Josephus' Portrait of Jacob
In his portrayal of Jacob, Josephus' main goals are apologetic, namely to win the favor of his Roman hosts, and to present the biblical narrative in a more interesting form. In depicting Jacob he walked a tightrope between adulation and denigration. On the one hand, as with his other biblical h...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Penn Press
1988
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| In: |
The Jewish quarterly review
Year: 1988, Volume: 79, Issue: 2/3, Pages: 101-151 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In his portrayal of Jacob, Josephus' main goals are apologetic, namely to win the favor of his Roman hosts, and to present the biblical narrative in a more interesting form. In depicting Jacob he walked a tightrope between adulation and denigration. On the one hand, as with his other biblical heroes, Josephus stresses Jacob's genealogy, appearance, wealth, and possession of the cardinal virtues (wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice) plus piety; on the other hand, because he apparently identified Esau with Rome, his patron, he is careful not to stress the shortcomings of Esau, Jacob's twin brother and bitter rival, or the strife between Jacob and Esau. Although, in general, he closely paraphrases the biblical text, he omits references that would be embarrassing and he seeks to arouse more sympathy for Esau. However, the scene in which Jacob and Esau are reconciled becomes in Josephus a central event and is narrated at great length. Indeed, Josephus, ever eager to diminish the tension between the brothers, claims that Esau approached Jacob with no thought of treachery. Moreover, aware that the Romans were sensitive to the great expansion of the Jewish population especially through proselytism, and that Jacob is the direct ancestor of the Jewish people, Josephus departs from the biblical text in order to avoid any indication that the Jews seek to convert others to Judaism or that the Jews will establish an independent state in the future. To make the narrative more appealing to his primary audience, which consisted of pagans, Josephus diminishes the role of God in several places, rationalizes miracles, and omits those passages that raise serious questions about the authorship and date of the revelation of the Torah. Furthermore, he introduces an element of suspense, increases the pathos, and employs romantic motifs such as are frequently found in Homer and in the Greek novels. |
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| ISSN: | 1553-0604 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The Jewish quarterly review
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/1454249 |