal Rights History Timeline » [BCE-CE] Antiquity » Ancient Religion and Myth

Ancient Religion and Myth

Ancient Religions and those that evolved from them

Although Jainism is the only religion to consistently advocate against harming any living being, passages against cruelty to animals can be found in the literature of many other ancient religions as well as those that evolved from them: Hinduism [Manu], Judaism [God, Moses], Islam [Muhammad], Zoroastrianism [Zoraster], Buddhism [Sakya-Muni, Asoka], Christianity [Jesus] and others advocate kindness to animals and often prescribe vegetarianism as a way of life.

Documenting the source of these specific religious teachings against cruelty to animals and their views regarding vegetarianism will be an enormous task due to the sheer volume of ancient religious texts, interpretations and translations. In order to move forward in this timeline, I must allow this paragraph to introduce these writings for now and leave you, the reader to pursue these lines of inquiry at your own leisure. As time has permitted, I have introduced some of these writings through both primary and secondary sources.

Mythical and Divine Origin

[Mythical Origin] Triptolemus on Ancient Athenian Laws
[Mythical Origin] Draco, Laws of Draco
[Mythical Origin] Orpheus
[Divine Orgin] Manu, the Brahmins Mythical Survivor of the Flood

[Historic India]—The doctrines of Ahimsa & Vegetarianism evolve.

Ancient Egyptian Priests and Prophets

[5th c. BCE] Herodotus, "On Egyptian Priests" in Histories
[480-406 BCE] Euripides, Jupiter of Crete Prophets in Porphyry's, On Abstinence from Animal Food [3rd c.].
[c350-285 BCE] Dicaearchus, On the Pristine Life of the Greeks, in Porphyry's On Abstinence from Animal Food [3rd c.].
[c350-285 BCE] Dicaearchus, Narration of the Manners of the Ancient Greeks in Saint Jerome's Against Jovinianus [393]
[1st c. CE] Chaeremon of Alexandria, Chaeremon the Stoic, On the Life of the Ancient Priests," in Saint Jerome's Against Jovinianus [393]
[ca245-ca305] Porphyry, On the Life of the Ancient Priests in On Abstinence from Animal Food, Book the Fourth

Early Church Fathers

[329-379] St. Basil of Casearea
[354-430] Augustine of Hippo
[c347-407] St. Chrysostom
[c348-420] Saint Jerome
[354-430] Saint Augustine of Hippo