Synopses & Reviews
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
Review
Römer is a sure-footed guide to what is often a difficult discussion. A learned and elegant book. Nathan MacDonald, University of Cambridge
Synopsis
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.
About the Author
Thomas Römer is Professor of the Hebrew Bible and Its Contexts at the Collège de France and invited Professor at the University of Lausanne.