Dynamics of Monotheism in Late Antiquity

From early Christianity to the emergence of Islam, the long late antiquity denotes a truly revolutionary period in the history of religions. In many ways, religious ritual patterns and theological worldviews were then radically transformed throughout the Near East and the Mediterranean. In particular, the traditional polytheistic systems collapsed, giving way to various forms of monotheism and dualism.

In Dynamics of Monotheism in Late Antiquity, Guy G. Stroumsa seeks to analyze this multifaceted revolution as a whole, rather than focusing, as is usually the case, on distinct religious communities and traditions, such as Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Gnosticism, Christianity, Manichaeism, and earliest Islam. Many of the elements of religious change in our period can be perceived as a praeparatio coranica, as it were, as they set the scene for the advent of Islam. The thrust of the book is to identify the key dynamics through which religious change happened in the kaleidoscope of religious conceptions. The analysis emphasizes the dialectics between monotheist and dualist perceptions and systems. It will also seek to identify the core elements of the Abrahamic religions in the making.

Guy G. Stroumsa, Martin Buber Professor Emeritus of Comparative Religion and Professor Emeritus of the Study of the Abrahamic Religions, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Oxford University

Guy G. Stroumsa is Martin Buber Professor Emeritus of Comparative Religion, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Professor Emeritus of the Study of the Abrahamic Religions, and Emeritus Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford. He is a Member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, of the Academia Europea, and of the British Academy. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Zurich. He received the Humboldt Research Award, the Leopold-Lucas Prize, and the Rothschild Prize. He is a Chevalier de l'Ordre du Mérite.

Introduction: A Religious Revolution1. Origen, Plotinus, and Unio Mystica2. Henotheizing Pagans and Abraham's Religion3. Varieties of Dualism4. A Just God or a Good God?5. Election and Ethnicity6. Discourse and Violence7. One God, One Self?Conclusion: Political Repercussions of Monotheism