Josephus' Portraits of the Pharaohs

L.H. Feldman: Josephus* Portraits of the Pharaohs49 Josephus* Portraits of the Pharaohs Louis H. Feldman 7. Introduction In the introduction to his Jewish Antiquities, in setting forth his agenda, Josephus promises (1.5) that his work will embrace "our entire ancient history and political constitution, translated (µ£???µ??*?µ??/??/) from the Hebrew records; and he assures the reader (1.17) that he will set forth the precise details of the Scriptural record, neither adding nor omitting anything. However, an examination of the work indicates that he has added numerous details and even whole episodes, while also omitting many passages.1 One may, indeed, wonder that an apparently pious Jew could have taken such liberties with sacred material; but even a casual glance at the Septuagint, which Philo (De Vita Mosis 2.7.37) and the rabbinic tradition (Megillah 9a) regarded as having been done under divine inspiration, as well as the rabbinic Aramaic targumim, which claim to be paraphrases of the Scripture, and certainly the rabbinic rrüdrashim, which contain homiletic interpretations, indicates that those texts often diverge from the Hebrew text ofthe Bible. Perhaps we may cite, as a parallel to such liberties, the freedom exercised by the Greek tragedians in dealing with thenreligious traditions as embodied in the myths. What are the factors that lead Josephus to take such liberties? The very fact that in his prooemium Josephus (Ant. 1.10) cites as a precedent for his work the translation ofthe Pentateuch into Greek at the instance of a non-Jewish king, Ptolemy Philadelphus, is designed as ajustification for his directing the Antiquities to a similar Gentile audience2 with apologetic intent. An examination of Josephus' portrayal of 1 For various theories seeking to explain this inconsistency see my "Use, Authority, and Exegesis of Mikra in the Writings of Josephus," in MJ. Mulder and H. Sysling , eds., Mikra: Text, Translation, Reading and Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in "Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity," Compendia Rerum Iudaicarum ad Novum Testamentum, vol. 1 Sect 2 (Assen 1988) 466-70. 2 We must, however, note that while Josephus' primary audience consists ofnon-Jews he is also directing his work to Jews, especially, one may assume, Hellenized Jews in the Diaspora. See my "Use, Authority, and Exegesis ofMikra in the Writings ofJosephus" (above, note 1) 470-1. 50Syllecta Classica 4 (1993) various biblical personalities will confirm this.3 Indeed, Josephus (Ant. 1.5) expresses his confidence that the whole Greek-speaking world will find his work to be worthy of attention, hi particular we may note changes intended to improve the style of the Septuagint, as well as attempts to clarify its meaning. We should also not be surprised to find deliberate attempts by Josephus to glorify his heroes through Hellenization in his version, both in language and in ideas. Moreover, in his paraphrase Josephus seeks to answer the anti-Semitic charges that Jews had produced no great men or that they were guilty ofmisanthropy or lack of patriotism.4 Indeed, even Hecataeus of Abdera (op. Diodorus 40.3.4), who is otherwise well disposed toward the Jews, describes the Jewish way of life as "a misanthropic way of life and one hostile to strangers" (ap?????p??/ t??a ?a?µ?s??e??? ßlov).5 The Alexandrian Lysimachus, approximately a century before Josephus, reflects such a charge when he says (op. Josephus, Against Apion 1.309) that Moses instructed the Israelites "to show goodwill to no man, to offer not the best but the worst advice and to overthrow any temples and altars of gods which they found." Josephus' contemporary, Tacitus (Histories 5.5.1), bitterly remarks that while Jews are extremely loyal and always ready to show compassion toward one another they feel only hate and enmity toward other people. Juvenal (14.103-04), with similar bitterness, charges the Jews with failing to show the way or a fountain spring to any but fellow-Jews. Indeed, the Jews, in their alleged hatred of foreigners, had even been accused of a human sacrifice by Apion (op. Against Apion 2.91-6) and Damocritus (ap. Suidas, s.v.). hi response Josephus (Ant. 1.241) is proud of the fact that two of Abraham's sons fought along...