Othmar Keel
Jerusalem und der eine Gott
Eine Religionsgeschichte
1. Edition 2011
128 pages
ISBN 978-3-525-54010-7
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
plus S&H
Book
| PDF eBook | 19,99 € |
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Few famous cities have been so controversial over time as Jerusalem. Rarely has it been ruled by leaders from its own ranks, and long is the list of foreign powers that have ruled over it, stretching all the way back to Biblical times. There was a near-endless coming and going of Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Ptolemies, Seleucids, and Romans. And the same important question occurred again and again to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: How should they react to the new rulers and their respective culture? Various forms of adaptation and resistance emerged. The role of Jerusalem as a important site of world history, however, does not go back to the many and turbulent political upheavals, the growth and decline of territories, but to the fact that it was the birthplace of monotheism, a decisive element in the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam – all of which do not have the best reputation today. In many circles polytheistic systems with their plentitude of gods enjoy more sympathy.
Othmar Keel has been active scientifically for over 50 years. Here he describes in short vignettes how the Israeli-Jewish monotheism absorbed many experiences, symbols and insights from poly-theistic religions and integrated them into its global vision. To this end, Keel masterfully employs both Biblical and non-Biblical texts and sources as well as archaeological and iconographic findings. Particularly the latter are heavily represented in his descriptions and are the source of many surprising facts.