Ebooks for the Classroom+Faculty

Jerusalem and the One God
ISBN: 9781506425610
Platform/Publisher: Project MUSE / Augsburg Fortress Publishers
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Chapters; Download: Chapters
Subjects: Monotheism;

Jerusalem, with its turbulent history, is without doubt one of the best-known cities of the world. A long line of foreign powers have ruled over it, from as far back as biblical times. But the city owes its importance not to them but to the fact that it is the birthplace of the monotheistic currents that shape Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Othmar Keel sketches in broad brush strokes the historical development of Israelite-Jewish monotheism in and around Jerusalem, arguing that monotheism is "a product of the city, not of the desert," and describes its integration of polytheistic symbols and perceptions into its worldview. Keel relies on biblical and extrabiblical texts as well as the rich iconographic evidence of archaeological discoveries. Abundant maps and sketches of archaeological artifacts enhance his argument.

Othmar Keel is professor emeritus of Old Testament and the biblical world on the Catholic theological faculty of the University of Fribourg and president of the Bibel + Orient Institute. He is author of the two-volume Geschichte Jerusalems und die Entstehung des MonotheismusGods, Goddesses, and Images of God (Fortress Press, 1998).



Brent A. Strawn is professor of Old Testament and professor of law at Duke Divinity School. His is the author of over 200 articles and has edited or coedited over twenty volumes. He has also authored four books, including The Old Testament Is Dying: A Diagnosis and Recommended Treatment (2017) and The Old Testament: A Concise Introduction (2019).