Jewish Perspectives on Hellenistic Rulers
This volume gathers sixteen essays on monarchy and power in the Hellenistic period and charts a new approach to Hellenistic history by focusing attention on biblical and Jewish evidence and reading that evidence in new ways. The essays consider the kings, queens, and power figures of the Hellenistic dynasties, as well as ancient Israelite kings, the Babylonian and Persian rulers of the Bible, Parthians, and Romans. The volume also represents a new kind of interpretation of the Greek Bible...
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"The lively, serious, and informed discussions in this book provide impressive examples of the insights achieved when the Jewish evidence of the late Second Temple period is shown both to illuminate and to reflect the wider history of the Hellenistic world."—Martin Goodman, author of Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations "What sets this book apart is that it bears the fruits of a truly interdisciplinary investigation into the topic. The result sheds light not just on Hellenistic kings and how they were viewed by their Jewish subjects, but also on the early Greek Bible and, more generally, the meeting of, and cross-fertilization between, Jewish and Graeco-Roman culture that occurred in the centuries following Alexander's conquest."—Guido Schepens, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven"This wonderful collection of essays illuminates many facets of kingship in the Hellenistic world. The essays range over Hellenistic philosophy, Jewish fiction, the nuances of translation in the Greek Bible and archaeological evidence. Richly informative, and enjoyable reading besides!"—John J. Collins, author of Jewish Cult and Hellenistic Culture"This wide-ranging collection of essays brings together the too often separate perspectives of classical scholarship and Jewish studies. Jewish Perspectives on Hellenistic Rulers will be an indispensable reference work for anyone working on virtually any aspect of Hellenistic Jewish studies."—Sara Raup Johnson, author of Historical Fictions and Hellenistic Jewish Identity: Third Maccabees in its Cultural Context"This thought-provoking book presents a series of superb studies on Jewish-Greek views of hellenistic monarchy that together are suggestive of the rich interplay between Hellenistic Jewish intellectual traditions and their deep connections to the greater world of the Hellenistic monarchies. The volume will surely stimulate much more work on the subject, and will be required reading for all those whose interests touch on the subject of Hellenistic Judaism and Hellenistic history and culture more broadly."—J.G. Manning, author of Land and Power in Hellenistic Egypt: The Structure of Land Tenure
Preface ixAbbreviations xiIntroduction Tessa Rajak 1Theories and Practices of Hellenistic RulersPhilosophy and Monarchy in the Hellenistic World Oswyn Murray 13The Character of Ptolemaic Aristocracy: Problems of Definition and Evidence Jane Rowlandson 29Rulers in Greek-Jewish TextsPersia through the Jewish Looking-Glass Erich Gruen 53Ben Sira on Kings and Kingship Benjamin Wright 76The Image of the Oriental Monarch in the Third Book of Maccabees Philip Alexander Loveday Alexander 92The Angry Tyrant Tessa Rajak 110The Narrative Function of the King and the Library in the Letter of Aristeas Sylvie Honigman 128Kingship and Banditry: The Parthian Empire and Its Western Subjects Richard Fowler 147Light from the Septuagint Translators?Translating for Ptolemy: Patriotism and Politics in the Greek Pentateuch? Sarah Pearce 165Poet and Critic: Royal Ideology and the Greek Translator of Proverbs James Aitken 190The King's Good Servant? Loyalty, Subversion, and Greek Daniel Jennifer Dines 205TheTerminology of Government in the Septuagint-in Comparison with Hebrew, Aramaic, and Other Languages Lester Grabbe 225The Court Function of the Interpreter in Genesis 42.23 and Early Greek Papyri Trevor Evans 238Ideologies of Jewish RuleThe Greek Bible and Jewish Concepts of Royal Priesthood and Priestly Monarchy Arie van der Kooij 255Royal Ideology: 1 and 2 Maccabees and Egypt Jan Willem van Henten 265Constructing Kings-from the Ptolemies to the Herodians: The Archaeological Evidence Douglas Edwards 283Cumulative Bibliography 295List of Contributors 325IndexesGeneral 327Ancient Sources 337Modern Authors 357
