The Invention of God

Thomas Römer

Published by Harvard University Press 2015

The Invention of God

Thomas Römer
Translated by: Raymond Geuss

https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674915732

Overview
Contents

About this book

Who invented God? When, why, and where? Thomas Römer seeks to answer these enigmatic questions about the deity of the great monotheisms—Yhwh, God, or Allah—by tracing Israelite beliefs and their context from the Bronze Age to the end of the Old Testament period in the third century BCE, in a masterpiece of detective work and exposition.

Author / Editor information

Römer Thomas :

Thomas Römer is Professor of the Hebrew Bible and Its Contexts at the Collège de France and invited Professor at the University of Lausanne.

Reviews

Römer, a distinguished scholar rather than an ideologue, seeks to determine exactly what is historical and exactly what is not in the depiction of God. This is a brilliant book.
-- Robert A. Segal Times Higher Education

Römer presents a scholarly and provocative account of how a minor tribal deity likely grew to become—or revealed himself to be—Lord of Creation.
-- David O’Reilly Philadelphia Inquirer

Römer is interested in the emergence of a deity whose nature is now so familiar that its startling originality no longer startles.
-- Brian Bethune Maclean’s

It reads very well, is well translated and has a bit of the excitement of discovery for engaged readers.
-- John C. Endres and Jean-François Racine America

Römer deftly weaves together evidence from the Bible with extra-biblical archeological finds that mention Israel and Yhwh to outline the development of monotheism… Not until Jerusalem’s destruction in 587 BCE did Yhwh become the universal, monotheistic god untied to place or particular monarch, the god who was later adopted by Christians and Muslims. Römer writes with clarity and accuracy and tells a compelling story. This book is a masterful work, tying together an enormous amount of information in a concise format.
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

There is nothing quite like this book in English. The Invention of God traces the history of the God of Israel from the late Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period, charting the rise of Yhwh as the sole God. The period covered is vast, the thesis is provocative and stimulating, and the scholarship is cutting-edge.
-- Timothy Lim, University of Edinburgh

Römer is a sure-footed guide to what is often a difficult discussion. A learned and elegant book.
-- Nathan MacDonald, University of Cambridge

Römer is the first to have brought all the relevant material together in such an accessible form, setting out both literary and archaeological evidence clearly and readably.
-- John Barton Church Times

[An] excellent book…A masterly work of historical detection that looks at the evolution of Jewish faith from the Bronze Age to the Hellenic period. This is a superb work of scholarship.
-- Paul Richardson The Church of England Newspaper

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Translator’s Note Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	vii
System of Hebrew Transcription Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	viii
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. The God of Israel and His Name Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	24
2. The Geographic Origin of Yhwh Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	35
3. Moses and the Midianites Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	51
4. How Did Yhwh Become the God of Israel? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	71
5. The Entrance of Yhwh into Jerusalem Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	86
6. The Cult of Yhwh in Israel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	104
7. The Cult of Yhwh in Judah Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	124
8. The Statue of Yhwh in Judah Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
9. Yhwh and His Asherah Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	160
10. The Fall of Samaria and the Rise of Judah Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	173
11. The Reform of Josiah Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	191
12. From One God to the Only God Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	210
Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	242
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	255
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	295

Language: English
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 296
Illustrations
- Other: 10 line illustrations, 8 maps, 2 tables

eBook

Published: December 14, 2015
ISBN: 9780674915732