Joseph and Aseneth : Rewritten Bible or Narrative Expansion?

This study is concerned with the literary genre of Joseph and Aseneth in particular and the genre of rewritten Bible in general. To date, no real scholarly consensus has emerged as to the date and purpose of Joseph and Aseneth, and it is assumed by many commentators to be based only loosely on the Hebrew Bible. I have undertaken a detailed examination of the text and its relationship to the Joseph Story as narrated in Genesis. This has led me to the conclusion that the work is most appropriately classified as an example of rewritten Bible, thereby shedding some new light upon both the purpose of Joseph and Aseneth and the genre of rewritten Bible.