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The Invention of God
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Thomas Römer
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Translated by:
Raymond Geuss
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2015
About this book
Who invented God? When, why, and where? Thomas Römer seeks to answer these enigmatic questions about the deity of the great monotheisms—Yhwh, God, or Allah—by tracing Israelite beliefs and their context from the Bronze Age to the end of the Old Testament period in the third century BCE, in a masterpiece of detective work and exposition.
Author / Editor information
Römer Thomas :
Thomas Römer is Professor of the Hebrew Bible and Its Contexts at the Collège de France and invited Professor at the University of Lausanne.
Reviews
Römer, a distinguished scholar rather than an ideologue, seeks to determine exactly what is historical and exactly what is not in the depiction of God. This is a brilliant book.
-- Robert A. Segal Times Higher Education
-- Robert A. Segal Times Higher Education
Römer presents a scholarly and provocative account of how a minor tribal deity likely grew to become—or revealed himself to be—Lord of Creation.
-- David O’Reilly Philadelphia Inquirer
-- David O’Reilly Philadelphia Inquirer
Römer is interested in the emergence of a deity whose nature is now so familiar that its startling originality no longer startles.
-- Brian Bethune Maclean’s
-- Brian Bethune Maclean’s
It reads very well, is well translated and has a bit of the excitement of discovery for engaged readers.
-- John C. Endres and Jean-François Racine America
-- John C. Endres and Jean-François Racine America
Römer deftly weaves together evidence from the Bible with extra-biblical archeological finds that mention Israel and Yhwh to outline the development of monotheism… Not until Jerusalem’s destruction in 587 BCE did Yhwh become the universal, monotheistic god untied to place or particular monarch, the god who was later adopted by Christians and Muslims. Römer writes with clarity and accuracy and tells a compelling story. This book is a masterful work, tying together an enormous amount of information in a concise format.
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
There is nothing quite like this book in English. The Invention of God traces the history of the God of Israel from the late Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period, charting the rise of Yhwh as the sole God. The period covered is vast, the thesis is provocative and stimulating, and the scholarship is cutting-edge.
-- Timothy Lim, University of Edinburgh
-- Timothy Lim, University of Edinburgh
Römer is a sure-footed guide to what is often a difficult discussion. A learned and elegant book.
-- Nathan MacDonald, University of Cambridge
-- Nathan MacDonald, University of Cambridge
Römer is the first to have brought all the relevant material together in such an accessible form, setting out both literary and archaeological evidence clearly and readably.
-- John Barton Church Times
-- John Barton Church Times
[An] excellent book…A masterly work of historical detection that looks at the evolution of Jewish faith from the Bronze Age to the Hellenic period. This is a superb work of scholarship.
-- Paul Richardson The Church of England Newspaper
-- Paul Richardson The Church of England Newspaper
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
December 14, 2015
eBook ISBN:
9780674915732
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
296
Other:
10 line illustrations, 8 maps, 2 tables
eBook ISBN:
9780674915732
Audience(s) for this book
General/trade;
