Synopses & Reviews
This is a study of an anonymous ancient work (surviving in shorter and longer versions) conventionally titled
Joseph and Aseneth, but here simply designated as
Aseneth. Composed in Greek, the text narrates the transformation of the daughter of an Egyptian priest into an acceptable spouse for the biblical Joseph (whose marriage to this woman is given brief notice in Genesis). Relatively unknown outside of scholarly circles, this story is remarkable for its focus on a female character and for its apparent absence of overt misogyny. This unusual tale has traditionally been viewed as a Jewish conversion story composed no later than the second century C.E.
Through a detailed examination of the texts, however, Ross Kraemer arrives at conclusions that disagree with previous findings with respect not only to questions of date, provenance, identity, geographic origin, and textual relationships, but also to many matters of interpretation. She argues that the tale is as likely to be Christian as it is to be Jewish. She also contends that it was written at least a quarter of a century later than previously believed. She shows that the tale's account of Aseneth's interactions with an angelic being is heavily influenced by ancient portraits of the magical adjuration of powerful divine beings, including that of the sun god, Helios, and by Neoplatonic ideas about the fate of the souls. Kraemer demonstrates the centrality of ideas about gender in the representation of Aseneth, and goes on to explicate the story's implications, within the context of constructs of and concerns about gender in Late Antiquity.
Review
"Kraemer has written a revisionist and quite compelling account of one of the most mysterious of parabiblical texts."--International Review of Biblical Studies
"When Aseneth met Joseph is a challenging, provocative and refreshing book that should help to bring Joseph and Aseneth closer to classicists and to ancient historians.... Kraemer's work is am impressive and dynamic display of scholarship and an excellent point of departure for any future exploration of Joseph and Aseneth."--Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Synopsis
This is the study of an anonymous ancient work, usually called
Joseph and Aseneth, which narrates the transformation of the daughter of an Egyptian priest into an acceptable spouse for the biblical Joseph, whose marriage to Aseneth is given brief notice in Genesis.
Kraemer takes issue with the scholarly consensus that the tale is a Jewish conversion story composed no later than the early second century C.E. Instead, she dates it to the third or fourth century C.E., and argues that, although no definitive answer is presently possible, it may well be a Christian account. This critique also raises larger issues about the dating and identification of many similar writings, known as pseudepigrapha.
Kraemer reads its account of Aseneth's interactions with an angelic double of Joseph in the context of ancient accounts of encounters with powerful divine beings, including the sun god Helios, and of Neoplatonic ideas about the fate of souls. When Aseneth Met Joseph demonstrates the centrality of ideas about gender in the representation of Aseneth and, by extension, offers implications for broader concerns about gender in Late Antiquity.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 323-338) and indexes.