Jan Assmann is a German Egyptologist widely known for his work on the origins of monotheism. Formerly professor of Egyptology at the University of Heidelberg, he is now honorary professor of cultural studies at the University of Constance. He is the author of Moses the Egyptian: The Memory of Egypt in Western Monotheism (1998), and The Price of Monotheism (2009).

"Will appeal to readers who enjoy exploring the world of ideas and the ways in which such ideas have shaped societies for both good and ill."—Ancient Egypt"A seminal work of truly impressive scholarship. An exceptionally well written, organized, and presented study that is enhanced with the inclusion of eighteen pages of Notes and a comprehensive Index, this seminal work is very highly recommended for academic library collections and the supplemental studies reading lists for students of Egyptian antiquity."—Midwest Book Review

• Chapter 1: Structure and Change in Ancient Egyptian ReligionCultTheologyThe Guidance of LifeChapter 2: Myth and History of the Exodus: Triumph and TraumaThe Mnemohistory of the ExodusNarrative StructureRemember the ExodusThe Seder LiturgyExodus and UtopiaChapter 3: From Poly- to Monotheism: Evolution or RevolutionEvolution in Nature and CultureFrom Monolatry to MonotheismEgypt and Religious ChangeChapter 4: Moses and Akhenaten: Memory and HistoryMoses and AkhenatenAkhenatenThe Egyptian TraumaThe Legend of the ‘Lepers’The Reinterpretation of the PyramidsExodus and TraumaChapter 5: Ancient Egypt and the Theory of the Axial AgeThe Theory of the Axial AgeWriting as an Agent of ChangeLiteracy and Cultural MemorySecondary Canonization and the Rise of ExegesisChapter 6: Egyptian Mysteries and Secret Societies in the Age of EnlightenmentThe ‘Mystery Fever’ in the Late Eighteenth CenturyThe Imagined ‘Egyptian Mysteries’ and their Grammatological and Topological BasisThe Magic Flute and the Egyptian MysteriesChapter 7: Total Religion: Politics, Monotheism, and ViolenceThe Concept of ErnstfallThe Religious ErnstfallThe Maccabean Wars: An Early Case of Religious ViolenceDepoliticizing Religion