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Summary: Freud's Moses & Moses Monolatry
Review:
"One will not easily decide to deny a nation its greatest son because of the meaning of a name," (Moses is an Egyptian name) Sigmund Freud's original draft
Moses & Monotheism:
* Moses of Exodus 2:10, is presented as a derivation from the Hebrew Mashah (to draw) is implied, while Josephus and Church Fathers assign the Coptic mo (water) and uses (saved) as the constituent parts of the name. Contemporary views widely patronized by Egyptologists, tracing the name back to the Egyptian mesh (child), is dominating but nothing could be established as decisive.
*Monotheism:(Gk. monon: single, Theos: Deity.) the belief in a single, an all-encompassing universal, deity.
*Monolatry: The worship of only one god, while admitting the existence of other gods.
What is Your Name?
There are many Jews & Christians alike, who are upset by Martin Buber's interpretation of Moses inquiring from YAHWEH, as showing the influence of the Egyptian 'name magic.' This may have been the reason beyond the strange inquiry of the learned Moses, who may have asked the encountered God of the 'Unconsumed Bush' for His identifying name, and the Lord's mysterious answer, explained in 'The Egyptian Book of the Dead in which (?)-Moses could have been initiated into by the priests of the solar cult of Heliopolis, whose predominant cosmological world view, Moses has presented in the book of Genesis, describes multiple names for Atum, Master of its divine Pantheon, and creator deity, "whose name has been variously interpreted as meaning 'the Completed One,' 'He Who is Entirity,'...or 'The Undifferentiated One.' the last rendering seems the most probable.., i.e., an undifferentiated unity," (The Book of Going Forth by Day, translation by Dr. Raymond Faulklner, with introduction & commentaries by Dr. Ogden Goelet)
Freud's Moses:
In his last written book, completed just before the holocaust, Freud was not the first to argue that Moses was an Egyptian Prince, and that the Hebrew religion that developed into monotheistic Judaism was but an adapted Egyptian thought carried back into Palestine. Freud confirms Jewish traditions found in the Pseudo epigraphic writings (The Assumption of Moses, which echoes in New Testament writings) that Moses was murdered by Joshua who buried him in the wilderness.
Sigmund Freud's controversial and ingenious multi leveled psychological treatise, on the Egyptian roots its and relation with Akhenaten's monotheistic, short lived revelation and Akhetaten's revolution against Amun's polytheistic representation of the Loving and sociable Deity, there overshadows a typically complicated Freudian thesis which endeavored to explain a multi purpose and very complex theory of every thing: all human atrocities and Jewish calamities.
For those who want to explore the psychological impulses governing the historical relationship between Christians and Jews. "The Christ whom Moses foreshadowed seemed eclipsed by him in the minds of the learned. It was, humanly speaking, an indispensable providence that represented him in the Transfiguration, side by side with Elias, and quite inferior to the incomparable Antitype whose coming he had predicted." New Advent
Assmann's Moses:
Assmann starts with a parapsychological definition of Egyptian thought construction as Mnemo-history, advancing into Suppressed history of Repressed memory of Akhenaten in Moses conscience, proceeding to Spencer's findings as 'before the Law.' The crux of his advancement to his ultimate thesis lies in a historical review of eighteenth century discourse on Moses. Freud shows up in a psychological spear head idea; 'the Return of the repressed,' the roots of Egyptian monotheistic theology of the elite was conceived in the 'One,' the master of Egyptian Pantheons, Aten, or Amon-Ra'e. Concluding into what breasted initiated eighty years ago: abolishing the Mosaic monopoly of revelation. Marvelous!
Moses Reinterpreted:
"interpretation and critique of 'Moses and Monotheism' are wide and varied," from Jan Assmann to Yosef Yerushalmi, in 1986 Columbia University Lectures.
Yerushalmi argues forcefully and almost convincingly that "Moses and Monotheism is 'a work neither of negation nor degradation but affirmation and pride in belonging to a people from whom, there rose again and again men who lent new color to the fading tradition, renewed the admonishments and demands of Moses, and did not rest until the lost cause was once more regained."
