Divine Wrath and Divine Mercy in the World of Antiquity

Wrath and mercy of the gods were some of the significant religious features in antiquity. They interpret human experiences of suffering and affliction as well as those of protection and welfare. Due to the different characters and responsibilities of the deities, a remarkable range of constellations of divine benevolence and malevolence becomes evident, sometimes without allowing insight into the motives of the decisions made. The relationship between divine wrath and mercy requires a great deal of perception in the monotheistic religions. Wrath and mercy become characteristic features of one god only. The comparison of these approaches provides valuable information on the very essence of the religions investigated from this central perspective. With contributions by: Michael Bordt SJ, Billie Jean Collins, Jorg Frey, Louise Gestermann, Gunnar af Hallstrom, Reinhard G. Kratz, Manfred Krebernik, Todd Lawson, Kyle McCarter, Peter Schenk, Aharon Shemesh, Hermann Spieckermann, Karl William Weyde, Markus Witte