In Thomas Mann’s Die Geschichten des Jakab, the first novel in the tetralogy Joseph und seine Brűder, Jakob is presented to us in quite a bewildering way. He is in god’s chosen linage. We expect such a character to be dignified, a leader, a man of merit and virtue. But Jakob is in most points the opposite of this. He steals the birthright and his father’s blessings from his older brother Esau. On the following flight he gets completely abased by the 16-year-old Eliphas, a son of Esau. During his time with Laban, he gains great wealth through trickery and finally he again flees while Laban is away. Also, within his family Jakob appears highly selective in his preferences. But not only he but also God is morally doubtful. He liked the sacrifice of Abel better than the one of Cain; then he almost destroys all life on earth with the flood. His treatment of Sodom and Gomorra is quite extreme and finally he chose one particular lineage as his favorite one. That linage starts with Abram. It is most peculiar, though, that Abram discovered God. Only because of this event Abram’s lineage is God’s chosen one. It is the actual discovery of God that constitutes Abram as the “Urvater”, since of course Abram had ancestors himself; therefore it is not Abram as a person himself who is decisive for his status. But as we will see later on, it is doubtful that Abram was actually one historic person.
Table of Contents
1. Abraham, the “Urvater“ and his discovery of God
1.1 Introduction to the figure of Jakob and the divine lineage
1.2 Analysis of the chapter “Wie Abraham Gott entdeckte”
1.3 Cultural background and the role of polytheistic societies
1.4 Abstraction, “Gottesnot” and the creation of God
1.5 Theoretical perspectives: Mannesmann’s projection theory
1.6 The narrator, Eliezer, and the mythical character of Abram
1.7 Murdaugh’s view on Abram’s double-existence
1.8 The “rollende Spähre” and the mythical world view
1.9 Reciprocal relation: Interdependence of Abram and God
1.10 Synthesis: Myth, history and collective identity
Research Objectives & Core Topics
This academic paper examines the nature of Abram’s discovery of God in Thomas Mann’s Joseph und seine Brüder, specifically investigating whether this act represents a conscious philosophical leap toward monotheism or an unconscious projection rooted in a mythical, a-historical reality. The research focuses on the functional role of Abram as a mythical figure and the reciprocal relationship between the human self and the transcendent divine.
- The contemplative process of God’s discovery through abstraction.
- The distinction between God as an objective entity and God as a psychological projection.
- The paradigm of the “rollende Spähre” (rolling sphere) as a mythical worldview.
- The functional necessity of the covenant for tribal collective identity.
- The tension between historical, legendary, and mythical representations of Abram.
Excerpt from the Book
In his chapter Wie Abraham Gott entdeckte Mann delineates the discovery of God through Abram as a contemplative process: Abram starts in the very beginning, as he at first thinks that “der Mutter Erde allein gebuhre Dienst und Anbetung, denn sie bringe die Fruchte und erhalte das Leben”, but he realizes that the growth of the earth depends on other, causal factors. Here we find men’s general endeavor to explain the world and to give meaning to its phenomena.
In the process Abram wanders through what can be seen as the several stations of human religious, and, therefore, at this stage cultural development to finally arrive in the mythical world that is described in the novel. This progress from simple, empirical observations to abstract concepts – in which causal conditions are no longer obvious in visible nature, as the change of day and night or the movement of the stars - also stands for the advancement of men and therefore of culture in general. We find it also reflected in the already highly developed polytheistic societies, like Babylon or Egypt, which have a dense system of canonized religious norms.
In Mann’s novel these societies are pictured as completely rooted in the mythical realm; here myth works here as collective memory, an a-historical source of decent; further they deliver a system to explain the world and the role of humans in it. Gods play a dominant role in this system, as they function as symbols and explanations of superior, underlying and also outer-cultural experiences such as nature or death; they are often closely related to natural appearances. These gods, though they are often related to natural phenomena – e.g. the sun god of Charran – already represent abstract constructions of the human mind; admittedly it is only to a limited degree the gods themselves, but the cult and the appendant norms, which developed around them, as they form the religious foundation.
Summary of Chapters
Abraham, the “Urvater“ and his discovery of God: The study explores the theological and psychological emergence of God within the narrative, analyzing how Abram transitions from polytheistic traditions to the concept of a single transcendent deity through a process of intellectual abstraction.
Keywords
Thomas Mann, Joseph und seine Brüder, Abram, Monotheism, Mythology, Collective Identity, Projection, Religion, A-historicism, Transcendent, Immanent, Philosophy, Literary Criticism, Narratology
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic work?
The work investigates the discovery of God by the character Abram in Thomas Mann’s novel Joseph und seine Brüder, questioning the origins of this monotheistic realization.
What are the central thematic fields discussed?
The paper covers the intersection of myth and history, the psychological aspect of religious belief, and the functional role of ancestral narratives in building tribal identity.
What is the main research question or goal?
The goal is to determine if Abram’s discovery of God is an autonomous philosophical achievement or an unconscious projection serving as a necessity for a new collective self-consciousness.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author uses literary analysis, comparative theological inquiry, and references to existing scholarly interpretations (such as those by Mannesmann, Murdaugh, and Mieth) to evaluate the text.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section analyzes the shift from natural phenomena to abstract concepts, the dual role of Abram in the narrative, and the interdependent relationship between God and humanity.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include mythology, projection, a-historicism, collective identity, and the “rollende Spähre” (rolling sphere) paradigm.
How does the author interpret the narrator’s tone regarding Abram?
The author suggests the narrator uses an ironic tone, specifically noting how Eliezer’s contradictory stories render Abram a mythical figure rather than a purely historical one.
What is the significance of the “rollende Spähre”?
The “rolling sphere” acts as a leitmotif describing a mythical world view where an exchange occurs between the upper (divine) and lower (human) spheres, making truth functional rather than strictly factual.
Does the paper conclude whether God exists in the novel?
No, the paper concludes that the novel remains ambiguous, intentionally leaving it unclear whether God exists independently or as a subjective product of Abram’s mind.
What is the role of “Seelengrösse” in the text?
“Seelengrösse” (greatness of soul) is identified as the instrumental facility of reason that allows Abram to distinguish himself from the earthly and initiate the discovery of a higher order.
- Quote paper
- Marc Neininger (Author), 2004, Abraham and his discovery of God in Thomas Manns "Jakob und seine Brüder", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/39239
