Bibliography
| Title: Josephus' Portrait of Jehoshaphat. Compared with the Biblical and Rabbinic Portrayals Secondary Title: BN Volume: 78 Pages: 39-48 Type: Journal Article Year: 1995 Abstract: IZGB 41 (1995/1996), 269-270: "In summary, while Josephus' portrait of Jehoshaphat remains basically faithful to the Biblical portrayals, he does introduce some noteworthy modifications of these. Jehoshaphat's cult reform activity, e.g., gives way to an image of him as a general paragon of such standard Hellenistic (kingly) virtues as "piety" and "righteousness". In the interests of maintaining that image, moreover, Josephus repeatedly glosses over the problem of Jehoshaphat's Israelite connection, even while accentuating the king's status as the North's willing and equal partner in both military and commercial enterprises. His Jehosaphat thus ends up then as far more a model king if less a believable one - than the Bible's highly ambiguous figure".
Ruiten, J.T.A.G.M. van in: JSJ 29.2 (1998), 207: "Josephus' portrait of Jehoshaphat remains basically faithful to the biblical portrayals. Nevertheless he does introduce some noteworthy modifications of these. Jehoshaphat's cult reform activity, e.g., gibes way to an image of him as a general paragon of such standard Hellenistic (kingly) virtues as "piety" and "righteousness". In the interests of maintaining that image, moreover, Josephus repeatedly glosses over the problem of Jehoshaphat's Israelite connection, even while accentuating the king's status as the North's willing and equal partner in both military and commercial enterprises. His Jehoshaphat thus ends up then as far more a model king - if less a believable one - than the Bible's highly ambiguous figure. By way of an appendix B. gives a brief comment on the rabbinic traditions concerning Jehoshaphat. Rabbinic traditions show themselves alert to both the positive and negative midrashic potential of the figure of Jehoshaphat, though giving more currency to the latter that does Josephus". Keywords: Antiquities |