With his characteristic erudition and lucid prose, Jan Assmann explores a fascinating question: why is religion so often double-layered, with the religion of the philosophers arrayed against the religion of the fathers? His genealogy of religio duplex begins with ancient Egypt and Israel, with their mixtures of universalism and particularism, and extends to the modern search, by Gandhi and others, ... Read morefor a rapprochement between particular religions - Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, etc. - and a universal religion of human dignity. Assmann's study brims with philosophical acuity, historical depth, and contemporary relevance. Ronald Hendel, University of California, Berkeley Assmann is well placed to write such a book, and Religio Duplex is an interesting read covering a wide range of topics of various kinds, not least those concerned with belief and with public and private ritual. Students of the Enlightenment and of the nature of religion should read this volume. James Stevens Curl, Member of the Royal Irish Academy, Times Higher Education Show Less