Anti-Semitism Psychosis:
Freud's analysis is amazingly original though extremely imaginative, and his distinction between reality and fantasy, defies his psychological conclusion, and common sense logic. However, his theory is fascinating, and converts this subject to a 'DaVinci Code' type of reading, 50 years ahead of his time.
Freud's genius has failed him in his thesis of what he presented as a discovery of Hebrew Christian evolution as an analogy with the primitive father/son tribal succession rather than an advancement in Cosmic consciousness from Egyptian liturgical (People Worship) to Hebrew Temple sacrificial Worship. That Rabbinical post Temple Judaism transformed into Messianic Judaism which is Christianity.
Those which emigrated into Arabia developed an Ebiobnite Judaism which reflected a deformed disbelief in Israel's hope in a Davidic kingdom rather than a Kingdom of God that no doubt prevailed, a Kingdom of the Loving Lord.
The undying guilt for Moses killing, proposes Freud, is the basis of Christians conception for Jesus' death as a sacrifice to the Father, Thus the fundamental difference between Judaism and Christianity becomes; "Judaism had been a religion of the father, Christianity became a religion of the son."
Rating:
Summary: wonderful
Review: An excellent work of Freud. This thesis is not misses for nobody. The scholars know that the judaism is an endless mixture of foreign concepts, that it has been benefitted of the foreign personages contribution . Not only the case of Mosses, also that of others converses as Ruth.
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Summary: Moses Legend Revealed
Review: An outstanding and audacious book.
Not to many people have knowledge of this subject on Freud's writings.It is amazing to notice the author's courage exposing thesis where he attempt to prove or at least to demonstrate that Moses was an Egyptian and not a Jew.
The argument of the existence of two Moses the one from Egypt and the other from Midia, a Medianite, is also surprising although in any way fanciful. In some bookstores this book is incorrectly classified in the psych area. This is truly a Bible history research, of course using an approach that places, in his words, religion phenomena as a model of neurotic symptoms of the individual. As I mentioned in other book comment, this kind of study always carries some dose of speculation. Freud was not an exception but without lost of plausibility.
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Summary: Imaginative historical fiction
Review: Freud engages here in an act of self- denial similar to the one which led him to so worship one student of his , the sole Gentile Jung who later betrayed him. Perhaps it was difficult for Freud in his old age and dying at the time that his own people were helpless before the Nazi murderers to see power and potency in his own people. Moses is of course a symbol of Law and Might and Justice and for the Jews direct contact with God in a way no other human being will ever have. Freud finds a way to deny Moses' Jewishness perhaps as a way of suggesting that if real salvation is to come real power to enter the world it must come through other human beings, not Jews.
In any case I see no real evidence for Freud's fiction. The Tannakh the Hebrew Bible certainly clearly and definitely states who Moses and Aharon and Miriam's parents were. It gives their line of descent also as princes of the Tribe of Levi. To deny all this and simply invent an Egyptian prince tale seems to me the height or perhaps depth of historical responsibility. This is a last word of Freud and unfortunately far from a credible one.
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Summary: Freuds lamest book
Review: Freud speculated two Moses: an Egyptian nobleman who lived near the time of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaton, the founder of the world's first monotheism, who gave the Hebrews a modified version of that religion and was killed by them as a result; and a Midianite who resurrected this religion, modified it still further, and coupled it with the Egyptian rite of circumcision, thereby setting the Hebrews apart as a chosen people. Sounds weird, doesn't it? It is. Freud has an uncanny habit of failing to interpret the symbolism of his own theoretical work. The split Moses, based on the primal father (see Totem and Taboo) killed and eaten by rebellious sons: what more accurate picture could the reader want of the fate of Freud's Wednesday Psychological Society and its rebellious offspring? Stylistically, however, Freud reads a bit like Conan Doyle, and the interest he creates with his detective-story reasoning is matched only by his immense lucidity and command of the written word.
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Summary: I never knew...
Review: I did not know all of this about Freud, and I just remember being in the bookstore, loving the cover, realizing he was who wrote it and I had to get it, and I loved it. Loved it. It is a pretty fast read, but I did end up reading it more than once to really grasp it...I think I might start reading it again now...
