Of God and Gods: Egypt, Israel, and the Rise of Monotheism

For thousands of years, our world has been shaped by biblical monotheism. But its hallmark-a distinction between one true God and many false gods-was once a new and radical idea. Of God and Gods explores the revolutionary newness of biblical theology against a background of the polytheism that was once so commonplace.
Jan Assmann, one of the most distinguished scholars of ancient Egypt working today, traces the concept of a true religion back to its earliest beginnings in Egypt and describ...