Humour in Joseph and Aseneth

Abstract

There is a growing consensus that Joseph and Aseneth belongs to the genre of the ancient novel. One of this genre's origins seems to have been comedy and mime. This article argues that the basic plot of Joseph and Aseneth does indeed contain comical features. The story is coloured by persiflage and parodist imitations of biblical accounts, especially the wife of Potiphar story (Gen. 39), remodeled three times in Joseph and Aseneth 4, 7, and 23, and the story of David and Goliath (1 Sam. 17), retold with some critical modifications in Joseph and Aseneth 26–29. Moreover the comical figure ‘braggart soldier’, well known from the New Comedy, lurks at some points behind the characters of Joseph and Simon. While it remains impossible to say with certainty what features ancient readers considered funny, this article places some readings into the ancient discourse on Jewish identity in the Hellenistic or Early Roman world.