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Summary: Understanding an image of God
Review: I feel this short book is well worth reading. Freud, at the time, was debating whether to leave Nazi-occupied Austria and was deeply afraid that the public would misinterpret him. He accepts that Moses was a composite character and that Jewish history was compressed for the sake of clarity and on this premise he explores the psychological underpinnings of the religious story. He does link Moses and Judaism with Akhenaten's religion and he does it in a believeable way that should stand up against modern criticism. All in all, this is a very valuable book.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding an image of God
Review: I feel this short book is well worth reading. Freud, at the time, was debating whether to leave Nazi-occupied Austria and was deeply afraid that the public would misinterpret him. He accepts that Moses was a composite character and that Jewish history was compressed for the sake of clarity and on this premise he explores the psychological underpinnings of the religious story. He does link Moses and Judaism with Akhenaten's religion and he does it in a believeable way that should stand up against modern criticism. All in all, this is a very valuable book.
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Summary: a very thought provoking work
Review: I found this book very enlightening, not because the premise is necessarily factual, but because through Freud's alternative ideas on the Moses legend we gain additional insight into the legend of Moses and the Exodus. That being said, a number of the concepts put forth are very intriguing. The possibility of Moses
adopting the concept of monotheism from Amonhotep the Fourth is especially of interest, and the theories such as the dual figures of Moses and the entomology of his name have alot of merit. Freud's honesty in revealing his personal apprehensions and misgivings about writing the book are refreshing, and display a vulnerability unrevealed in any other work of his that I have read. I highly recommend this book for insight into the legend of the exodus and the life of this incredible biblical figure.
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Summary: Kemet-Moses & Akhenatens religion
Review: Kemet-Moses:
Who founded Judaism is a tricky question. More tricky is, who founded Monotheism, Moses or Akhen-Atun? There are several people who were essential to the creation of Judaism, Egypt served as a womb, in a nascent stage, where the Jewish people were formed as a nation, within four centuries of their soujourn in the land of Goshen (North-eastern Egyptian province), by training in civilized traditions and worthy articrafts.
The Bible shows Moses as the founder of the faith, while Abraham was the root of the nation. Moses, the greatest of the Hebrew prophets, has protected the Jews from the wrath of God, and negotiated with God on their behalf, according to the Torah, is an Egyptian Princely sage, according to Sigmund Freud.
Philo to Assmann's Moses:
Philo Judeas of Alexandria mentioned that some Jews doubted the historical reliability of their scriptures and considered part of their content as myth. Aristobulus, Philo's Alexandrian predecessor moved beyond the literal to the hidden meaning, allegorical and philosophic, similar to the treatment of texts of classical mythology, as was the tradition in their megalopolis (Great City).
Origen, who wrote Contra Celsius, refuted Celsius argument that the Mosaic book of Genesis was based on borrowed sources like the Ducalion narrative for the flood story, known as such to the Greeks.
Assmann starts with the definition of Egyptian thought construction as Mnemo-history, a 'Suppressed history of Repressed memory' of Akhenaten in Moses conscience. His ultimate thesis, srarting from Spencer's findings as 'before the Law,' is based on his analytical review of eighteenth century historical discourse on Moses. Freud shows up in his spear headed psychological idea; 'the Return of the repressed.' The roots of Egyptian monotheism of the enlightened elite, was conceived in the 'One,' Amon-Ra'e, and Aten, consecutive masters of Theban and Heliopolitan Pantheons, which echoes in Psalm 82, Concluding into what JH Breasted elaborated eighty years ago. freud followed him in abolishing Mosaic primacy of monotheistic revelation.
Revelation to Akhen-Atun:
Freud is drawn to confirms his discovery of Moses origin and role, in the Jewish traditions, preserved in the Pseudo epigraphic writings, that Moses was murdered by Joshua, who buried him in the wilderness*. "The 'redeemer' could be none other than the one chief culprit, the leader of the brother-band who had overpowered the father." Concluding thatl; "Judaism had been a religion of the father, Christianity became a religion of the son."
The Jewish inter-testiment writing, on the occasion of Moses' impending death, by the rebelling congregation (Numbers 14), and doubting exodus generation with calmination into the revolt of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (numbers 16), support the same concept of authority rejection of a non-Hebraic Moses.
* The Assumption of Moses: Studia in Veteris Testamenti Pseudepigrapha
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