Joseph And Asenath

When Aseneth Met Joseph

This is the study of an anonymous ancient work, usually called Joseph and Aseneth, which narrates the transformation of the daughter of an Egyptian priest into an acceptable spouse for the biblical Joseph, whose marriage to Aseneth is given brief notice in Genesis. Kraemer takes issue with the scholarly consensus that the tale is a Jewish conversion story composed no later than the early second century C.E. Instead, she dates it to the third or fourth century C.E., and argues that, although no definitive answer is presently possible, it may well be a Christian account. This critique also raises larger issues about the dating and identification of many similar writings, known as pseudepigrapha. Kraemer reads its account of Aseneth's interactions with an angelic double of Joseph in the context of ancient accounts of encounters with powerful divine beings, including the sun god Helios, and of Neoplatonic ideas about the fate of souls. When Aseneth Met Joseph demonstrates the centrality of ideas about gender in the representation of Aseneth and, by extension, offers implications for broader concerns about gender in Late Antiquity.

Joseph and Asenath

Finding Joseph and Asenath

There is very much written about the young Joseph, son of Jacob by his favorite wife Rachel, who was hated by his brothers and how they sold him to traders traveling to Egypt. We know well this story and how he fared in the new country. We know about Potiphar's household and his infamous wife. We also know of his years in the prison and his gift to interpret dreams. Finally, we know how he was elevated to a high position by the current Pharaoh, his marriage and the two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, who were given blessings by their grandfather Jacob. What we don't know is enough about his wife, Asenath, and her life and spiritual conversion after being visited by an angel. She was a very special woman and God knew her greatness and prepared her to be Joseph's wife. This book is about his life before Egypt and later coming to power then the story of her life, how she is visited by an angel and converted. Finally, the meeting with Asenath and their two sons Manasseh and Ephraim.