Ignorance et idolâtrie. Frontières et passerelles entre le monde juif et son milieu non-juif d’après le roman Joseph et Aséneth

The purpose of this article is to examine the following question in the novel “Joseph and Aseneth”: in beginning a
reflection on the relationship between Israel and other peoples in terms of faith-sharing and life, how has this novel “built
bridges”, both theologically and concretely, in order to create the conditions on which such a rapprochement could take
place? After some historical and literary remarks, the article traces the path that leads Aseneth from the abandonment of
idolatry to the faith in the God of the Patriarchs. The major obstacle to the rapprochement between Aseneth and the God of
Joseph is ignorance, the consequence of which is idolatry. In the final analysis, the “conversion” of Aseneth is motivated by
a reflection of wisdom and not by teaching of Torah.