The Re-Use of Exodus Motifs in the Pseudepigrapha and Fragmentary Hellenistic Jewish Authors

Susan E. Docherty investigates the reception of exodus motifs in the extant fragmentary output of early Egyptian Judaism: the Exagoge of Ezekiel the Tragedian; the writings of Demetrius, Artapanus, Aristobolus; and Sibylline Oracles Book 3. Her focus is on the extent to which the Diaspora context of these texts, and their employment of Graeco-Roman literary genres, shaped the particular selection and interpretation of exodus themes within them. Her study highlights a tendency among these authors to minimise certain motifs (e.g. the suffering of the Hebrew slaves and the wilderness wanderings) while accentuating and expanding others (e.g. the person and achievements of Moses and the magical elements of the Exodus narratives). These findings illustrate the impact of social and historical location on scriptural interpretation, and also contribute to our understanding of the levels of integration into the majority culture of Jews in the Egyptian Diaspora.