Pagan Monotheism in Late Antiquity

by Polymnia Athanassiadi (editor), Michael Frede (Editor)

In this book distinguished experts from a range of disciplines (Orientalists, philologists, philosophers, theologians and historians) address a central problem which lies at the heart of the religious and philosophical debate of late antiquity. Paganism was not a unified tradition and consequently the papers cover a wide social and intellectual spectrum. Particular emphasis is given to several aspects of the first, monotheistic belief in late antique philosophical ideals and its roots in classical antiquity and the Near East; second, monistic Gnosticism; third, the revelatory tradition as expressed in oracular literature; and finally, the monotheistic trend in popular religion.

Genres: Religion, Ancient History, Nonfiction, Paganism

220 pages, Hardcover

First published July 8, 1999

About the author

Polymnia Athanassiadi est professeur d'histoire ancienne à l'université d’Athènes et membre du Conseil scientifique de l’École Française d’Athènes. Spécialiste de l’Histoire intellectuelle et religieuse du monde méditerranéen à l’époque hellénistique et romaine, elle a donné des cours dans plusieurs universités et institutions d’enseignement supérieur (entre autres, Oxford, Moscou, Berkeley, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Collège de France, EPHE - Ve Section).