Language:
English
Year of publication:
2024
Titel der Quelle:
AJS Review
Angaben zur Quelle:
48,1 (2024) 100-126
Keywords:
Josephus, Flavius Criticism and interpretation
;
Alexander, In literature
;
Temple of Jerusalem (Jerusalem, Israel)
;
Josippon Criticism, interpretation, etc.
;
Judaism Relations Middle Ages, 500-1500
;
Christianity
;
Hebrew literature, Medieval History and criticism
Abstract:
Narratives about Alexander the Macedonian's life were extremely popular throughout the Middle Ages all over Europe and beyond. Crossing cultural boundaries, they were also adopted and adapted for a Jewish readership. In the latter context, the episode about the king's visit to Jerusalem served as a topos of interreligious encounter between the Jews and their non-Jewish rulers. It was first told by Flavius Josephus in the first century as a tale that sets idolatry in contrast with monotheism. Among other episodes, the text reports a dramatic encounter with the Jewish high priest. In medieval versions, Alexander suggests that the high priest erect a golden statue of himself in the sanctuary to honor God. The paper offers an in-depth analysis of this latter motif in different versions of the narrative against the background of medieval Jewish-Christian relations.
DOI:
10.1353/ajs.2024.a926059
URL:
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