Two Gods in Heaven: Jewish Concepts of God in Antiquity

Two Gods in Heaven by Peter Schäfer is a groundbreaking book that challenges our understanding of Judeo-Christian monotheism.

By examining ancient sources that have received little attention until now, Schäfer reveals the long and little-known history of a second, junior god in Judaism.

This book is a must-have for all scholars of religions in antiquity, as it radically transforms our understanding of Judeo-Christian monotheism.

With an in-depth analysis of ancient sources, Schäfer demonstrates how the Jews of the pre-Christian Second Temple period had various names for a second heavenly power and traces the development of the concept from the Son of Man vision in the biblical book of Daniel to the Qumran literature, the Ethiopic book of Enoch, and the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria.

After the destruction of the Second Temple, the picture changes drastically, with early Christians taking up the idea and developing it further while their Jewish contemporaries were divided.

This book is a game-changer for anyone interested in understanding the origins of Judeo-Christian monotheism and its evolution over time.