Standing at the very foundation of monotheism, and so of Western
culture, Moses is a figure not of history, but of memory. As such,
he is the quintessential subject for the innovative historiography
Jan Assmann both defines and practices in this work, the study of
historical memory--a study, in this case, of the ways in which
factual and fictional events and characters are stored in religious
beliefs and transformed in their philosophical justification,
literary reinterpretation, philological restitution (or
falsification), and psychoanalytic demystification. To account for
the complexities of the foundational event through which monotheism
was established, Moses the Egyptian goes back to the short-lived
monotheistic revolution of the Egyptian king Akhenaten (1360-1340
B.C.E.). Assmann traces the monotheism of Moses to this source,
then shows how his followers denied the Egyptians any part in the
origin of their beliefs and condemned them as polytheistic
idolaters. Thus began the cycle in which every "counter-religion,"
by establishing itself as truth, denounced all others as false.
Assmann reconstructs this cycle as a pattern of historical abuse,
and tracks its permutations from ancient sources, including the
Bible, through Renaissance debates over the basis of religion to
Sigmund Freud's Moses and Monotheism. One of the great
Egyptologists of our time, and an exceptional scholar of history
and literature, Assmann is uniquely equipped for this
undertaking--an exemplary case study of the vicissitudes of
historical memory that is also a compelling lesson in the fluidity
of cultural identity and beliefs.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
