Moses and Monotheism

Even admirers of Freud tend to be pretty dismissive of the argument here, but I don't think it's so far-fetched... Until he gets to the stuff about genetic memories, which is pretty untenable. But say what you will about Freud, he's never dull.

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. show more Freud was not an exception but without lost of plausibility. show less

Freud's controversial final work that investigates the origins of Moses and the rise of monotheism. Moses and Monotheism shocked many of its readers because of Freud's suggestion that Moses was actually born into an Egyptian household, rather than being born as a Hebrew slave and merely raised in the Egyptian royal household as a ward (as recounted in the Book of Exodus).[

I believe this was Freuds last work, a subject with which it appeard he approached caustiously for fear of angering those who held diffent opinions about Moses. While I don't subscribe to the accuracy of the asertions made I did find the ideas explored by it quite intersting. I have enjoyed most of his works especially the ones where he did not feel the need to dispute Jung.

All work should be regarded as a continuation of previous studies of Freud.
Probably the first struck by the readers of "Moses and Monotheism," so this is some heterodoxy or even eccentricity of its construction. But if Moses and Monotheism, and something is missing in the presentation of the material, it does not imply criticism of the content or the persuasiveness of the arguments.

The skill with which the assumptions are brought under the psychological findings are likely to be convincing to an unbiased reader. Those who are familiar with psychoanalysis, personality, would be especially fascinated by the same sequence of stages of development, demonstrated by the national group.

Source: http://www.freud-sigmund.com/

Amazon offers the following review of the 2010 Martino Fine Books reprint of 1939 Edition.
"In Moses and Monotheism, Freud speculates that Moses was not Jewish, but actually born into Ancient Egyptian nobility and was perhaps a follower of Akhenaten, an ancient Egyptian monotheist. Freud further suggests that Moses led only his close followers into freedom during an unstable period in Egyptian history and that his followers subsequently killed Moses in rebellion afterward. Freud speculates that the guilt from the murder of Moses is inherited through the generations; this guilt then drives the Jews to religion to make them feel better."

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