Abstract

Brandon approaches the history of religions from the perspective of their views on the nature of man and the afterlife. Egypt is discussed in terms of "immortality and the technique of its achievement," while Mesopotamia is considered in the light of the moral of the Gilgamesh Epic: "the life thou seekest, thou shalt not find." Brandon sees in Old Testament Yahwism an ethnic religion which sought to break down the popular cult of the dead and limit the expectations of its devotees to this life. The gradual belief in the soul's immortality rendered the ancient Yahwism a more adequate faith for the individual, but it was in radical tension with the doctrine of Israel's election, tensions which Christianity was able to overcome. Greek culture, Christianity, Islam, Iran, India, Buddhism, and China are handled in an analogous manner in this important study.--L. S. F.