Editing History of religion (section)

==Axial age==
{{See also|Axial Age}}
Some historians have labelled the period from 900 to 200 BCE as the "axial age", a term coined by [[Germany|German]]-Swiss [[philosopher]] [[Karl Jaspers]] (1883–1969). According to Jaspers, in this era of history "the [[spirituality|spiritual]] foundations of humanity were laid simultaneously and independently... And these are the foundations upon which humanity still subsists today." Intellectual historian [[Peter Watson (intellectual historian)|Peter Watson]] has summarized this period as the foundation time of many of humanity's most influential philosophical traditions, including monotheism in [[Persia]] and [[Canaan]], [[Platonism]] in Greece, [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]] in India, and [[Confucianism]] and [[Taoism]] in China. These ideas would become institutionalized in time – note for example [[Ashoka]]'s role in the spread of Buddhism, or the role of [[Neoplatonism and Christianity|Neoplatonic philosophy in Christianity]] at its foundation.

The historical roots of Jainism in India date back to the 9th century BCE with the rise of [[Parshvanatha]] and his non-violent philosophy.{{sfn|Dundas|2002|p=30}}{{sfn|Zimmer|1953|p= 182–183}}{{request quotation|date=July 2017}}