Bible Stories Retold and the Authority of the Scriptures: Notes from Erich S. Gruen’s Presentation at BYU, 21 September 2021

 

On 21 September 2021, I attended a presentation by Erich S. Gruen for the Ancient Near Eastern Studies students. The following are some of the notes I took as he spoke and represent the content of what he said faithfully. These should not, however, be seen as a transcript of his presentation. I have edited these notes recently only to add footnotes to the sources he refers to.

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In 300 BC the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek at Alexandria by a committee, and the Jewish leaders stated that it was accurate to the letter and should remain intact and unsullied forever as recorded by Aristaeus – likely fiction conceived after the fact. Philo embellished this by saying that the translators did so individually but came to the same translation.

The process likely took a long process of time with multiple versions before the Septuagint gained prominence. Greek was the language of the ruling class and the prevailing language of the Jews in the Diaspora, meaning this translation was extremely significant for the Jewish world, especially to those who had lost the Hebrew language. The new translation was seen as sacrosanct, nonetheless.

Some Hellenistic Jews were eager to claim that the Septuagint claimed equal authority as the Hebrew, but there are many modifications and additions and deletions from the Masoretic Hebrew. Many new texts sprang to retell and reframe biblical stories by Jewish writers. These often played on the Septuagint and preexisting traditions.

The idea of scriptural sanctity did not appear to be compromised by these new writings. Even the most revered patriarchs had tales told about them.

Abraham

Genesis tells how Abraham and Sarah go to Egypt to replenish their food supply. Abraham tells Sarah to claim that she was his sister to avoid death at Pharaoh’s hand. This appeared to work for a time and Abraham received many gifts from the Pharaoh, and divine punishment rained upon Egypt until Sarah was returned. Abraham is sent back to Canaan.

Pseudo-Eupolemus says that Pharaoh married Sarah but unable to have relations with her, and he consulted his seers to learn the cause.[1]

Philo of Alexandria lays all blame to Pharaoh, causing Abraham and Sarah to pray for rescue. She is saved and the sanctity of their marriage defended. Abraham was not blamed for this.[2]

Josephus tells how God intervened immediately to thwart Pharaoh’s passion. Abraham is given wealth upon Sarah’s return.[3]

All of these authors appeared to desire to exalt Abraham more in their retellings.

Moses

In Exodus, Moses finds Israel worshipping a golden calf. The Lord vowed destruction, Moses smashes the tablets, smashes the calf, and offers himself as an Atonement to spare the nation.

Pseudo-Philo wrote the Book of Biblical Antiquities, a rewriting of scriptures from Adam to King David. Here, Moses reasons with God, employing the analogy of a vine uprooted and inadvertently destroyed – if God destroys them, who will glorify or trust God? It is purely pragmatic.[4]

Similarly, when the Israelite are at the borders of the Red Sea, Exodus shows Moses reassure the distraught people and the waters are split. Pseudo-Philo, however, Moses rebukes the Lord for having led them to the sea with no escape. Moses tells God to think about His reputation before the waters are split. Even on Moses’s death bed, he tells the Lord to be merciful so that His legacy endures. He serves as a counselor to God as to what will serve His best interests.[5]

Moses is one who reasons with God and usually wins the debate.

Jephta and His Daughter

In Judges, Jephta was a successful warrior and was called to lead them into battle. He vowed that he would sacrifice to God what leaves his house first upon victory. His beloved daughter comes out, and he grievingly honors his vow. The daughter dutifully submitted. No other comment is given by the Bible. The issue of righteousness never arises.

Josephus says that Jephta blamed his daughter for her haste to meet him, not his vow. He brands the act unlawful before God and does not withhold judgement from the narrative.[6]

Pseudo-Philo expands liberally and inserts vivid dialogue; God is now a major player. Jephta is champion of God’s law. Jephta’s vow did not sit well with God who denounces the vow, and the divine wrath said that the daughter would be fulfillment of that vow. Seila, the daughter (now named), adds intense dialogue and she emerges as a source of reassurance. Her death counts for far less than the liberty of the people. Hers is a voluntary sacrifice. God pays tribute to Seila; her wisdom and voluntary sacrifice hallows her before the Lord. Pseudo-Philo fills in the gaps with theology, making a meaningful drama.[7]

Samson

In Judges, his birth is annunciated by an angel to a barren woman. The child will be a Nazarite and a holy man, destined to take up the cause of the Israelite under oppression of the Philistines. His early stories, however, are of his love for a Philistines woman and his acts to come out on top by posing a riddle. He is a trickster to the less clever Philistines, who use his wife to reveal the answer of the riddle. Samson immediately kills thirty Philistines to show his superiority and somehow catches three hundred foxes to destroy and burn the fields, leading to the death of his wife and father-in-law, ultimately leading to his deceptive slaying of a thousand Philistines with a jawbone. Again, enamored with lust, he reveals his secret to Delilah and is betrayed and captured. God’s answer to his prayer allows Samson to destroy the temple of Dagon, killing himself and multitudes beyond that. Samson expressed his intent as tit for tat, payback for his loss. Samson was no Saint, more brawn than brain.

Josephus does not blot out the blemishes of Samson but minimizes God’s responsibility for them. God does not surface in Josephus – Samson acted on his own accord and by his own strength. In the final episodes of the drama, Josephus omits the note that God abandoned him when his hair is cut, never being with him in the first place. Samson does not pray but rather determines to avenge himself and succeeds by himself. God is offstage.[8]

Esther

Esther’s book conspicuously leaves out God as Mordecai and Esther face the wicked Hammon. No allusion to God or religion or divine authority is made.

In the Septuagint, two additions supply a dream of Mordecai, two additions are orders from the king, and two other insertions supply Esther’s prayer and meeting with the king. The King’s documents are filled with praise for God and Purim is established. When Esther visits the King, she and Mordecai first pray to God and ask for His intervention. She is petrified and prays for forgiveness. She enters and is racked with fear and must be revived twice. Mordecai and Esther are not in control; God is, they are his devout servants. The Hellenized additions showed that the translators believed the original meaning had been subverted, and they sought to restore the true meaning of the tale.

Conclusion

Writers were free to depart from the biblical narrative without compromising the authority of the scriptures. These re-castings did not require consistent adaptation. None of these revivals sought to supersede the biblical account or replace it, nor did they engage in exegesis. They were seen as supplemental modifications or a different way to tell a familiar tale, sometimes even for entertainment. The ancient variants served not to undermine, but to validate and elevate the original, so the reader could appreciate their new renderings and twists on the text. They called attention to the authority of scripture. Scriptures stimulated variations, and variations validated scriptures.

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[1] This account can be found in R. Doran, “Pseudo-Eupolemus” in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, ed. James H. Charlesworth (New York: Doubleday, 1985), 2:873–882.

[2] Philo’s works “On Abraham” and “On the Migration of Abraham” can be found in C. D. Yonge, trans., The Works of Philo: Complete and Unabridged (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1993).

[3] See Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 1.7.1.

[4] See Pseudo-Philo, Book of Biblical Antiquities, 12:1–8.

[5] See Pseudo-Philo, Book of Biblical Antiquities, 10:1–7.

[6] See Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 5.7.8–10.

[7] See Pseudo-Philo, Book of Biblical Antiquities, 40:1–9.

[8] See Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 5.8.1–12.