Identity Transformation and Authorial Identification in Joseph and Aseneth

Abstract

The plot of Joseph and Aseneth often focuses on the identity of the story's main character; the narrative becomes increasingly concerned with the successful conversion of Aseneth from the impure daughter of a pagan priest to a suitable, Jewish wife for Joseph. Recent scholarship of Joseph and Aseneth often focuses on the identification of the story's author; scholars have become increasingly concerned with whether the work was originally written by a Jew or a Christian. An examination of the role of kissing in Joseph and Aseneth can help us better understand the process of identity transformation within the narrative and it may also help us with the identification of the text's author.