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.
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"Well researched, this is most definitely a serious book for scholars and students interested in the subject. Recommended reading for all."-Frankie's Review of Ancient Egypt
"What, for the ancient Egyptians, was the nature of the world's governing spirits' . . . With the evidence of ancient texts, Assmann considers Egyptian theology, . . . and cults and rites. . . . This deep, analytic book is of the greatest interest not only for specialists in matters Egyptian but also for comparative studies."-Antiquity, September 2001
"The Search for God in Ancient Egypt is an excellent example of how to write an interdisciplinary work. Egyptology is deeply rooted in the translation and interpretation of ancient texts. Assmann successfully combines the primary sources with current theories to present his view on religion, piety and theology of ancient Egypt. Such an approach works well, and while this book is not an introduction, it is highly recommended to scholars and non-specialists interested in the subject."-Monica Bontty, California State University at San Marcos. Bryn Mawr Classical Review, March 2002
"Very occasionally there will appear a book, vibrant with intellectual fervor, which challenges jaded ideas and as such I welcome with the greatest admiration Jan Assmann, The Search for God in Ancient Egypt. At the outset I would urge readers to confront the complexity of the linguistic level of this book . . . because Assmann's total command of the ancient sources and his interpretative insights make joining him on his 'search' a unique experience."-George Hart. Egyptian Archaeology, Fall 2001
"A good survey of Egyptian mythology and hymnography. . . "-Steven M. Stannish, Miami University. History: Review of New Books
"What has made Assmann not only an eminent Egyptologist, but, in Germany, a public intellectual as well, is his sympathetic operation from within Egyptian texts coupled with a deep and detailed knowledge of Western intellectual history. . . . We are very fortunate to see his extraordinary scholarship appearing at last in English, and owe our thanks to . . . Cornell University Press and David Lorton, as well as, of course, to Assmann himself, for this excellent new opportunity."-Tom Hare, Princeton University, Cambridge Archaeological Journal 12:2, October 2002
"What, for the ancient Egyptians, was the nature of the world's governing spirits' . . . With the evidence of ancient texts, Assmann considers Egyptian theology, . . . and cults and rites. . . . This deep, analytic book is of the greatest interest not only for specialists in matters Egyptian but also for comparative studies."-Antiquity, September 2001
"The Search for God in Ancient Egypt is an excellent example of how to write an interdisciplinary work. Egyptology is deeply rooted in the translation and interpretation of ancient texts. Assmann successfully combines the primary sources with current theories to present his view on religion, piety and theology of ancient Egypt. Such an approach works well, and while this book is not an introduction, it is highly recommended to scholars and non-specialists interested in the subject."-Monica Bontty, California State University at San Marcos. Bryn Mawr Classical Review, March 2002
"Very occasionally there will appear a book, vibrant with intellectual fervor, which challenges jaded ideas and as such I welcome with the greatest admiration Jan Assmann, The Search for God in Ancient Egypt. At the outset I would urge readers to confront the complexity of the linguistic level of this book . . . because Assmann's total command of the ancient sources and his interpretative insights make joining him on his 'search' a unique experience."-George Hart. Egyptian Archaeology, Fall 2001
"A good survey of Egyptian mythology and hymnography. . . "-Steven M. Stannish, Miami University. History: Review of New Books
"What has made Assmann not only an eminent Egyptologist, but, in Germany, a public intellectual as well, is his sympathetic operation from within Egyptian texts coupled with a deep and detailed knowledge of Western intellectual history. . . . We are very fortunate to see his extraordinary scholarship appearing at last in English, and owe our thanks to . . . Cornell University Press and David Lorton, as well as, of course, to Assmann himself, for this excellent new opportunity."-Tom Hare, Princeton University, Cambridge Archaeological Journal 12:2, October 2002
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39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Useful and interesting reading for all,
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This review is from: The Search for God in Ancient Egypt (Paperback)
First published in 1984, this book is finally available in English. The author offers his views on Ancient Egyptian religion, theology and piety. In the various chapters (The Cosmos, Myth, The New Gods, Theodicy and Theology), he explains the difficulties when discussing Ancient Egyptian thought, rituals and cultic beliefs. This book attempts to compare religions based on what is known about the Ancient Egyptian religion. Well researched, this is most definitely a serious book for scholars and students interested in the subject. Recommended reading for all.
31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Provocative general account of Egyptian Religion,
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This review is from: The Search for God in Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)
The Search for God in Ancient Egypt by Jan Assmann (Cornell University Press) (PAPERBACK) provides a fresh synthesis of the main characteristics of Egyptian religion. Unlike the more hermetically minded scholars, Assmann sticks to the records as preserved and seamlessly draws on current religious theories about how cults function and the divine presence is ritualized to reveal the strangeness and beauty of Egyptian religion in a coherence misplaced from earlier accounts.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The ancient Egyptian language has no word for "religion," but the many treatments of Egyptian religion have encountered no difficulties in determining their subject; the relevant phenomena are clearly distinct within what remains to us of Egyptian culture. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
solar theology, explicit theology, solar hymns, mortuary literature, mortuary texts, implicit theology, cultic dimension, sacramental interpretation, mortuary cult, heavenly cow, further attestations, primeval mound, negating force, primeval god, solar religion, mortuary offerings, divine realm, ethical authority, lector priest, radiant power, divine statues, verbal dimension Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, Old Kingdom, Ramesside Period, New Solar Theology, Two Lands, Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, Amarna Period, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, Late Period, Mircea Eliade, Ramesseum Dramatic Papyrus, Book of the Dead, Books of the Netherworld, House of the Noble, Judgment of the Dead, Opening of the Mouth, Papyrus Chester Beatty, Ptolemaic Period, Book of the Heavenly Cow, Erik Hornung, Sacred Place, Theban Amun New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The ancient Egyptian language has no word for "religion," but the many treatments of Egyptian religion have encountered no difficulties in determining their subject; the relevant phenomena are clearly distinct within what remains to us of Egyptian culture. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
solar theology, explicit theology, solar hymns, mortuary literature, mortuary texts, implicit theology, cultic dimension, sacramental interpretation, mortuary cult, heavenly cow, further attestations, primeval mound, negating force, primeval god, solar religion, mortuary offerings, divine realm, ethical authority, lector priest, radiant power, divine statues, verbal dimension Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, Old Kingdom, Ramesside Period, New Solar Theology, Two Lands, Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, Amarna Period, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, Late Period, Mircea Eliade, Ramesseum Dramatic Papyrus, Book of the Dead, Books of the Netherworld, House of the Noble, Judgment of the Dead, Opening of the Mouth, Papyrus Chester Beatty, Ptolemaic Period, Book of the Heavenly Cow, Erik Hornung, Sacred Place, Theban Amun New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 30
books:
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12
books
cite this book:
See all 12 books citing this book
- Ancient Egypt (The Cultural atlas of the world) by John Baines on 6 pages
- Egyptian Religion by Siegfried Morenz in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Development Of Religion And Thought In Ancient Egypt by James Breasted in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Ancient Egyptian Magical Texts: (Nisaba) by J. F. Borghouts in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Amarna Letters by William L. Moran on page 213, and Back Matter
See all 30 books this book cites
- Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible by John H. Walton on 7 pages
- Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt by Jan Assmann on 4 pages
- The Gods of Egypt by Claude Traunecker in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Time (Key Concepts) by Barbara Adam in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Mind of Egypt: History and Meaning in the Time of the Pharaohs by Jan Assmann in Front Matter, and Back Matter
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