Save

Perplexing Pseudepigraphy

The Pseudonymous Greek Poets

In: Journal of Ancient Judaism
Author:
Justin P. Jeffcoat Schedtler Wartburg College

Search for other papers by Justin P. Jeffcoat Schedtler in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
Download Citation Get Permissions

Access options

Get access to the full article by using one of the access options below.

Institutional Login

Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials

Login via Institution

Purchase

Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

€36.93

The fragments of the “Pseudonymous Greek Poets” constitute a collection of genuine and spurious quotations of renowned Greek poets – Homer, Hesiod, Aeschylus, etc. – on topics current in Hellenistic Jewish philosophy. The functions of these fragments are most often considered in terms used to characterize Hellenistic Jewish literature more broadly, i. e.: missionary literature, an apologetic defense of Judaism for a non-Jewish audience, an affirmation of Judaism for a Jewish audience, or a testament to the superiority of Judaism in the Hellenistic world. Each of these readings is guided by the presumption that Jews viewed the Hellenistic world as a foreign entity in need of some degree of “assimilation,” “resistance,” or “reconciliation,” and that Hellenistic Jewish literature reflects this process. This paper undermines this premise, demonstrating that the pseudonymous Greek fragments functioned instead to situate Hellenistic Jewish principles – as well as those who shared them – as part and parcel of broader Hellenistic trajectories.

Content Metrics

All Time Past 365 days Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 203 46 7
Full Text Views 18 4 1
PDF Views & Downloads 52 10 0