Gott und die Götter. Biblische Mythologie

by Walter Beltz

Creating a unique picture of the perfect man , the myths of the Bible are a deeply influential part of our cultural heritage.Here Walter Beltz takes the Judaeo-Christian myths independently of their immediate religious connotations, and gives us a fascinating study in the tradition of Robert Graves's Greek Myths . Sketching the Old and New Testament stories, he explores and explains their relating them to earlier religions and myths, to political events, to writings and tales outside the canon; drawing on his knowledge of Hebrew, Greek and Latin, as well as on a vast body of learning and scholarship.Cover Mike Depmsey

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wer sich dem biblischen Mythos wissenschaftlich und historische nähern und diesen also "dekonstruiert" sehen will, der lese das Grundlagenwerk des Hallenser Wissenschaftlers Beltz. Wer sind die Eng- el, wenn El-o-chim Gott höchstselbst und El-i-sabeth immerhin ein so berühmter Name ist wie Dan-i-el oder die der Himmlischen a la Gabr-i-el usw. Man kann es wissen: Die Bib- el ist ja das Buch (aha "Bibliothek!) von Gott. Was liegt also näher als dass "El" das Wort für "Gott" ist. Auch bei Gabr- i- el? Man denke an Bab- el und es wird klar: Das war der Gott der Stadt Babylon. Und so ist es: die Eng- el sind die Schar der "alten" Götter, die im Judentum ihrem Gott quasi unterworfen bzw. zur Seite gestellt wurden. Deswegen findet man in der Bibel auch keinen Satz über ihre Erschaffung. Sie waren eben immer schon da. Wie Gott. Und manche akzeptierten ganz offensichtlich den neuen Führungsanspruch vom Oberboss nicht ohne Widerspruch: Die Story von Sa-tana- EL lässt grüßen... Einfach, klar, gut belegt und also nicht abzustreiten. Der Rest ist (muss dann) Glauben (sein).

[Tvrtko Balić · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book the Bible is approached in the same way that would typically be reserved for researching Greek mythology. This makes for a really interesting book, I've read little bits and pieces on the topic before, but never a whole book. Attention is pulled away from the monotheistic faith and towards comparisons with surrounding mythologies, mainly those of Mesopotamia and the Greeks. A period of history is explored where Jews believed in a pantheon, Jehovah had the same role as Zeus and Satan was viewed very differently, a period which did not have an abrupt end but whose world view continued even to the time of Jesus. This however can also be a flaw of the book because what ends up being described is something no religion would agree with. How we got from there to here could have been expanded on and I would have preferred it if the retelling of the Bible was more clearly just the author's impression of what the story being told in a certain period would have been like and not laid out like it is definitive.

[Julie-Anne Borgias · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of interesting but complex ideas set in very small print. Not a quick read but you come away with a lot to think about and a head full of interesting connections.