Difference between revisions of "Category:Joseph (subject)"

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According to Jewish (Christian, and Islamic) traditions, Joseph was one of the Twelve Patriarchs, the son of Jacob and Rachel. He was the head of the House of Joseph, the husband of Asenath, the father of Manasseh and Ephraim and therefore the forefather of the Tribe of Manasseh and the Tribe of Ephraim.

< Twelve Patriarchs -- Jacob -- Rachel -- Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs -- Twelve Tribes -- House of Joseph -- Tribe of Manasseh -- Tribe of Ephraim>

Overview

Joseph is a literary character of the early Jewish tradition. He was the protagonist of one of the longest narrative in the Pentateuch, concerning his life, the conflict with his brothers, his arrival in Egypt as a slave, his rise to fame and glory, and his final reconciliation with his family.

Joseph in Second Temple Jewish Interpretation

Second Temple Jewish authors rewrote the narrative, especially in Egypt, by making him one of the ancient Jewish heroes.

Artapanus (3rd century BCE) completely ignored all the dark sides of the ancient narrative, by exalting Joseph as a wise Jew who succeeded in becoming one of the most powerful man in Egypt.

The Book of Jubilees (2nd century BCE) also looked favorably at Joseph but precisely because of the conflict with his brothers and especially his chastity in his rejection of Potiphar's wife.

The Wisdom of Solomon and the novel Joseph and Aseneth followed the path of exaltation of Joseph in the Greco-Roman context of the Jewish diaspora, while highlighting his opposition to local Egyptian culture. In Joseph and Aseneth the echoes of the old family quarrel reemerge, some brothers being at odds with Joseph's marriage in spite of the conversion of Aseneth.

More ambivalent is the attitude of Philo, who in De Iosepho exalted the patriarch as the ideal politician, while being much more critical in De Somniis to the point of accusing him of adopting Egyptian customs.

By contrast, Josephus offered a very positive portrait of Joseph, stressing his innocence, righteousness and prophetic skills against the continuous envy by his brothers.

Joseph in later traditions

Later Rabbinic and Christian traditions would place more emphasis on the psychology of the character, often finding elements of ambivalence and guilt in his behavior.

Joseph in ancient sources

• See Joseph (sources) -- survey of ancient sources

Joseph in literature & the arts

• Joseph (arts) -- survey of fictional works

Joseph in scholarship

• Joseph (research) -- survey of scholarly works

References

• Joseph / Maren Niehoff / In: The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism (2010 Collins / Harlow), dictionary, 822-823

• / [[]] / In: The Anchor Bible Dictionary (1992 Freedman), dictionary,

External links

• Wikipedia