Sceptic and Believer in Ancient Mediterranean Religions

What are the roles of doubt and scepticism in the religious landscape of the ancient Mediterranean? How is doubt expressed within a specific religious community, and what reactions does it provoke? How does "insider doubt" differ from the sceptical attitude of outsiders? Exploring these questions with respect to a wide range of religious contexts and topics (including early Christianity, Greco-Roman religions, Egyptian religions, astrology, and magic), the essays in this volume confirm the thesis that doubting one's own religious tradition is not simply a "Western" post-Enlightenment phenomenon. On the contrary, ancient religions offered opportunities and contexts wherein aspects of doubt are not just tolerated but accepted; moreover, doubt and scepticism concerning certain religious ideas or aspects of belief also motivated creative reinterpretation of those ideas.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3161563050
• ISBN13: 9783161563058
• Release Date: August 2020
• Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
• Length: 349 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.1"