God Against the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism

The highly regarded author of King David and Moses explores the roots of religious extremism.

Perfectly suited to readers of Bernard Lewis and Karen Armstrong, God Against the Gods is a dramatic and eye-opening epic of the final struggle between monotheism and polytheism in the ancient world. It was a war fought by an Egyptian pharaoh, a Jewish king, and a Roman emperor — charismatic, visionary, and violent men battling in the name of the Only True God. Jonathan Kirsch demonstrates how the world of classical paganism was in fact based on religious liberty and diversity and how the advent of monotheism brought — in the name of true belief — holy war, crusades, martyrdom, and inquisitions.

The last stand of paganism in the tumultuous fourth century is a rare example of a moment when two men — the Roman emperors Constantine, who initiated the Christian revolution that formed the future, and Julian, who later tried but failed to restore paganism — literally changed the history of the world. God Against the Gods, breaking a long-lived taboo, reveals monotheism's dark side and polytheism's bright one, illuminating the ancient roots of today's most bloody conflicts as well as the cherished idea of religious liberty.

"[A] fine storyteller with a flair for rendering ancient tales relevant and appealing to modern audiences. God Against the Gods finds him in good form....[A] highly readable book about a topic well worth pondering." The Washington Post Book World

"[P]uts The Passion of the Christ in a larger historical context. This even-handed look at religious persecution by the pagans and the Christians of ancient Rome is a timely tale about the importance of religious tolerance in today's world." San Francisco Chronicle

"[A] lively and engaging chronicle....While Kirsch breaks no new ground, he demonstrates clearly the ways in which this conflict gave rise to the tensions that exist even within monotheistic religions today." Publishers Weekly

"This book may generate heat as well as light, for it maintains that sectarian conflicts and religious wars are inevitable results of monotheism....A brilliant and controversial book." Booklist

"An unsatisfying survey of dogmatic doings in the ancient world....Old stories ineffectively told. Now, monotheism vs. monotheism: therein hangs a tale." Kirkus Reviews

"While providing an accessible history lesson, Kirsch overreaches on occasion when he tries to link current events to their ancient forerunners without examining the complex forces behind today's battles." Baltimore Sun

"The theme is strong....The writing is elegant, forceful, and highly energized, befitting a tale of this epic struggle." Library Journal

"In God Against the Gods, Jonathan Kirsch tackles the central issue bedeviling the world today — religious intolerance. Filled with fascinating anecdotes, Kirsch traces the historical origins of this relatively recent malevolent human tendency focusing on the tipping points in history when people began to kill other people solely because they held different religious beliefs. A timely book, well written and researched." Leonard Shlain, author of The Alphabet and the Goddess and Sex, Time and Power

"The latest from the prolific pen of Jonathan Kirsch is well worth reading." Peter J. Gomes, Harvard University

"No book in recent memory tells us as much about both the limits and the necessity of supernatural beliefs. With an astonishing singularity of purpose and clear-headed exposition, Jonathan Kirsch extracts the civilizing elements of our religion from the bloody history of its origins and marriages of convenience. It is a breathtaking and history-making achievement." David Rosenberg, translator of The Book of J and author of A Poet's Bible

"Jonathan Kirsch has written another blockbuster about the Bible and its world — before, during, and after, down to our own day. It will evoke strong, even passionate, responses from different sides of the perennial argument about God Against the Gods. The story weaves its way through the Bible — both Testaments — and reaches a climax and denouement with the emergence of the dynasty of Constantine the Great, on one extreme, and the arch-heretic and enemy of the established religion, Julian the 'Apostate,' on the other." David Noel Freedman, Editor-in-Chief of the Anchor Bible Project

Jonathan Kirsch is a book columnist for the Los Angeles Times and author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed King David, Moses, The Harlot by the Side of the Road, and The Woman Who Laughed at God. He lectures and consults widely on biblical, literary, and legal topics and is a past president of PEN Center USA West.

Acknowledgments vii
Prologue: The Everlasting Fire: The Dark Side of Monotheism, the Bright Side of Polytheism 1
Book 1 The God That Failed
Chapter 1 Against All the Gods of Egypt: A Young Pharaoh's Experiment in Monotheism and Why It Failed 21
Chapter 2 What Did Pagans Do? The Case Against Classical Paganism--and Why It Was Wrong 39
Chapter 3 Terror and True Belief: The Jewish King Who Reinvented the Faith of Ancient Israel 65
Chapter 4 Confessors and Traitors: Pagans and Christians Go to War in Ancient Rome 93
Book 2 The War of God Against the Gods
Chapter 5 "In This Sign, Conquer" The Curious Encounter of Christ and Constantine in the Struggle for the Roman Crown 119
Chapter 6 The Harlot in the Bishop's Bed: The War Within the Christian Church over the Divinity of Christ 147
Chapter 7 The Ruler of the Whole World: The Invention of the Totalitarian State by the First Christian Emperor of Rome 169
Chapter 8 The Orphans of Macellum: The Christian Prince Who Survived a Blood Purge and Struggled for the Restoration of Paganism 193
Chapter 9 The Secret Pagan: Gods, Empresses, and Julian's Unlikely Rise to the Imperial Throne 213
Chapter 10 "Behold, the Rivers Are Running Backwards" The Pagan Counterrevolution of the Emperor Julian 237
Epilogue: The Handless Scribe: The Price of Victory of the Only True God 269
Chronology 285
Major Historical Figures 289
Notes 293
Bibliography 315
Index 323