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The invention of religion : faith and covenant in the Book of Exodus

by Jan Assmann, Robert Savage

This study examines how the Book of Exodus established the foundations of monotheism. It analyses themes of covenant, revelation, and redemption that shaped Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, redefining the historical relationship between humanity and the divine.

Accession 13541 ISBN 9780691157085 Publisher Princeton University Press
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Identity

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The invention of religion : faith and covenant in the Book of Exodus
vernon_id
21502
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13541
vernon_slug
the-invention-of-religion-faith-and-covenant-in-the-book-of-exodus-jan-assmann-translated-by-robert-savage

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On Shelf
location_name
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location_reason
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isbn_issn→ isbn (when valid)
9780691157085

Descriptive

production_date
2018
object_type
Books/Document genres/Information forms/Visual and Verbal Communication
object_status
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brief_description
A groundbreaking account of how the Book of Exodus shaped fundamental aspects of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam The 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.

Subjects & people

authors→ author (initial fill only)
Jan Assmann, Robert Savage
tags→ tags
Religions, Religion, History, Civilisation, Religious thought, Islam, Christianity, Theology, Judaism, Bronze age, Church history, Monotheism, Theological anthropology, Polytheism
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Topics and Themes