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"“In the pages of this charming, witty, deeply learned, and highly original book, Maurizio Bettini celebrates the openness, flexibility, and respect for others characteristic of Greek and Roman polytheisms, suggesting that these provide attractive alternatives to the exclusivity, condescension, and tepid ‘tolerance’ that typify their monotheistic successors. A delight to read and ponder.”—Bruce Lincoln, author of Gods and Demons, Priests and Scholars: Critical Explorations in the History of Religions
“Both accessible and engaging, the extensive list of topics and the variety of ancient and modern texts, practices, and ideas Bettini discusses will open up polytheism for modern readers.”—Duncan MacRae, Associate Professor of Ancient Greek and Roman Studies, University of California, Berkeley, and author of Legible Religion
List of contents
Contents
Introduction: The Gods in Exile
1. Sacrificing the Nativity Scene and Bombing the Mosque
2. Festivity Figurines: Animals, Shepherds, Three Kings
3. End of the Year Figurines: Sigilla, Sigillaria, and Compitalia
4. A Life Through Figurines: The Lararium
5. Thou Shalt Have No Other God Before Me
6. Translating the Gods, Translating God
7. Grammatical Paradoxes: The Name of God
8. The Interpretatio of the Gods
9. Polytheism, Curiosity, and Knowledge
10. What If Monotheisms Were Just Polytheisms in Disguise?
11. Tolerance vs. Interpretatio
12. Polytheism as Language
13. Giving Citizenship to the Gods
14. The Long Shadow of Words
15. The Twilight of Writing, the Sunset of Scripture
Appendix A. Religious Tolerance and Intolerance in the Ancient World
Appendix B. The Ups and Downs of Paganus
Notes
Bibliography
About the author
Maurizio Bettini is Professor of Classical Philology at the University of Siena, where he is Director of the Center for the Anthropology of the Ancient World. He is author of more than twenty scholarly books and five novels, including winners of the Prix Bristol des Lumières and the Premio Letterario Mondello.
Summary
What ancient polytheistic religions can teach us about building inclusive and equitable futures
At the heart of this book is a simple comparison: monotheistic religions are exclusive, whereas ancient polytheistic religions are inclusive. In this thought-provoking book, Maurizio Bettini, one of today’s foremost classicists, uses the expansiveness of ancient polytheism to shine a bright light on a darker corner of our modern times.
It can be easy to see ancient religions as inferior, less free, and remote from shared visions of an inclusive world. But, as Bettini deftly shows, many ancient practices tended to produce results aligned with contemporary progressive values, like pluralism and diversity. In Praise of Polytheism does not chastise the modern world or blame monotheism for our woes but rather shows in clear, sharp prose how much we can learn from ancient religions, underscoring the limitations of how we view the world and ourselves today.
