The Origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

The Origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

by John Pickard
The Origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

The Origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

by John Pickard

eBook

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Overview

There has never been a more important time for a study of the social, economic and political origins of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, three important world religions which share a common root. This book takes as its starting point the idea that gods, angels, miracles and other supernatural phenomena do not exist in the real world and therefore cannot explain the origins of these faiths. It looks instead at the material conditions at appropriate periods in antiquity and the social and economic forces at work, and it examines the historicity of key figures like Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed.

This is a unique book which draws on the research, knowledge and expertise of hundreds of historians, archaeologists, and scholars, to create a synthesis that is completely coherent and at the same time is based on real-world social conditions. It is a book by a non-believer for other non-believers, and it will be a revelatory read, even to those already of an atheist, agnostic, or secularist persuasion.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781399006774
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date: 01/04/2023
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 352
File size: 24 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

John Pickard has worked as a research scientist in the pharmaceutical industry, as a school science teacher and as a political journalist. In his work as a journalist he has written many articles, features and magazine contributions on science and materialism. This book is the fruit of many years of literature research and will be an interesting and valuable read to atheists from all cultural and religious backgrounds.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Technical Notes and Glossary xii

Part I The Foundations of Judaism

Chapter 1 Early Myths: Creation, Exodus and Conquest 2

Chapter 2 The First Israelites 13

Chapter 3 Class Differences in the Israelite States 30

Chapter 4 Exile and Return 57

Chapter 5 The Hasmonean Dynasty and Rome 76

Part II The Foundations of Christianity

Chapter 6 Christian Tradition and the Evidence 104

Chapter 7 The Early Christian Communities 124

Chapter 8 The Gospels and the Church Bureaucracy 144

Chapter 9 Judaism Lite 158

Chapter 10 The Class Basis of the Early Church 177

Chapter 11 The 'Conversion' of Constantine 196

Part III The Foundations of Islam

Chapter 12 The Traditional Story of the Prophet and the Problem of Sources 208

Chapter 13 Critique of the Koranic Tradition 226

Chapter 14 The Revisionist Scholarship 243

Chapter 15 The Early Seventh Century and the Origins of the Arab Empire 256

Chapter 16 Abd Al-Malik's Centralised State 275

Chapter 17 The Class Character of the Arab Empire 289

Chapter 18 Class Struggle, Civil War and the Abbasid Revolution 303

Appendix I The Genesis Enigma 315

Appendix II Two Separate Noah Stories 317

Appendix III The Christian Insertions into The Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, by Josephus 321

Appendix IV Slavery in Ancient Judaism, Christianity and Islam 322

Postscript 327

Bibliography 329

Index 334

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