joseph and asnath

1
Overview of The Book of Joseph and Aseneth
2
Introduction

• The answer lies in Aseneths repentance, which is
  displayed in her rejection of idols and in her
  prayer to God and is recognized by an angelic
  visitor who declares her converted. With Pharaoh
  himself officiating, she marries Joseph, who
  reigns in Egypt for fortyeight years.
• These and other tales present Aseneth as an
  idealized proselyte to Judaism and so places
  Joseph and Aseneth in a unique place among the
  Second Temple Jewish pseudepigrapha.

3
Introduction

• Joseph and Aseneth is a fanciful tale of the
  patriarch Joseph and his Egyptian wife Aseneth,
  the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On (Gen.
  4145). She gives birth to two sons, Ephraim and
  Manasseh (Gen. 4150 4620), but the biblical
  account says nothing else.
• Joseph and Aseneth expands on this material to
  create a narrative that describes Aseneth prior
  to her marriage to Joseph, how they met and
  subsequently married. How the esteemed Jew Joseph
  could marry the daughter of a gentile idolatrous
  priest, a notion strictly forbidden in Scripture.

4
Historical Background

• Authorship
• Joseph and Aseneth was long presumed to be a
  later Christian composition, replete with
  allegorical presentations, such as Joseph
  representing Christ and Aseneth the church. Most
  interpreters view the work as Jewish, given its
  exegetical affinities with works like Philo,
  Josephus, and Judith.
• is often suggested that Joseph and Aseneth was
  written in Egypt, with Pharaoh and the Egyptian
  priest acknowledging the God of Israel and
  Aseneth abandoning her ancestral gods to convert
  to Judaism and marry an Israelite.

5
Historical Background

• Date
• Joseph and Aseneth has been dated to as early as
  the second century BCE and as late as the fourth
  century CE.
• In summary, it seems best to favor the majority
  view that Joseph and Aseneth was composed in a
  Jewish community in Egypt between 100 BCE and 135
  CE.

6
Historical Background

• Genre
• Joseph and Aseneth is generally regarded as a
  kind of ancient romance, with some literary
  affinities with the books of Ruth, Esther, Tobit,
  and Judith.
• And to a degree there are resemblances, the
  centrality of a female character, the question of
  marriage, and the relation of Jews and gentiles
  to name a few.

7
Content of the book

• The first part of the story (chapters 1-21), an
  expansion of Genesis 4145, describes the
  diffident relationship between Aseneth, the
  daughter of an Egyptian priest of Heliopolis and
  the Hebrew patriarch Joseph, the vision of
  Aseneth in which she is fed honeycomb by a
  heavenly being, her subsequent conversion to the
  God of Joseph, followed by romance, marriage, and
  the birth of Manasseh and Ephraim.
• The second part (chapters 22-29) involves a plot
  by the Pharaoh's son, who recruits Dan and Gad to
  kill Joseph, only to be thwarted by Benjamin and
  Levi.

8
Content of the book

• The story begins by narrating Josephs visitation
  to Pentephares home, when Joseph arrives in the
  region, he sends a contingent to request of
  Pentephres refuge from the noonday sun at his
  home (312).
• The jubilant Egyptian, praising the God of Joseph
  for the honor of such a visit. When Joseph
  arrives, Aseneth flees to her chamber, from which
  she can observe Joseph (512).

9
Content of the book

• When Joseph and Aseneth meet, the maidens father
  instructs her to kiss Joseph as a brother
  (815), but Joseph refuses, arguing it is
  unsuitable to kiss a strange woman (meaning a
  non-Israelite) with the very lips that bless God
  (857). Aseneth is cut to the heart and moved to
  tears (889), at which Joseph blesses her and
  prays for her conversion (89).
• Aseneth, seemingly recovered from her tears, now
  rejoices and retreats to her room, where she
  weeps and repents of her idol worship (912),
  while Joseph departs after promising to return in
  a week (935 101). She weeps bitterly day and
  night for seven days in sackcloth and ashes.
  Having rallied her courage, she addresses God,
  confessing her sin and praying for forgiveness
  for her idolatry and her blasphemy against Gods
  son, Joseph.

10
Content of the book

• After this episode Aseneth, early in the morning,
  sees the heavens torn asunder, and a man from
  heaven appears to her, calling her by name and
  identifying himself as the chief of the house of
  the Lord and commander of the whole host of the
  Most High. When she returns to the man, he
  exhorts her to courage and informs her that her
  name is written in the book of the living in
  heaven, her prayers have been heard.
• For this meal a honeycomb is miraculously
  furnished, and Aseneth understands it was brought
  forth from the mans mouth (16111). Together
  they eat of the honeycomb, which the man says is
  the bread of life, and he pronounces her
  blessings from God.

11
Content of the book

• When Josephs arrival is announced, Aseneth
  hurries to meet him. Joseph made his desires
  known to Pharaoh, who promptly calls together the
  wedding, at which he officiates (the couple again
  kiss), and hosts a grand marriage feast for seven
  days (2128). (In the course of time Aseneth
  conceives and gives birth to Manasseh and
  Ephraim 219.) Then Aseneth commences a lengthy
  confession, thanksgiving, and prayer to God.

12
Content of the book

• The second part of the narrative (Jos. Asen.
  2229), which is shorter than the first, begins
  during the seven years of famine (221). It is at
  this time that Jacob learns about Joseph and,
  with his whole family, goes to Egypt to settle in
  Goshen during the second year of the famine
  (222).
• So Joseph and Aseneth go to Goshen to see Jacob
  (Israel 2236), who is radiant and youthful
  despite his old age (22710). The couple is
  escorted

13
Conclusion

• This narration explains about the conversion of
  Aseneth by prayer of Joseph and her being humble
  and repenting of her idolatries worship. Joseph
  is Godly man and faith full to his God and he
  took great responsibility feed the whole world by
  gathering grain in seven plenty years to rescue
  from famine of the second seven years

14
Conclusion

• Josephs and Aseneths story is very interesting,
  it shows how us how ungodly people become godly
  people through repentance from their sins. This
  occation shows the plan of God for people to
  through faith, God is God of mercy and
  repentance.
• The Book of Joseph and Aseneth is very important
  to fill the gap of Torah of OT in the book of
  Genesis. There is no enough explanation about the
  conversion of Aseneth and her marriage to Joseph.

15

• Thank You!!