ANCIENT WRITINGS SHED LIGHT ON ASENETH, MOSES
The Herald Sun, FL
March 25 2015
The Jewish Federation of Durham-Chapel Hill gathers interfaith clergy
for an annual conference with a speaker bringing a new perspective of
religious knowledge. Ancient texts shared by a University of Minnesota
professor were new stories to learn for some longtime clergy at the
event held recently at Beth El Synagogue.
Patricia Ahearne-Kroll was the guest speaker and shared excerpts
from Jewish writings recorded by Christian scribes in Egypt during
the period of the Second Temple, between the fourth century B.C. and
first century. The writings include figures already known to Jews and
Christians, including Joseph of the “coat of many colors” story and
Moses. Ahearne-Kroll is an assistant professor in the department of
Classical and Near Eastern Studies at the University of Minnesota. She
received her doctorate in Biblical studies from the University of
Chicago Divinity School.
In a story about Joseph and his wife Aseneth, the writer focuses
on Aseneth to tell her story with embellishments and detail about
Aseneth’s initial rejection of the idea of Joseph, that is until
she sees the attractive man ride in on a golden chariot. Some of the
story is a repeat of the story of Joseph in Genesis, Ahearne-Kroll
explained. Focusing on Aseneth puts a “different spin on it,” she
said. Aseneth’s mind is changed by the notion of love at first sight,
Ahearne-Kroll said. The initial obstacle to Aseneth’s and Joseph’s
relationship is her religious practices, as Aseneth was a converted
Egyptian. The story shows friendly relationships formed between Jews
and Egyptians, she said.
“Joseph and Aseneth are showing different ways of Jewishness,” she
said, showing that Aseneth married into the faith and didn’t have to
be ethnically Jewish.
Ahearne-Kroll also talked about Artapanus’ writings about Moses, which
diverges and then returns to the narrative found in Exodus. Artapanus’
story reflects amiable relations between Egyptians and Jews, she said,
and shows rich Jewish ancestry.
The Egyptian-Jewish texts, written in Greek, found appeal in Christian
circles, Ahearne-Kroll said. Rev. Rollin Russell, one of the clergy
attending the conference, said he had never heard of the texts and
asked where the texts are located now. Ninety surviving stories
includes 50 in Armenian, and are found in collections of various
literature in Armenian libraries, she said.
The largest fragment of Artapanus’ “On the Jews” writing is about
Moses, and roots Jewish heritage in Egypt. Jews lived in Egypt for
centuries, Ahearne-Kroll said. “Jewish writers put forth an impressive
effort to show how they belonged there, too,” she said. The writings
would have been lost forever were it not for Christian scribes,
she said, though writings were misused later for persecution. The
original writings were written from a vantage point of Jews trying
to form an identity in Egypt, she said.
Ahearne-Kroll was asked what makes a text sacred, if the texts have
divine or human origins.
She said that it wasn’t until much later that there was the notion
of text being fixed, as something that cannot be changed.
“So in this time, the actually building stories, that rewrite the
stories, is an indication that Genesis and Exodus are actually sacred
to these writers,” Ahearne-Kroll said.
From: A. Papazian