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In this important new book, the distinguished Egyptologist Jan
Assmann provides a masterful overview of a crucial theme in the
religious history of the West - that of 'religio duplex', or dual
religion. He begins by returning to the theology of the Ancient
Egyptians, who set out to present their culture as divided between
the popular and the elite. By examining their beliefs, he argues,
we can distinguish the two faces of ancient religions more
generally: the outer face (that of the official religion) and the
inner face (encompassing the mysterious nature of religious
experience). Assmann explains that the Early Modern period
witnessed the birth of the idea of dual religion with, on the one
hand, the religion of reason and, on the other, that of revelation.
This concept gained new significance in the Enlightenment when the
dual structure of religion was transposed onto the individual. This
meant that man now owed his allegiance not only to his native
religion, but also to a universal 'religion of mankind'. In fact,
argues Assmann, religion can now only hold a place in our
globalized world in this way, as a religion that understands itself
as one among many and has learned to see itself through the eyes of
the other. This bold and wide-ranging book will be essential
reading for historians, theologians and anyone interested in the
nature of religion and its role in the shaping of the modern world.
In this important new book, the distinguished Egyptologist Jan
Assmann provides a masterful overview of a crucial theme in the
religious history of the West - that of 'religio duplex', or dual
religion. He begins by returning to the theology of the Ancient
Egyptians, who set out to present their culture as divided between
the popular and the elite. By examining their beliefs, he argues,
we can distinguish the two faces of ancient religions more
generally: the outer face (that of the official religion) and the
inner face (encompassing the mysterious nature of religious
experience). Assmann explains that the Early Modern period
witnessed the birth of the idea of dual religion with, on the one
hand, the religion of reason and, on the other, that of revelation.
This concept gained new significance in the Enlightenment when the
dual structure of religion was transposed onto the individual. This
meant that man now owed his allegiance not only to his native
religion, but also to a universal 'religion of mankind'. In fact,
argues Assmann, religion can now only hold a place in our
globalized world in this way, as a religion that understands itself
as one among many and has learned to see itself through the eyes of
the other. This bold and wide-ranging book will be essential
reading for historians, theologians and anyone interested in the
nature of religion and its role in the shaping of the modern world.
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