CLEP Western Civ I

Answer: C - The earliest monotheistic religions that originated in the Near East were Judaism and Zoroastrianism. A monotheistic religion is a faith with a single god or supreme power. Judaism evolved out of the Canaanite religion, then came into its own in Israel, perhaps as early as the 13th century BCE. It was the first Abrahamic religion and the origin for much of Christianity and Islam. The central figure in Judaism is Yahweh (or God). Zoroastrianism was developed in present-day Iran, no earlier than the seventh century BCE. It is based on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster and has a central creator figure named Ahura Mazda. Both religions may have originally been polytheistic, but throughout most of their respective histories, they have been exclusively monotheistic faiths.