In the Court of the Gentiles: Narrative, Exemplarity, and Scriptural Adaptation in the Court-Tales of Flavius Josephus

Description

Edwards explores how Josephus in Antiquities adapts the scriptural stories of Joseph and Esther in unexpected ways as models for accounts of more recent Jewish figures. Terming this practice "subversive adaptation," Edwards contextualizes it within Greco-Roman literary culture and employs the concept of "discourses of exemplarity" to show how Josephus used narratives about past figures to engage Roman elites in moral reflection and pragmatic decision-making. This book supplies analysis of frequently overlooked accounts as well as Josephus' broader literary strategies, and shows how ancient Jews appropriated imperial historiographical conventions and forms of discourse while countering Greco-Roman claims of cultural superiority. Contents Abbreviations Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Background of Antiquities 1.1 Date of Composition 1.2 Sources in Antiquities 2 Audience, Readers, and Publication of Antiquities 3 Aims and Purpose of Antiquities 4 Why “Court-Tales”? On Genre, Categories, and Labels 5 Methods and Challenges 5.1 Method of Study 5.2 Challenges 6 Plan of Study Chapter 2 Greco-Roman Discourses of Exemplarity and Josephus 1 Introduction 2 “Greco-Roman Discourses of Exemplarity” Defined 2.1 Key Terms and Contexts 2.2 Model of Exemplarity 2.3 Plutarch, Moralism, and Exemplarity 3 Moralism and Exemplarity in Josephan Scholarship 4 Exemplarity in Josephus’ Antiquities 4.1 Programmatic Statements 4.2 Terminology of Exemplarity (παράδειγμα) in AJ 4.3 Absence of Explicit Terminology 5 Greco-Roman Discourses of Exemplarity in This Study Chapter 3 A Tale of Two Josephs: Joseph the Tobiad and Scriptural Joseph 1 Introduction 1.1 Summary of the Tales of the Tobiads 1.2 Previous Scholarship 2 Joseph the Tobiad and Scriptural Joseph as Wise Courtiers 2.1 Friends in High Places 2.2 Wise, Witty—and Ambitious 3 Joseph the Tobiad and Scriptural Joseph as Sexually (Im)moral 3.1 Joseph the Chaste 3.2 Mrs. Potiphar and a Dancing Girl 4 Conclusion Chapter 4 “He Loved Him Still More as if He Were His Only Genuine Son”: Hyrcanus the Tobiad and Scriptural Joseph 1 Introduction 2 Sibling Rivalry in the Tales of the Tobiads and the Scriptural Joseph Story 2.1 Precocious Youths 2.2 Selection, Splicing, and Seams 2.3 Older Brothers’ Mediocrity 2.4 Younger Brothers’ Brilliance 2.5 Rivalry Turns Deadly 2.6 Retribution, Not Reconciliation 2.7 Summary 3 Reward and Punishment in the Tales of the Tobiads and the Scriptural Joseph Story 4 Conclusion Chapter 5 “You Will Forthwith Find Release from These Chains”: Agrippa I and Scriptural Joseph 1 Introduction 1.1 Summary of Josephus’ Account of Agrippa I 1.2 Previous Scholarship 2 Josephan Editorial Comments 2.1 First Editorial Comment (AJ 18.127–29) 2.2 Second Editorial Comment (AJ 18.142) 2.3 Third Editorial Comment (AJ 19.294–96) 3 Agrippa I and Scriptural Joseph as Falsely Accused and Unjustly Imprisoned 3.1 False Accusation of Agrippa (AJ 18.168–91) 3.2 Agrippa’s Unjust Imprisonment and Divine Portents (AJ 18.195–204) 4 Conclusion Chapter 6 Banquets Fit for Kings: Agrippa I and Esther 1 Introduction 2 Anti-Jewish Plots in the Accounts of Agrippa I and Esther 2.1 The Emperor Gaius and the Persian King Ahasuerus 2.2 Anti-Jewish Figures at Court: Apion, Isidorus, and Haman 3 Banquet Scenes in the Accounts of Agrippa I and Esther 3.1 Fundamental Parallels 3.2 Parallels Subverted: Agrippa and Esther Contrasted 3.3 Agrippa’s Intervention: Philo vs. Josephus 4 Conclusion Chapter 7 Setting a Good Example: Summary and Conclusions Bibliography Index of Modern Authors Index of Ancient Sources Index of Subjects