Isis in the Ancient World

R. E. Witt (1903-1980) taught at Queen Mary's College, University of London, and is also the author of Albinus and the History of Middle Platonism.

Distinguished for its learning and its use of fascinating and little-known iconographic material... The importance of this study, both for the history of religions and of Graeco-Roman society, lies in the evidence, assembled and interpreted, of a widespread desire to worship a goddess who embodied maternal compassion and omnipotent wisdom. History Today This is in many ways a pioneering book by an author who knows how to use archaeological as well as literary evidence. It is an important contribution to an understanding of the religious attitudes of ordinary men and women who lived under the rule of the Caesars... [It is a ] well-written, well-planned, and finely illustrated work [that] contributes powerfully to our knowledge of significant aspects of the Graeco-Roman world. Times Literary Supplement Particularly stimulating is the attempt to assess the impact of the Isis cult on Christianity. Here Dr. Witt is able to deploy his wide knowledge of the religion of the Byzantine era and its sequel in Greek Orthodoxy, and he is also able to correct the severe underestimation of the moral appeal of the Isis cult which has hitherto prevailed among historians of Christianity. -- J. Gywn Griffiths Journal of Egyptian Archaeology

• List of IllustrationsPrefaceChapter 1. The Ancient Goddess of the NileChapter 2. Isis, Giver of LifeChapter 3. Osiris–Brother, Husband, SonChapter 4. The Spread of the Egyptian FaithChapter 5. In the House of IsisChapter 6. To the Shores of ItalyChapter 7. The Holy Servants of IsisChapter 8. Telling Forth Her PraisesChapter 9. The One Whose Names Cannot Be NumberedChapter 10. The All-Loving MotherChapter 11. Great Atermis-IsisChapter 12. Mystery and SacramentChapter 13. The Procession to the ShipChapter 14. Healing the SickChapter 15. The Guardian Guide and HeraldChapter 16. The Young King and Lord of AllChapter 17. The Goddess Darling of Roman EmperorsChapter 18. Xenophon's Isiac RomanceChapter 19. The Pauline ViewChapter 20. The Great ForerunnerAbbreviations NotesBibliographySources of Illustrations Index