Managing the Ancestral Way of Life in the Roman Diaspora: The Mélange of Philosophical and Scriptural Practice in 4 Maccabees

Tolonen, Anna-Liisa; Uusimäki, Elisa

doi:10.1163/15700631-12341133

Cited by 4 publications

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The Rise of the Sage in Greek and Jewish Antiquity

Uusimäki

2018

JSJ

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Abstract This article explores the emergence of the sage as an exemplar in Greek and Jewish antiquity. Greek philosophical writings and Jewish literary accounts are analysed, the latter including texts written in both Hebrew and Greek. The Greek and Jewish sources are compared in order to highlight (dis)similarities between them. It will be argued that the conception of the sage as an idealized figure and object of emulation originates from the classical Greek world, but it becomes integrated into the Jewish discourse on wisdom and good life in the later Hellenistic period. In spite of this shared element, the portrayals of the sage vary regarding the amount of concreteness and the discursive strategies in which his exemplarity is constructed.

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The Rise of the Sage in Greek and Jewish Antiquity

Uusimäki

2018

JSJ

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Prayer in 2 Maccabees

Rafael¹

2020

Magic in the Ancient Eastern Mediterranean

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NB: This article has been published in 2020 in Magic in the Ancient Eastern Mediterranean: Cognitive, Historical, and Material Perspectives (eds. Nina Nikki & Kirsi Valkama), Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. This file contains the last draft of the article sent to the publisher.Second Maccabees recounts the history of the Maccabean Revolt, focusing particularly on its initial stages in Judea (170s and 160s BCE). 1 According to the book's introduction, the events reported in the work centre around the figure of Judas the Maccabee and his successful military campaigns, impressively supported by "heavenly appearances" (cf. 2 Macc 2:19-22). Throughout the historical narrative, God is characterized as the Almighty who takes action on earth and gains wide renown and glory through mighty works. 2 God's authority and propensity to intervene in earthly matters are axiomatic: it is part of the worldview transmitted throughout the work and constitutive of its vision of history. But how does God's (al)mightiness work? Who can steer heavenly authorities on earth? This article suggests that, under specific conditions, prayer becomes a means by which one may actualize and channel God's (al)mightiness and induce its manifestations on earth. The emphases on God's omnipotence and God's deliverances, on the one hand, and the motif of prayer, on the other, are notable features in 2 Maccabees. The latter can be understood in tandem with the former, because prayers, as described in the book, often contain acknowledgements of and appeals to God's authority.My focus shall be on prayer and human agency, that is, the opportunities for humans to affect their

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Origen and the Story of the Mother and Her Seven Sons: Reimagining Third-Century Caesarean Horizons

Rafael

2021

Open Theology

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This article employs Galit Hasan-Rokem’s notions of vertical and horizontal axes of transmission for the study of biblical reception history, presenting the reception of the story of the mother and her seven sons in Origen’s writings as a case study. I suggest that Hasan-Rokem’s vertical axis of intergenerational transmission corresponds to reception history: it also involves us and thus demands our critical awareness. The horizontal axis of intergroup transmission, then, calls for our sensitivity toward the diverse interpersonal and intercultural exchanges that reception history presents less frequently as authoritative or even manifest. My analysis scrutinizes Origen’s pronouncedly bookish relation to the story of the mother and her seven sons, and I provide a reading of this relation as entailing both (inter)personal and intercultural encounters. I use both Eusebius’ biography of Origen and recent studies on late antique rabbinic discourse as means by which to broaden our perspective on Origen’s horizon of expectation. In conclusion, I suggest that Origen’s portrayal of the mother indicates some ambivalence toward this figure: her words of wisdom have undisputed authority over Origen, while her embodied wisdom makes him reserved. Thus, the reception of the story of the mother and her seven sons in Origen’s writings could strengthen the prospect that the story was a living reality for Origen as well as for others in third-century Palestine.

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Managing the Ancestral Way of Life in the Roman Diaspora: The Mélange of Philosophical and Scriptural Practice in 4 Maccabees

Cited by 4 publications

References 1 publication

The Rise of the Sage in Greek and Jewish Antiquity

The Rise of the Sage in Greek and Jewish Antiquity

Prayer in 2 Maccabees

Origen and the Story of the Mother and Her Seven Sons: Reimagining Third-Century Caesarean Horizons

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