Description
Book SynopsisWitt's acclaimed Isis in the Ancient World is now available in paperback.
Trade ReviewDistinguished for its learning and its use of fascinating and little-known iconographic material... The importance of this study, both for the history of religions and of Graeco-Roman society, lies in the evidence, assembled and interpreted, of a widespread desire to worship a goddess who embodied maternal compassion and omnipotent wisdom. History Today This is in many ways a pioneering book by an author who knows how to use archaeological as well as literary evidence. It is an important contribution to an understanding of the religious attitudes of ordinary men and women who lived under the rule of the Caesars... [It is a ] well-written, well-planned, and finely illustrated work [that] contributes powerfully to our knowledge of significant aspects of the Graeco-Roman world. Times Literary Supplement Particularly stimulating is the attempt to assess the impact of the Isis cult on Christianity. Here Dr. Witt is able to deploy his wide knowledge of the religion of the Byzantine era and its sequel in Greek Orthodoxy, and he is also able to correct the severe underestimation of the moral appeal of the Isis cult which has hitherto prevailed among historians of Christianity. -- J. Gywn Griffiths Journal of Egyptian Archaeology
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations
Preface
Chapter 1. The Ancient Goddess of the Nile
Chapter 2. Isis, Giver of Life
Chapter 3. Osiris–Brother, Husband, Son
Chapter 4. The Spread of the Egyptian Faith
Chapter 5. In the House of Isis
Chapter 6. To the Shores of Italy
Chapter 7. The Holy Servants of Isis
Chapter 8. Telling Forth Her Praises
Chapter 9. The One Whose Names Cannot Be Numbered
Chapter 10. The All-Loving Mother
Chapter 11. Great Atermis-Isis
Chapter 12. Mystery and Sacrament
Chapter 13. The Procession to the Ship
Chapter 14. Healing the Sick
Chapter 15. The Guardian Guide and Herald
Chapter 16. The Young King and Lord of All
Chapter 17. The Goddess Darling of Roman Emperors
Chapter 18. Xenophon's Isiac Romance
Chapter 19. The Pauline View
Chapter 20. The Great Forerunner
Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Sources of Illustrations
Index
