For those who are interested, here are the opening and the closing paragraphs of Joseph and Aseneth, the ancient Jewish tale about the patriarch Joseph marrying the Gentile Aseneth in Egypt in the second millennium BC, which most unfortunately has been described this week as code for the marriage of Jesus to Mary Magdalene. Read it for yourself ... JOSEPH AND ASENETH It happened in the first year of the seven years of plenty, in the second month. Pharaoh sent out Joseph to go around the whole land of Egypt. 2 And Joseph came in the fourth month of the first year, on the eighteenth day of the month into the territory of Heliopolis. 3 And he was gathering all the grain of that land, as the sand of the sea. 4 Now there was a man in that city, a satrap of Pharaoh; and this one was ruler of all of Pharaoh’s satraps and nobles. 5 And he was exceedingly rich, and prudent, and generous, and he was Pharaoh’s counselor, and his name was Pentephres; and he was a priest of Heliopolis. 6 And Pentephres had a daughter, a virgin of eighteen years of age, tall and beautiful and graceful, more beautiful than every virgin in the land. 7 And this one was quite unlike the daughters of the Egyptians, but in every respect like the daughters of the Hebrews. 8 And she was as tall as Sarah, and as beautiful as Rebecca, and as fair as Rachel. And the name of that virgin was Aseneth. 9 And the fame of her beauty spread through all that land, even to its remotest corners. And all the sons of the nobles and of the satraps and of the kings sought her hand in marriage, all young. 10 And there was great rivalry between them because of her, and they began to fight among themselves [10] because of Aseneth. 11 And Pharaoh’s first-born son heard about her, and he begged his father to give her to him as (his) wife. 12 And he was saying to him: “Give me Aseneth the daughter of Pentephres the priest of Heliopolis as (my) wife.” 13 And his father [Pharaoh] said to him: “Why do you seek a wife lower than you? Are you not king of all the inhabited world? 14 “No! But behold, the daughter of King Joakim is pledged to you, and she is a queen and exceedingly beautiful indeed. Take this one to yourself as (your) wife.” Then follows 29 rollicking chapters of romance, conversion, and fighting over the beautiful Aseneth, who finally marries Joseph and has kids, etc. Then … And Aseneth said to them: “Spare your brothers and do them no harm, for the Lord has shielded me and reduced the swords in their hands to dust, and they melted away like wax before the fire. 11 “Surely this is enough for us that the Lord is fighting for us. Finally, spare your brothers.” 12 And Simeon said to Aseneth: “Why should our mistress plead for her enemies? 13 “No! We will cut them down with our swords, because they have plotted evil against our father Israel and against our brother Joseph already twice, and (they have plotted) against you today.” 14 And Aseneth said to him: “No brother, you must not repay evil for evil to your neighbor, for the Lord will avenge this outrage.” 15 And after these things Simeon bowed to Aseneth; and Levi came to her, and he kissed her right hand and blessed her. 16 And Aseneth saved the men from the wrath of their brothers, so that they did not kill them. And the son of Pharaoh arose from the ground and sat up; and he spat blood from his mouth, because his blood was running from his temple into his mouth. 2 And Benjamin ran upon him and took hold of his sword and drew it from its scabbard — for Benjamin had no sword of his own with him. 3 And as he was about to strike the son of Pharaoh, Levi rushed up and seized him by the hand and said: “No brother, you must not do this deed, for we are men who worship God, and it is not right for a man who worships God to repay evil for evil, or to trample upon a man who has fallen, or to afflict his enemy to death. 4 “But come: let us bind up his wound; and if he lives, he will be our friend, and his father Pharaoh will be our father.” 5 And Levi raised up the son of Pharaoh and washed the blood off his face and bound a bandage on his wound; and he set him on his horse and took him to his father. 6 And Levi told him everything that had happened. 7 And Pharaoh rose up from his throne and bowed to Levi upon the ground. 8 And on the third day the son of Pharaoh died from the wound of the stone of Benjamin. 9 And Pharaoh mourned for his first-born son, and he was worn out with grief. 10 And Pharaoh died at the age of one hundred and nine; and he left his diadem to Joseph. 11 And Joseph was king of Egypt for forty-eight years. 12 And after this Joseph gave the diadem to the grandson of Pharaoh; and Joseph was like a father to him in Egypt. Theres something in that for all of us :)
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 02:23:17 +0000
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