Biblical interpretation in Greek Jewish writings

Greek Jewish interpretation is a well-known source of Christian exegesis, and has many links with rabbinic midrash, but its surviving literary deposit began to emerge in the Hellenistic age, during the third century bc. Biblical exposition in Greek gained impetus as the conquests of Alexander the Great helped to spread Hellenism to non-Greek peoples. Jews in Judaea and in the large diaspora populations abroad were particularly affected by the dynasties of Alexander’s successors in Egypt, the Ptolemies, and in Syria, the Seleucids. Then the Hellenistic culture of this period flowered afresh in the Roman empire.
Biblical interpretation found in Greek Jewish writings is considered here. It can properly be called Hellenistic Jewish exegesis, but the phrase has a broader range than this chapter has; interpretation influenced by Hellenism can also be found in Hebrew and Aramaic texts, and in Greek biblical versions (Stemberger, Hayward and De Troyer in this volume, pp. 190–217, 218–41 and 267–88). Attention is focused here on the interpretation of Greek-speaking Jews as presented in their own Greek compositions. This narrower topic is still extensive. It highlights Jewish participation in Greek literary culture. Yet, as will be seen, it also indicates a broad Jewish exegetical tradition, shared by Semitic-language as well as Greek-language biblical interpretation.