This volume gathers sixteen essays on monarchy and power in the Hellenistic period and charts a new approach to Hellenistic history by focusing attention on biblical and Jewish evidence and reading that evidence in new ways. The essays consider the kings, queens, and power figures of the Hellenistic dynasties, as well as ancient Israelite kings, the Babylonian and Persian rulers of the Bible, Parthians, and Romans. The volume also represents a new kind of interpretation of the Greek Bible (Septuagint) and of the Jewish literature of the period, setting them in the context of Hellenistic political thought and practice.
preface abbreviations
Introduction: Tessa Rajak
part one: theories and practices of hellenistic rulers
1. Philosophy and Monarchy in the Hellenistic World Oswyn Murray
2. The Character of Ptolemaic Aristocracy: Problems of Definition and Evidence Jane Rowlandson
part two: rulers in greek-jewish texts
3. Persia through the Jewish Looking-Glass Erich Gruen
4. Ben Sira on Kings and Kingship Benjamin Wright
5. The Image of the Oriental Monarch in the Third Book of Maccabees Philip Alexander and Loveday Alexander
6. The Angry Tyrant Tessa Rajak
7. The Narrative Function of the King and the Library in the Letter of Aristeas Sylvie Honigman
8. Kingship and Banditry: The Parthian Empire and Its Western Subjects Richard Fowler
part three: light from the septuagint translators?
9. Translating for Ptolemy: Patriotism and Politics in the Greek Pentateuch?
Sarah Pearce
10. Poet and Critic: Royal Ideology and the Greek Translator of Proverbs James Aitken
11. The King's Good Servant? Loyalty, Subversion, and Greek Daniel Jennifer Dines
12. The Terminology of Government in the Septuagint—in Comparison with Hebrew, Aramaic, and Other Languages Lester Grabbe
13. The Court Function of the Interpreter in Genesis 42.23 and Early Greek Papyri Trevor Evans
part four: ideologies of jewish rule
14. The Greek Bible and Jewish Concepts of Royal Priesthood and Priestly Monarchy Arie van der Kooij
15. Royal Ideology: 1 and 2 Maccabees and Egypt Jan Willem van Henten
16. Constructing Kings—from the Ptolemies to the Herodians: The Archaeological Evidence Douglas Edwards
cumulative bibliography list of contributors indexes general ancient sources modern authors
Overview
This volume gathers sixteen essays on monarchy and power in the Hellenistic period and charts a new approach to Hellenistic history by focusing attention on biblical and Jewish evidence and reading that evidence in new ways. The essays consider the kings, queens, and power figures of the Hellenistic dynasties, as well as ancient Israelite kings, the Babylonian and Persian rulers of the Bible, Parthians, and Romans. The volume also represents a new kind of interpretation of the Greek Bible (Septuagint) and of the ...