Overview
The shift from polytheism to monotheism changed the world radically. Akhenaten and Moses-a figure of history and a figure of tradition-symbolize this shift in its incipient, revolutionary stages and represent two civilizations that were brought into the closest connection as early as the Book of Exodus, where Egypt stands for the old world to be rejected and abandoned in order to enter the new one.The seven chapters of this seminal study shed light on the great transformation from different angles. Between Egypt in the first chapter and monotheism in the last, five chapters deal in various ways with the transition from one to the other, analyzing the Exodus myth, understanding the shift in terms of evolution and revolution, confronting Akhenaten and Moses in a new way, discussing Karl Jaspers' theory of the Axial Age, and dealing with the eighteenth-century view of the Egyptian mysteries as a cultural model.
Full Product Details
Author: Jan Assmann
Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press
Imprint: The American University in Cairo Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.00cm
, Height: 1.30cm
, Length: 23.00cm
Weight: 0.324kg
ISBN: 9789774167492
ISBN 10: 977416749
Pages: 168
Publication Date: 23 March 2016
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
"""Will appeal to readers who enjoy exploring the world of ideas and the ways in which such ideas have shaped societies for both good and ill.""--Ancient Egypt ""A seminal work of truly impressive scholarship. An exceptionally well written, organized, and presented study that is enhanced with the inclusion of eighteen pages of Notes and a comprehensive Index, this seminal work is very highly recommended for academic library collections and the supplemental studies reading lists for students of Egyptian antiquity.""--Midwest Book Review"
""Will appeal to readers who enjoy exploring the world of ideas and the ways in which such ideas have shaped societies for both good and ill.""—Ancient Egypt ""A seminal work of truly impressive scholarship. An exceptionally well written, organized, and presented study that is enhanced with the inclusion of eighteen pages of Notes and a comprehensive Index, this seminal work is very highly recommended for academic library collections and the supplemental studies reading lists for students of Egyptian antiquity.""—Midwest Book Review
Will appeal to readers who enjoy exploring the world of ideas and the ways in which such ideas have shaped societies for both good and ill. --Ancient Egypt A seminal work of truly impressive scholarship. An exceptionally well written, organized, and presented study that is enhanced with the inclusion of eighteen pages of Notes and a comprehensive Index, this seminal work is very highly recommended for academic library collections and the supplemental studies reading lists for students of Egyptian antiquity. --Midwest Book Review
Author Information
Jan Assmann is a German Egyptologist widely known for his work on the origins of monotheism. Formerly professor of Egyptology at the University of Heidelberg, he is now honorary professor of cultural studies at the University of Constance. He is the author of Moses the Egyptian: The Memory of Egypt in Western Monotheism (1998), and The Price of Monotheism (2009).
