Aseneth: A tale from the religious frontier

Abstract

After discussing issues surrounding the distinction between Christian and Jewish apocryphal/pseudepigraphic texts, this paper suggests that the composition of (Joseph and) Aseneth could have been stimulated by the shift to a matrilineal definition of inherited Jewish status, datable to the second-century C.E. It is further argued that this text cannot have originated in either Christian or rabbinic Jewish circles, but most probably belongs in a mystically inclined, fringe Jewish group, perhaps identifying themselves as “god-fearers” (theosebeis), and possibly influenced by Valentinian Gnosticism. The paper accepts a view of the text as tending toward syncretism in its spirituality and notes the importance of erotic and novelistic features in the narrative.