Polytheism and Monotheism in Jan Assmann’s Concept of Mosaic Distinction

Abstract

Assmann’s crucial concept in his theory of cultural memory is »the Mosaic Distinction« (die Mosaische Unterscheidung). It is the starting point of a new revolutionary distinction – between truth and falsehood in religion, and the entire spectrum of consequences as a result thereof – a break with all earlier traditions, and the process of formation of a new type of religion that stands apart from other religions and spheres of culture such as politics, law and economics. This revolutionary monotheism has replaced the ancient polytheistic world in which Assmann found the dynamic and creative system that has contributed in many elements to the rise of a new monotheistic synthesis rooted in Mosaic distinction. The purpose of this article is to offer a partial insight into this rather forgotten, »buried« world that Assmann has vivified with his erudition, presenting some important achievements of Ancient Egypt firmly incorporated into our civilisation.