Pseudo-Philo Rewriting the Bible

by Murphy, Frederick J.

• ISBN13: 9780195076226
• ISBN10: 0195076222
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1993-11-11
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This is a literary and theological study of the Biblical Antiquities of Pseudo-Philo--a long, well-written reinterpretation of the Hebrew Bible written by a Palestinian Jew of the first century C.E. Using the methodologies of redaction and literary criticism, Murphy provides an analysis of the whole of the Biblical Antiquities . After a chapter-by-chapter analysis, Murphy addresses several topics more generally--major characters, major themes, and the historical context of the work. Full concordances to the Latin text are provided to assist future research on Pseudo-Philo. This book will prove an important resource for students of Jewish interpretation of the Bible at the end of the Second Temple period. It also sheds light on Jewish thought of the period regarding covenant, leadership in Israel, women in Israel, relations with Gentiles, divine providence, divine retribution, eschatology, and many other subjects. Furnishing a broad interpretive context for future work on the Biblical Antiquities , this study gives students of the Bible access to an important literary and religious product of first-century Judaism.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations	p. xiii
Prologue
Introduction	p. 3
Pseudo-Philo as Narrative	p. 9
Narrative Commentary
From Adam to Joseph: Biblical Antiquities 1-8	p. 29
Moses: Biblical Antiquities 9-19	p. 52
Joshua: Biblical Antiquities 20-24	p. 96
Kenaz: Biblical Antiquities 25-29	p. 116
Deborah: Biblical Antiquities 30-33	p. 136
From Aod to the Ascension of Phinehas: Biblical Antiquities 34-48	p. 154
From Samuel to David: Biblical Antiquities 49-65	p. 186
Broader Perspectives on Pseudo-Philo
Major Characters: God, Humanity, Israel, Leaders, Other Major Figures	p. 223
Major Themes	p. 244
The Real Author in Historical Context	p. 262
Bibliography	p. 271
Concordance of Proper Names	p. 279
General Concordance	p. 285
Index to Modern Authors	p. 311
Subject Index	p. 313
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