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Philo On Joseph

Philo On Joseph PHILO ON JOSEPH The Basic Coherence of De Iosepho and De Somniis ii BY JOUETTE M. BASSLER Washington, D.C. Philo's writings seem filled with inconsistencies, none more per- sistently puzzling than the different presentations of the figure of Joseph in the tractates De Iosepho (jos.) and De Somniis ii (Somn. ii). In the former Joseph seems to be the model statesman, combining virtue, nobility, and piety with the practical skills demanded by his office. In the latter, however, the same patriarch appears as a near parody of this role, manifesting among other things vainglory, empty conceit, falsity, greed, debauchery, and inconstancy. The amount of attention this strange feature has attracted is well documented by the numerous explanations that have been offered over the years'). One of the first was that of W. BoussET, who at- tributed Philo's inconsistencies and contradictions to his uncritical use of disparate sources2). Others, however, could not concur with this somewhat negative appraisal of the Alexandrian scholar's abili- ty to control his sources and thus sought an explanation elsewhere. L. MASSEBIEAU and E. BREHIER, for example, located the explana- tion in the political climate of Alexandria. According to their hypothesis, the positive tone of http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal for the Study of Judaism Brill

Philo On Joseph

Bassler, Jouette M.
Journal for the Study of Judaism , Volume 16 (2): 240 – Jan 1, 1985
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1985 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0047-2212
eISSN
1570-0631
DOI
10.1163/157006385X00357
Publisher site
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Abstract

PHILO ON JOSEPH The Basic Coherence of De Iosepho and De Somniis ii BY JOUETTE M. BASSLER Washington, D.C. Philo's writings seem filled with inconsistencies, none more per- sistently puzzling than the different presentations of the figure of Joseph in the tractates De Iosepho (jos.) and De Somniis ii (Somn. ii). In the former Joseph seems to be the model statesman, combining virtue, nobility, and piety with the practical skills demanded by his office. In the latter, however, the same patriarch appears as a near parody of this role, manifesting among other things vainglory, empty conceit, falsity, greed, debauchery, and inconstancy. The amount of attention this strange feature has attracted is well documented by the numerous explanations that have been offered over the years'). One of the first was that of W. BoussET, who at- tributed Philo's inconsistencies and contradictions to his uncritical use of disparate sources2). Others, however, could not concur with this somewhat negative appraisal of the Alexandrian scholar's abili- ty to control his sources and thus sought an explanation elsewhere. L. MASSEBIEAU and E. BREHIER, for example, located the explana- tion in the political climate of Alexandria. According to their hypothesis, the positive tone of

Journal

Journal for the Study of Judaism – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1985

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