The Invention of Religion : Faith and Covenant in the Book of Exodus / Jan Assmann.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Assmann, Jan, author.

Contributor:

Savage, Robert.

Standardized Title:

Exodus, die Revolution der alten Welt. English

Language:

English

German

Subjects (All):

Moses (Biblical leader).

Moses.

Bible. Exodus.

Bible. Exodus--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Jews.

Israelites crossing the Red Sea (Biblical event).

Exodus, The.

Jews--History--To 1200 B.C.

Genre:

History.

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xviii, 392 pages :) illustrations ;

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2018]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

A groundbreaking account of how the Book of Exodus shaped fundamental aspects of Judaism, Christianity, and IslamThe Book of Exodus may be the most consequential story ever told. But its spectacular moments of heaven-sent plagues and parting seas overshadow its true significance, says Jan Assmann, a leading historian of ancient religion. The story of Moses guiding the enslaved children of Israel out of captivity to become God's chosen people is the foundation of an entirely new idea of religion, one that lives on today in many of the world's faiths. The Invention of Religion sheds new light on ancient scriptures to show how Exodus has shaped fundamental understandings of monotheistic practice and belief.Assmann delves into the enduring mythic power of the Exodus narrative, examining the text's compositional history and calling attention to distinctive motifs and dichotomies: enslavement and redemption; belief and doubt; proper worship and idolatry; loyalty and betrayal. Revelation is a central theme--the revelation of God's power in miracles, of God's presence in the burning bush, and of God's chosen dwelling among the Israelites in the vision of the tabernacle. Above all, it is God's covenant with Israel-the binding obligation of the Israelites to acknowledge God as their redeemer and obey His law-that is Exodus's most encompassing and transformative idea, one that challenged basic assumptions about humankind's relationship to the divine in the ancient world.The Invention of Religion is a powerful account of how ideas of faith, revelation, and covenant, first introduced in Exodus, shaped Judaism and were later adopted by Christianity and Islam to form the bedrock of the world's Abrahamic religions.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

Illustrations

Foreword

Introduction

PART ONE. GENERAL FOUNDATIONS

CHAPTER ONE. Theme and Structure of the Book of Exodus

CHAPTER TWO. The Historical Background: Event and Remembrance

CHAPTER THREE. Textual History and the History of Meaning

PART TWO. THE EXODUS

CHAPTER FOUR. The Tribulations of the Israelites and the Birth of the Savior

CHAPTER FIVE. God Reveals His Name: Moses at the Burning Bush

CHAPTER SIX. Signs and Wonders: God Reveals His Power

PART THREE. THE COVENANT

CHAPTER SEVEN. The Calling of the People

CHAPTER EIGHT. Treaty and Law

CHAPTER NINE. Resistance Moses and the Violent Fate of the Prophets

CHAPTER TEN. The Institutionalization of Divine Presence

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Illustration Credits

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 365-382) and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Mai 2019)

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9781400889235

1400889235

OCLC:

1132663995