Every culture produces special achievements. The Greek culture shines through the arts, sciences and philosophy, the Roman through politics, law and construction techniques. The achievement of the small Juda and Jerusalem is monotheism, the belief in the one God. The early form of monotheism, the one of Echnaton, remains an episode. The Jewish monotheism however was taken over by Christianity and the Islam and became therefore an element of world history. For two hundred years these religions were received as especially aggressive and a threat to peace. Othmar Keel reconstructs the gradual development of monotheism within the history of Jerusalem in the first millenium B.C. The author shows the roots of aggressiveness and intolerance and reproduces arguments which were tried to overcome and to diminish already then. By including international research, especially of Isrealic, Anglo-American and German speaking origin in his study he can deliver a conscientious analysis of biblical texts and goes even further by integrating extrabiblical texts, archaeological, epigraphic, and iconographic evidence relevant to the subject. This monumental task that has never been attempted before creates a bigger picture and has been accomplished with the utmost competence. The overview Keel created is of very different nature than the historiography of theology and religion in Israel that are only based on biblical texts. Keel provides a comprehensive study of decisive elements and processes that have influenced the nature of biblical monotheism.
