Josephus's Ambivalent Attitude towards Women and Power
Scholars have long been bewildered by Josephus's contradictory accounts of the reign of Queen Alexandra (76-67 B. C. E.), the only independent female Hasmonean ruler. While portraying her as a wise, skillful, and beloved ruler, Josephus also harshly criticizes her reign, holding her responsible...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
[2015]
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| In: |
Journal of ancient Judaism
Year: 2015, Volume: 6, Issue: 2, Pages: 182-205 |
| IxTheo Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy HD Early Judaism NBE Anthropology |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Scholars have long been bewildered by Josephus's contradictory accounts of the reign of Queen Alexandra (76-67 B. C. E.), the only independent female Hasmonean ruler. While portraying her as a wise, skillful, and beloved ruler, Josephus also harshly criticizes her reign, holding her responsible for the downfall of Judea. A critical feminist historiographic approach to philological and textual analyses of Alexandra's portrayal in Judean War and Judean Antiquities allows us to resolve this tension, by situating the case of Queen Alexandra within the context of Jewish history, Greco-Roman history, and gender discourse. Additional factors impacting upon Josephus's differing evaluations of Queen Alexandra in War and Antiquities include cultural conditions, in particular the different attitudes of Roman and Hellenistic society toward women in power, and the challenge presented to traditional male political structures by the transfer of power to a female monarch. This finding may also contribute to a better understanding of portrayals of other leading women in antiquity. |
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| ISSN: | 2196-7954 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of ancient Judaism
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.13109/jaju.2015.6.2.182 |