Religion in the Achaemenid Persian Empire

Emerging Judaisms and Trends

edited by Diana Edelman, Anne Fitzpatrick-McKinley and Philippe Guillaume

Book cover: Religion in the Achaemenid Persian Empire

Extent: 397 pages

Publisher: Mohr Siebeck

Subjects: Ancient Near East, Religious Studies

Series: Orientalische Religionen in der Antike

Series volume number: 17

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(August 2016)

ISBN: 9783161539602

Price: $180.00

In stock

The Achaemenid Persian imperial rulers have long been held to have exercised a policy of religious tolerance within their widespread provinces and among their dependencies. The fourteen articles in this volume explore aspects of the dynamic interaction between the imperial and the local levels that impacted primarily on local religious practices. Some of the articles deal with emerging forms of Judaism under Achaemenid hegemony, others with Achaemenid religion, royal ideology, and political policy toward religion. Others discuss aspects of Phoenician religion and changes to Egyptian religious practice while another addresses the presence of mixed religious practices in Phrygia, as indicated by seal imagery. Together, they indicate that tolerance was part of political expediency rather than a universal policy derived from religious conviction.


The Achaemenid Persian imperial rulers have long been held to have exercised a policy of religious tolerance within their widespread provinces and among their dependencies. The fourteen articles in this volume explore aspects of the dynamic interaction between the imperial and the local levels that impacted primarily on local religious practices. Some of the articles deal with emerging forms of Judaism under Achaemenid hegemony, others with Achaemenid religion, royal ideology, and political policy toward religion. Others discuss aspects of Phoenician religion and changes to Egyptian religious practice while another addresses the presence of mixed religious practices in Phrygia, as indicated by seal imagery. Together, they indicate that tolerance was part of political expediency rather than a universal policy derived from religious conviction. Contributors: Damien Agut-Labordere, James Anderson, Mark Christian, Philip R. Davies, Diana Edelman, Anne Fitzpatrick-McKinley, Christian Frevel, Philippe Guillaume, Lowell Handy, Russel Hobson, Deniz Kaptan, Jared Krebsbach, Yannick Muller, Katharina Pyschny, Jason M. Silverman

  • Edited by Diana Edelman
  • Edited by Anne Fitzpatrick-McKinley
  • Edited by Philippe Guillaume

"[The volume] offers a variety of approaches, new and renewed, to the study of the Achaemenid Persian empire and how it impacted various regions. More broadly, it is refreshing as it ushers in a renewed understanding of Achaemenid Persian empire ideology as it relates to religion. I highly recommend this work for studies on (1) emergin Judaism, (2) Achaemenid Persian studies broadly, and (3) the movement and exchange of ideas during Achaemenid Persian rule." --William Brown, The Biblical Review January 3, 2017
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