Aseneth in Joseph and Aseneth

The Jewish novel, Joseph and Aseneth,^[117] is even more explicit about how it engages the ancient audience, and it is best understood as an ancient Greek novel with all of the characteristics that this genre implies.

In chapters 10-16, Joseph and Aseneth narrates the rise of Aseneth’s greatness as a Jewish convert who ultimately marries Joseph. After Joseph prays over Aseneth, she immediately proceeds to her private room where she rejects her Egyptian religious practices, repents, and for seven days fasts and sits in sackcloth and ashes. Near the end of these days of repent­ance, Aseneth prays to God the Most High, and soon afterwards, an angelic figure visits her, declares she will be given a divinely appointed position, and offers divine knowledge to her.

Translations:

...

But his face was like lightning and his eyes were like the light of the sun and the hair of his head like a flame of fire of a burning torch, and his hands and feet were like iron from the fire (Bu: (like iron) shining forth from a fire, and sparks shot from his hands and feet). (Jos. Asen. 14:9)

The agreement of vocabulary and word order is too similar to be coinci­dental;^[120] the angelic figure in Joseph and Aseneth is partially modeled on the description of the angelic figure, Gabriel, in the book of Daniel.^[121] The allusion to Daniel, however, extends beyond these verses.^[122] Aseneth’s re­pentance and prayer imitate Daniel’s behavior in Daniel 9, and Aseneth’s encounter with the angelic figure reflects Daniel’s encounter with Gabriel in Daniel 9-12.^[123] Let us look at the use of Daniel 10-12 in Joseph and Aseneth 10-16 as an example.

In Daniel 10, we are told that Daniel had been mourning and fasting for three weeks when he encountered Gabriel. Daniel states that he lifted his eyes and “saw and beheld, a man”^[124] dressed in linen and standing before him (vv. 5-6). In this scene, Daniel is accompanied by other men who re­spond in fear^[125] and flee, but Daniel remains and is overwhelmed^[126] (v. 9). Gabriel helps him up, calls him by name, and declares, “Understand the words [OG: commands] that I am speaking^[127] to you and stand^[128] in your place, for now I have been sent to you” (v. 11). Daniel trembles^[129] at these words, and Gabriel consoles him saying,

Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart [OG: your face] to un­derstand and to humble yourself before your God [OG: adds “the Lord”], your word(s) was/were heard, and I have come in response to your word(s).

OG: μη φοβοΐι Δανιήλ' ότι από της- ήμερα? τη? πρώτη? ή? εδωκα? τό προσώπου σου διαυοηθήυαι και ταπειυωθήυαι εναντίου κυρίου του θεοΰ σου είσηκούσθη το ρήμα σου καί εγω είσήλθον εν τώ ρήματί σου.

Th: μη φοβοΐι Δανιήλ' οτι άπό τη? πρώτη? ήμερα? ή? εδωκα? τήν καρδίαν σου του συνιεναι καί κακωθήναι εναντίον του θεοΰ σου ήκουσθησαν οϊ λόγοι σου καί εγώ ήλθον εν τοΐ? λόγοι? σου.

Gabriel encourages Daniel to be strong and reveals to him the future of Is­rael. He explains in detail the imperial rise of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid dynasties, the time of persecution under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and the ultimate salvation for the righteous.

Aseneth’s initial interaction with the angelic figure mimics Daniel’s in­terchange with Gabriel in Daniel 10. Not only is Joseph and Aseneth’s messenger modeled on Gabriel in appearance, but also the sequence of events in these two passages resembles each other. After the angelic figure appears in her room (standing before her), Aseneth raises her head (Bu)/eyes (Ph), and “sees and beholds, a man”^[131] dressed in royal garb like that of Joseph (Bu: 14:9; Ph: 14:8, cf. Dan 10:5). It is at this point that Jo­seph and Aseneth proceeds to imitate Dan 10:6 in its description of the messenger’s incredible appearance (Bu/Ph: 14:9). In response to this sight, Aseneth falls upon her face with great fear and trembling.^[132] The angelic figure responds to her saying, “Courage, and do not be afraid,^[133] but rise^[134] and I will speak to you^[135] (Bu/Ph: 14:11; cf. Dan 10:11). ^[136] He then com­mands Aseneth that after she changes her attire and returns to him, he would tell her what he has to say (λαλησω σοι τα ρήματα) (Bu: 14:13; Ph: 14:14; cf. Dan 10:11-12).^[137] When she returns, the angelic figure en­courages Aseneth not to fear this encounter, he reports that her words of confession had been heard, and he assures her that her name is written in the book of life.^[138]

Not only does Joseph and Aseneth model the angelic figure after Gabri­el, but it also models the interaction between Aseneth and the angelic fig­ure after the interchange between Daniel and Gabriel. In Daniel 10, Gabri­el appears before Daniel revealing knowledge to him, and Gabriel clearly indicates that he comes as a response to Daniel’s words.

(10:12). Joseph and Aseneth also shares vocabulary similar to or equiva­lent with what we find in Daniel 10 (άνήρ, φόβο$, τρόμος, μη φοβεομαι, στήθι, λαλεω, ρήμα (Th: λόγοι), and γράφω έν βίβλω).

