The Despoliation of Egypt: in Pre-Rabbinic, Rabbinic and Patristic Traditions »

Joel S. Allen, Ph.D. (2006) in History of Biblical Interpretation, Hebrew Union College of Cincinnati, is pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Barbourville Kentucky. He also teaches History and Religion at Union College and Bible at the Appalachian Local Pastors School.

This work examines the role played by the biblical motif of the despoliation of Egypt in the understanding Gentiles had of Jews, and how Jews defended themselves, their heroes and their God in the face of anti-Jewish slander. It also examines the manner in which Christians learned from their rabbinic counterparts how to defend Moses and his God against the gnostic challenge. Beginning with Philo and based on haggadic additions, the embarrassment of the episode was 'healed' through allegory and became a critically important biblical justification for the Christian appropriation of the 'Egyptian treasures' of their Greco-Roman cultural heritage. This work describes how Christians borrowed exegetical traditions from rabbis not only to defend their sacred texts against gnostic attacks but to justify their interest in and appropriation of non-Christian philosophy in their theological understandings.

Pt. 1 Pre-Rabbinic Interpretations

1 The Septuagint 19

2 The Book of Jubilees 29

3 Artapanus 45

4 Ezekiel the Tragedian 59

5 The Book of Wisdom 75

6 Philo's Life of Moses 91

7 Philo's Who is the Heir? 107

8 Josephus 119

9 Excursus: The Social Background of the "Fair Wage" Interpretation 137

Pt. 2 Rabbinic Interpretations

1 Midrashic Pondering the Plunder 149

Pt. 3 Patristic Interpretations

1 Irenaeus 181

2 Tertullian 195

3 Origen 211

4 St. Augustine 235

5 The Despoliation: Others Patristic Texts 261

Conclusions and Ramifications 273

Bibliography 281

Index of Author 299

Index of Subject 303