The Ancient World Online: Joseph Remembered: A Wandering Figure and His History in the Hebrew Bible, Ancient Judaism, and Early Christianity

Joseph is one of the most versatile and powerful figures in Genesis. Magnus Rabel shows for the first time comprehensively how Joseph and his story were repeatedly reinterpreted and transformed in ancient Jewish and early Christian sources. The spectrum of Joseph’s images ranges from wise counselor to ideal statesman to tyrant, instrument of God or typological forerunner of Christ. Narratologically precise and differentiated in terms of reception history, the study shows that Joseph is less a fixed figure than a constantly re-accentuated projection surface of cultural and theological discourses. The Joseph narrative proves to be the focal point of fundamental human questions about foreignness, wisdom, power and reconciliation. Joseph thus becomes a mirror of remembered identity formation and at the same time a model of future-oriented identity assurance.

Table of contents:

1 Introduction, research overview, methodology
1.1 Sources
1.2 Research overview
1.3 Methodology
1.4 Procedure and objectives
2 The story of Joseph as a starting point
2.1 The diachronic inquiry
2.2 The text basis
2.3 A final, thematic reading of the Joseph story
2.4 Joseph as a figure
3 Joseph in the rest of the Hebrew Bible
3.1 Explicit recordings
3.2 Thematic recordings in Ester and Daniel
3.3 Conclusion
4 Joseph in the Septuagint
4.1 The Septuagint as the oldest commentary on the Hebrew writings
4.2 A tempered childhood (Gen 37:2-11)
4.3 The Blessed, Beautiful, Ethical and Responsible One (39:1-23)
4.4 No criticism of power and intermarriage (Gen 41:37-57)
4.5 Further emphasis from Joseph (Gen 46:5,29; 47:14; 49:22-26)
4.6 A God-fearing confession (Gen 50:15-21)
4.7 Conclusion
5 Joseph in ancient Jewish wisdom traditions
5.1 Sir 49,15
5.2 Sap 10,13-14
5.3 Conclusion
6 Joseph in the fragments of Alexander Polyhistor
6.1 Artapanus (Praep. ev. 9.23.1-4)
6.2 Demetrius (Eccl. 9.21.1-18)
6.3 Philo, the Epicurean (Praep. ev. 9.24.1)
6.4 Conclusion
7 Joseph in the books of Maccabees
7.1 1. Book of Maccabees
7.2 4. Book of Maccabees
7.3 Conclusion
8 Joseph in the testaments of the twelve patriarchs
8.1 Joseph as a flawless example in eleven testaments
8.2 Joseph as a patiently loving man in the fictional self-testimony of T. Jos.
8.3 Conclusion: Joseph as the ethical crystallization point of TestXII
9 Joseph in the book of jubilees
9.1 Joseph’s birth (Jub 28:24)
9.2 The missing negative childhood joy narrative (Jub 34.39)
9.3 Joseph as comforter and sacrifice (Jub 34)
9.4 Joseph as a bearer of blessings and a blameless, righteous man (Jub 39)
9.5 Joseph as the ideal statesman, the ideal eschaton and the missing dreams
9.6 Joseph’s conciliatory action with the brothers (Jub 42-45)
9.7 Joseph’s even stronger idealization
9.8 Conclusion: Idealization, reconciliation and inner life
10 Joseph in the second animal vision of the 1st book of Enoch
11 Joseph in the Book of Biblical Antiquities
11.1 Positive Joseph and positive Joseph story in nuce (8.9-14)
11.2 Mentions of Joseph as positive points of comparison (12.1; 43.5)
11.3 Conclusion
12 Joseph in Joseph and Aseneth
12.1 Exposition, ring closure, Egyptianization, anticipation (1.1-5)
12.2 In Pentephres (3.1-10.1)
12.3 Aseneth’s turning to the God of Joseph as a secondary turning to Joseph (9.1-17.10)
12.4 Joseph as bridegroom (18.1-21.9)
12.5 Joseph as a gentle, compassionate and God-fearing man of Aseneth and the apple of God’s eye (22.1-29.9)
12.6 Conclusion
13 Joseph bei Flavius ​​Josephus
13.1 Bibelparaphrase in den Antiquitates Biblicae
13.2 Defused exposition of the Joseph story and sale (2.7-38)
13.3 Paideia and virtuous resistance in Pentephres (2.39-60)
13.4 Innocent Captivity and Logical Dream Interpretation (61-73)
13.5 Joseph’s intelligent and understandable ascent (74-92)
13.6 Joseph’s planned dealings with his brothers (93-159)
13.7 Joseph’s unspectacular forgiveness (160-188)
13.8 Smart agricultural policy with return of the land (189-193)
13.9 Jacob and Joseph’s reconciled death (194-199)
13.10 Joseph outside the story of Joseph in Josephus
13.11 Joseph as personified virtue and his cardinal virtues
13.12 Conclusion
14 Joseph with Philo of Alexandria
14.1 Joseph als idealer Staatsmann in de Josephus
14.2 Joseph als Despot in De Somniis 2
14.3 Conclusion: Philos Joseph as ideal ruler and tyrant
15 Joseph in the New Testament
15.1 Mary’s husband as a creative Joseph figure in Matthew
15.2 Traces of Joseph in Luke?
15.3 The outcast Joseph as a witness of Christological typology (Acts 7:9-16)
15.4 Joseph as a witness of hopeful faith (Hebrews 11:21-22)
15.5 Conclusion
16 Securing results, final reflection and outlook
16.1 Securing results
16.2 Hermeneutic Reflection I: Joseph as a volatile figure
16.3 Hermeneutic Reflection II: The Silence of Joseph and Egypt
16.4 Hermenu Reflexion III: Joseph as an inadeacians Figur
16.5 Desiderates: Transfigural, multiperspective and intercultural reception
16.6 Exemplary outlook: Reception of Joseph in ancient Christianity