The Search for God in Ancient Egypt - Softcover

Assmann, Jan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801487293 ISBN 13: 9780801487293

Publisher: Cornell University Press, 2001

Synopsis

First English-language edition, with revisions and additions by the author.

This classic work by one of the world's most distinguished Egyptologists was first published in German in 1984. The Search for God in Ancient Egypt offers a distillation of Jan Assmann's views on ancient Egyptian religion, with special emphasis on theology and piety. Deeply rooted in the texts of ancient Egypt and thoroughly informed by comparative religion, theology, anthropology, and semiotic analysis, Assmann's interpretations reveal the complexity of Egyptian thought in a new way.

Assmann takes special care to distinguish between the "implicit" theology of Egyptian polytheism and the "explicit" theology that is concerned with exploring the problem of the divine. His discussion of polytheism and mythology addresses aspects of ritual, the universe, and myth; his consideration of explicit theology deals with theodicy and the specifics of Amarna religion.

About this title

About the Author:

Jan Assmann is Professor of Egyptology at Heidelberg University and the 1998 winner of the prestigious Deutsche Historikerpreis (German History Prize). David Lorton, an Egyptologist, has translated other Cornell books, including The Twilight of Ancient Egypt: First Millennium B.C.E. by Karol Mysliwiec and The Priests of Ancient Egypt, New Edition by Serge Sauneron.

Language Notes:

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

About this edition

• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0801487293
• ISBN 13: 9780801487293
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288