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coriandercake's review
4.0
Fascinating look at Moses in the discourse on Egypt since the seventeenth century. This book is more about how ideas about Moses and monotheism have evolved than a direct analysis of primary sources, although that is also present in the first and final chapters.
ciannait76's review
5.0
Believe it or not once I started this book I just didn't want to put it down. It is a good survey of what the people in the 17th and 18th century thought of monotheism and polytheism and how they reacted to it. The emphasis here of course is on Moses, and his connection to biblical texts and to Egypt.
I have read some criticism of this book and the author being called Anti-Semetic, I don't see it when reading this book. The author has shown and very well I think what he calls cosmothism and monotheism and how one is a reaction to another. Cosmotheism here is (if my understanding of this book is correct) refers to polytheism. He calls it Cosmotheism because he feels that even though the gods differ in name and shape they don't really differ in FUNCTION. He sees monotheism as a counter-religion. And it is the starting point of the concept of the "other". It was interesting to read about possibly the first monotheist, Akhenaton, and how his religion and what happened after it from plagues was the starting point of the concept of "other" in religion.
If you are studying religion then this book is one that should be read if not for the content about religion, then for the survey of what people thought of the connection between Egypt and monotheism in the 17th and 18th century.
I have read some criticism of this book and the author being called Anti-Semetic, I don't see it when reading this book. The author has shown and very well I think what he calls cosmothism and monotheism and how one is a reaction to another. Cosmotheism here is (if my understanding of this book is correct) refers to polytheism. He calls it Cosmotheism because he feels that even though the gods differ in name and shape they don't really differ in FUNCTION. He sees monotheism as a counter-religion. And it is the starting point of the concept of the "other". It was interesting to read about possibly the first monotheist, Akhenaton, and how his religion and what happened after it from plagues was the starting point of the concept of "other" in religion.
If you are studying religion then this book is one that should be read if not for the content about religion, then for the survey of what people thought of the connection between Egypt and monotheism in the 17th and 18th century.
the_games_a_foot's review
3.0
Great Subject
While I love the subject this book I felt like it added little new scholarship to the discourse. It highlighted other authors in a detailed manner, and while some original ways of looking at data did make an appearance, most of this book, while good, was an exercise in summary (historiography) of past authors. Which there is nothing wrong with I was simply expecting more original interpretation than what I actually felt like I received.
While I love the subject this book I felt like it added little new scholarship to the discourse. It highlighted other authors in a detailed manner, and while some original ways of looking at data did make an appearance, most of this book, while good, was an exercise in summary (historiography) of past authors. Which there is nothing wrong with I was simply expecting more original interpretation than what I actually felt like I received.
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