The characterization of the heroine in Greek novels helps us to under­stand why Aseneth is not depicted primarily in terms of a biblical heroine. Although Aseneth is likened to Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel in appearance (Bu: 1:5; Ph: 1:8), she is not directly associated with any other woman in the biblical narratives.^{[139] [140] The choice of the Daniel paradigm is fitting if we think of the portrayal of Joseph in Genesis 37-50 and how he is recalled in Joseph and Aseneth;61 both Daniel and Joseph are heroic figures in a for­eign court, and the particular skill they demonstrate is their wisdom.[141] As the female protagonist in a Greek novel, Aseneth would be expected to equal Joseph in noble qualities, and the biblical paradigm of Daniel is an effective source for depicting this correspondence. Aseneth imitates Dan­iel’s pious behavior and experiences an angelic visit that is reminiscent of Daniel’s encounters with Gabriel. She also receives extraordinary knowledge from the divine realm that can be likened to the kind of knowledge that is granted to Daniel. In Daniel 2, God reveals “the mys­tery” of king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to Daniel,[142] and Daniel praises God as one who “reveals deep and obscure/hidden things”[143] and who “reveals mysteries.”[144] In Joseph and Aseneth, the angelic figure not only reveals to Aseneth her new status (inscribed in the book of life, a city of refuge for the devout, and the wife of Joseph) but also declares that “the ineffable matters [or mysteries of God] have been revealed to you” (Bu/Ph: 16:14).[145] The angelic figure associates “the ineffable matters or mysteries of God” with the miraculous honeycomb that Aseneth finds in her treasury (it is the food of angels), and he feeds her a piece of this honeycomb (Bu: 16:8-16; Ph: 16:4-9). Although these passages differ in terms of what is revealed, both Daniel and Aseneth receive extraordinary knowledge. The course of future events is revealed to Daniel, and not only is Aseneth’s future re­vealed to her (that she will marry Joseph), but she also is given access to the supernatural realm.}

So, what is the effect of portraying a heroine in the construct of a hero? The choice of a male paradigm to match Joseph in greatness suggests that Aseneth’s status is legitimated by her association with a male biblical fig­ure.^[146] Before the angelic figure announces to Aseneth her new and elevated status in the eyes of God, he declares that her unveiled head is “like a young man’s” (Bu/Ph: 15:1), which indicates that her encounter with the angelic figure is unusual for a woman to experience.^[147] Yet, the construc­tion of Aseneth as female is emphasized by the new name, and new role, that she is given by the angelic figure: “City of Refuge.” She will become a harbor for those seeking refuge in the name of God, and several textual witnesses of Joseph and Aseneth associate this metropolitan role with Ase- neth’s protection of those who repent (Bu: 15:7; Ph: 15:6).^[148] The symbolic significance of Aseneth embodying a city echoes the personification of Zi­on as female in biblical literature,^[149] and Aseneth’s primary role as protec­tress also resonates with the image of Greek goddesses as guardians of cit­ies (such as Athena).

Contrary to how many scholars interpret this name for Aseneth, howev­er, I do not think that she is being portrayed primarily as a model proselyte for the audience.^[150] As is the case in ancient Greek novels, the heroine is not meant to be identified with per se; the events of her repentance, her en­counter with the angelic figure, and her new status depict more than what the average human being could expect in converting to Judaism.^[151] There are, however, explicit points of contact in the narrative that instruct the au­dience. Joseph and Aseneth prescribes two rules of conduct that are con­firmed by Aseneth’s actions: (1) a polytheist must convert to the sole wor­ship and allegiance to the God Most High before marrying a devotee of this deity, and (2) anyone who reveres this god should not “repay evil for evil.”^[152] Although Aseneth abides by these rules, she does not simply repre­sent how “women should decide” on such matters, and she is not the only character who is judged by these principles. Joseph’s refusal to intimately embrace Aseneth is based on his application of the rule about intermar­riage, and when he relates this prohibition to Aseneth, he clearly states that it applies to male polytheists as well (Bu/Ph: 8:5-7). In the second part of the narrative, Levi also abides by interpretations of when to refrain from retaliation, and the actions of other sons of Jacob are judged by this rule. When Aseneth convinces Levi and his brothers not to act against the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah,^[153] she expands how Levi had applied this rule in chapters 23-27, and so her actions challenge when retaliation is justified. This scene has nothing to do with conversion, but it does equate Aseneth with Joseph in her extraordinary gesture of forgiveness. Just before Ase- neth grants the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah protection, these men had tried to kill her, but God destroyed their weapons in response to her prayer (Bu: 27:10-11; Ph: 27:8). After witnessing this event, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah request the protection of Aseneth, who then persuades Levi and the other brothers to forgive their treacherous brothers (Bu: 28:14; Ph: 28:14). In this scene, Aseneth lives out what her new name, “City of Refuge,” sig­nifies, and in doing so, her status is equated with that of Joseph. In Genesis 37-50, Joseph facilitates reconciliation between him and his brothers, and as recounted in both Genesis and Joseph and Aseneth, Joseph “saves” all of Egypt as well as the peoples of the surrounding nations (cf. Gen 41 and 47 with Jos. Asen. [Bu/Ph] 1 and 4). Likewise, Aseneth “saves” by becom­ing a city of refuge for those who repented (but who did not convert), and she facilitates the forgiveness of wrongful acts against her.

C.