Aseneth: A tale from the religious frontier
After discussing issues surrounding the distinction between Christian and Jewish apocryphal/pseudepigraphic texts, this paper suggests that the composition of (Joseph and) Aseneth could have been stimulated by the shift to a matrilineal definition of inherited Jewish status, datable to the second-ce...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
2022
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the pseudepigrapha
Year: 2022, Volume: 32, Issue: 1, Pages: 75-98 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Joseph and Aseneth
/ Matrilineality
/ theosebēs
/ Gnosis
/ Valentinus, Gnosticus ca. 2. Jh.
/ Syncretism
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| IxTheo Classification: | BH Judaism HB Old Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Pseudepigrapha
B Theos Hypsistos B theosebeis B Joseph and Aseneth B Conversion |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | After discussing issues surrounding the distinction between Christian and Jewish apocryphal/pseudepigraphic texts, this paper suggests that the composition of (Joseph and) Aseneth could have been stimulated by the shift to a matrilineal definition of inherited Jewish status, datable to the second-century C.E. It is further argued that this text cannot have originated in either Christian or rabbinic Jewish circles, but most probably belongs in a mystically inclined, fringe Jewish group, perhaps identifying themselves as “god-fearers” (theosebeis), and possibly influenced by Valentinian Gnosticism. The paper accepts a view of the text as tending toward syncretism in its spirituality and notes the importance of erotic and novelistic features in the narrative. |
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| ISSN: | 1745-5286 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the pseudepigrapha
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/09518207221085652 |