Moses and Monotheism

Moses and Monotheism is a book by Sigmund Freud. It was first published in 1939. In it, Freud argues that Moses was actually an Ancient Egyptian, and in some way related to Akhenaten, an ancient Egyptian monotheist. The book was written in three parts, and was a departure from the rest of Freud's work on psychoanalytic theory. The book does contain discussion of Freud's psychoanalytic thinking, but was intended as a work of history.

In Moses and Monotheism, Freud contradicts the Biblical story of Moses with his own retelling of events claiming that Moses only led his close followers into freedom, and that they subsequently killed Moses in rebellion either to his strong faith or to circumcision. Freud explains that years after the murder of Moses the rebels formed a religion which promoted Moses as the Saviour of the Israelites. Freud said 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.

Begun in 1934, and rewritten in 1936, Freud's Moses and Monotheism appeared in an abridged form in the review Imago (the first two essays), and the final version was published in 1939. It also appeared in the Standard Edition edited by James Strachey (1964). Upon first examination the work seems somewhat disordered, and contains repetitions and inconsistencies. The writing appears to reflect the movement of Freud's thought, his doubts and hesitation, his concern regarding the scientific nature of the information he...