{"product_id":"the-invention-of-religion-jan-assmann-9780691157085","title":"The Invention of Religion: Faith and Covenant in the Book of Exodus","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA groundbreaking account of how the Book of Exodus shaped fundamental aspects of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe Book of Exodus may be the most consequential story ever told. But its spectacular moments of heaven-sent plagues and parting seas overshadow its true significance, says Jan Assmann, a leading historian of ancient religion. The story of Moses guiding the enslaved children of Israel out of captivity to become God's chosen people is the foundation of an entirely new idea of religion, one that lives on today in many of the world's faiths. \u003ci\u003eThe Invention of Religion\u003c\/i\u003e sheds new light on ancient scriptures to show how Exodus has shaped fundamental understandings of monotheistic practice and belief. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAssmann delves into the enduring mythic power of the Exodus narrative, examining the text's compositional history and calling attention to distinctive motifs and dichotomies: enslavement and redemption; belief and doubt; proper worship and idolatry; loyalty and betrayal. Revelation is a central theme--the revelation of God's power in miracles, of God's presence in the burning bush, and of God's chosen dwelling among the Israelites in the vision of the tabernacle. Above all, it is God's covenant with Israel--the binding obligation of the Israelites to acknowledge God as their redeemer and obey His law--that is Exodus's most encompassing and transformative idea, one that challenged basic assumptions about humankind's relationship to the divine in the ancient world. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Invention of Religion\u003c\/i\u003e is a powerful account of how ideas of faith, revelation, and covenant, first introduced in Exodus, shaped Judaism and were later adopted by Christianity and Islam to form the bedrock of the world's Abrahamic religions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jan Assmann\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0691157081\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691157085\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/27\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 416\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.40h x 6.20w x 1.50d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2018 pg. 89\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2018","brand":"Jan Assmann","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44128515227903,"sku":"9780691157085","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_f169e447-e9f0-4774-8c7d-afae777e2b38.jpg?v=1687459044","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-invention-of-religion-jan-assmann-9780691157085","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}