Ha-Makedoni. Images of Alexander the Great in Ancient and Medieval Jewish Literature

188 Pages·2019·41.705 MB·English

by  Aleksandra Klęczar

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ALEKSANDRA KL^CZAR
Ha-Makdoni
Images of Alexander
the Great in Ancient and
Medieval Jewish Literature

Ha-Makdoni
Images of Alexander
the Great in Ancient and
Medieval Jewish Literature

ALEKSANDRA KL^CZAR
Ha-Makdoni
Images of Alexander
the Great in Ancient and
Medieval Jewish Literature
Krakow 201 9
Recenzja:
dr hab. Joanna Komorowska, prof. UKSW
Rcdakcja i korekta:
Anna Soscnko
© Copyright by Uniwersytet jagiellonski Wydzial Filologiczny
© Copyright by Towarzystwo Wydawnicze „Historia lagellonica”
Publikacja sfinansowana zc srodkow przeznaczonych na dzialalnosc statutow^
Wydzialu Filologicznego Uniwersytetu Jagiellonskiego
ISBN 978-83-65080-98-1
Projekt okladki:
F.H.U. Mykom
Sklad i lamanie:
Studio Poligraficzne Dorota Slomiriska
Krakow; tel. [phone]
Druk i oprawa:
Poligrafia Salezjariska
ul. Michala Baluckiego 8, 30-318 Krakow; tel. [phone]
Towarzystwo Wydawnicze „Historia lagellonica”
z siedziba w Instytucie Historii UJ
ul. Gol^bia 13, 31-007 Krakow
www.iagellonica.com.pl
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................9
PART I THE FACES OF ALEXANDER IN JEWISH TRADITION..........11
Chapter 1 WHO TELLS YOUR STORY ............................................................13
ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL ALEXANDER...............................................13
The witnesses.........................................................................................................14
Greek texts about Alexander ..............................................................................17
Alexander in the Roman tradition .....................................................................19
The tAsrleqxpaonndmelkrj Rihogmfeadncbcea.Z..Y..X...W...V..U...T..S..R...Q..P...O...N..M....L..K..J..I.H...G...F..E...D...C..B...A...........................20
The Jewish Alexander...........................................................................................22
FURTHER READING..........................................................................................25
IIOW TO READ THE JEWISH ALEXANDER ...........................................31
Chapter 2 MARKING HISTORY, MAKING HISTORIES...........................35
THE PROGRESSION OF EVIL .......................................................................35
PUSHING THE LIMITS ......................................................................................41
Chapter 3 LAWGIVER AND ROLE MODEL: KING ALEXANDER
AND THE JEWS ....................................................................................................65
BEING A KING OF THE JEWS ......................................................................66
DOING THE KING’S JOB ................................................................................69
Founding cities ......................................................................................................69
Encountering other kings ....................................................................................75
MEETING THE PEOPLE..................................................................................77
The meeting in Jerusalem ...................................................................................77
OUT-ALEXANDERING ALEXANDER: ALEXANDER AND THE
JEWS IN PSEUDO-HECATAEUS ................................................................86
The Temple of Bel ..............................................................................................88
The story of Mosollamus ...................................................................................90
The question of Samaria ....................................................................................92
Chapter 4 KING OF THE WORLD ...................................................................95
KOSMOKRATOR, IFORLD EMPEROR, THE KING
OF THE WORLD? DEFINING THE UNIVERSAL RULER...............96
6 CONTENTS
The king of prophecy............................................................................................99
1 Maccabees and the universal rule of Alexander ..........................................99tsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
The king-becominggraces, or is Alexander a proper universal king?..............102
The curious incident of donkeys in the night-time ....................................102
I ch mache mid) mntbig %<r Pfortc binein I Die Absicht ist edel and Ian ter und rein.
Alexander at the Gate of Eden..................................................................106
No wisdom in woman? ...................................................................................109
High in the sky. The flight of Alexander in die Talmudic narratives and the
Hebrew Romances...............................................................................................114
Conclusions .........................................................................................................115
Closing remarks ..................................................................................................117
PART II JEWISH TEXTS ON ALEXANDER: A SURVEY OF
TRADITION .....................................................................................................121
INTRODUCTION TO PART II ...................................................................123
JEWISH GREEK WRITINGS OF THE SECOND TEMPLE
PERIOD .........................................................................................................125
INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................125
Dating and terminology.................................................................................125
An overview of the writings .........................................................................126
SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD TEXTS DEALING WITH
ALEXANDER..................................................................................................128
1 Maccabees....................................................................................................128
Pseudo-Hecataeus..........................................................................................129
The Book of Daniel .......................................................................................131
The Sibylline Oracles..........................................................................................132
THE SPECIAL CASE: FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS ............................................134
The works of Josephus: an overview ...........................................................134
The passages dealing with Alexander in Josephus’ oeuvre .......................135
THE MISHNAH, TALMUD AND MIDRASH ..........................................135
Introduction....................................................................................................135
Early literature .................................................................................................136
Megi Hat Ta’anit .................................................................................................136
Rabbinic literature from the Mishnah to the Jerusalem Talmud...............137
The Mishnah...................................................................................................137
The Tosefta.....................................................................................................138
The Talmud.....................................................................................................138
Yoma..................................................................................................................140
Sanhedrin...........................................................................................................140
Tamid................................................................................................................140
Abodah Zarah (Yerushalmi)...............................................................................140
Baba Me%ia (Yerushalmi) ...................................................................................141
7
The Midrash.........................................................................................................141tsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
Genesis Rabbab ......................................................................................................141
Numbers Rabbab....................................................................................................142
Leviticus Rabbab ....................................................................................................142
Pirke de-Rabbi LHe^er............................................................................................142
Ya I kid Shimoni......................................................................................................143
Seder Olam Rabbab................................................................................................143
Midrash Tebillim ....................................................................................................144
Pesikta de-Rav Kabana..........................................................................................144
Midrash Tanhuma..................................................................................................145
Midrasb Haggadab .................................................................................................146
THE TARGUM .....................................................................................................146
Pargum Sheni .........................................................................................................146
THE ROMANCE .....................................................................................................147
Introduction.........................................................................................................147
Jewish romance tradition ..................................................................................147
The relationship between Hebrew Alexander Romances
and the Alexander narratives ........................................................................ 149
Non-Jewish ..........................................................................................................149
Jewish ....................................................................................................................154
The character of Jewish Alexander Romances.................................................154
The preserved Hebrew Alexander Romancer. a survey ..................................155
BIBLIOGRAPHY.....................................................................................................167
INDEX........................................................................................................................181