The Political Economy of Indo-European Polytheism: How to Deal with Too Many Gods (Contributions to Economics)

This book sheds new light on the evolution and transformation of polytheistic religions. By applying economic models to the study of religious history and by viewing religious events as the result of rational choices under given environmental constraints, it offers a political economy perspective for the study of Indo-European polytheism. The book formally models the rivalry or competition among multiple gods in a polytheistic system and the monotheistic solution to this competition. Presenting case studies on the transformation and demise of various polytheistic religions, it highlights the pivotal role of the priestly class in driving religious change and suggests a joint explanation for the demise of Greco-Roman religion and the resilience of Hinduism and Zoroastrianism. It will appeal to scholars of the economics of religion and religious history and to anyone seeking new insights into the birth and death of religions, and the birth of monotheism in particular. Acknowledgements Contents 1 Introduction: Polytheism and Economics 1.1 The Subject and the Problem 1.2 Polytheism, Rational Choice, and Political Economy 1.3 The Proto-Indo-Europeans, Their Religion, and Dumézil’s Tri-Functional Hypothesis 1.4 Preview of the Book 1.5 An Appetizer: Some of the Earliest Indo-European Pantheons Part I The Beginnings 2 Greeks and Romans: The Religions Without Professional Priests 2.1 Greek Religion 2.1.1 The Mycenaeans 2.1.2 Classical Greek Theology 2.1.3 The Cult and the Priests 2.2 Roman Religion 2.2.1 The Earliest Theology 2.2.2 Inflation of the Pantheon 2.2.3 The Priests 2.3 Main Takeaways 3 Celts and Germans: The Elusive Religions 3.1 Celtic Religion 3.1.1 Theology 3.1.2 The Cult and the Priests 3.2 Germanic Religion 3.2.1 Theology 3.2.2 The Cult and the Priests 3.3 Main Takeaways 4 Indians and Iranians: The Priestly Religions 4.1 Vedic Religion 4.1.1 Indo-Aryan and Vedic Theology 4.1.2 The Cult and the Priests 4.2 Iranian Religion 4.2.1 Theology 4.2.2 The Cult and the Priests 4.3 Main Takeaways Part II The Endings 5 Extinction: Polytheism Unreformed 5.1 Celtic Religion 5.2 Germanic Religions 5.3 Greco-Roman Religion 5.3.1 Traveling Gods and Institutions 5.3.2 The Elective Cults 5.3.3 The End 5.4 Main Takeaways 6 Death and Rebirth: Polytheism Reformed 6.1 Hinduism 6.1.1 The New Theology 6.1.2 The Priests and Their Competition 6.2 Zoroastrianism 6.2.1 Zoroaster’s Reforms 6.2.2 Spread and Development of Zoroastrianism 6.2.3 Discussion: Zoroastrianism’s Endurance 6.3 Main Takeaways Part III The Economics 7 Economic Analysis: From Typology to Outcomes 7.1 A Typology of Indo-European Religions 7.2 The Economics of the Pantheon 7.3 A Market Analogy 7.4 Escapes from the Supplicant’s Dilemma: The Pivotal Role of the Priesthood 7.5 Explaining the Outcomes 7.6 Institutional Equilibria 7.7 Invitation to the Models 8 Economic Models: Gods, Supplicants, and Priests 8.1 A Model of Divine Preferences 8.1.1 The Supplicant’s Dilemma 8.1.2 Escapes from the Dilemma 8.2 Rent-Seeking or Rent Dissipation: The Priestly Dilemma 8.3 Institutional Equilibria: A Game Between Gods and Priests 8.4 The Missionary Expansion: A Discriminating Cooperative Model 9 Conclusions References Index