l THE JOSEPH NARRATIVE
There are, however, many factors which link the Joseph
CHAPTER XV
THE JOSEPH NARRATIVE AND
ANCIENT WISDOM
1953
T
hejoseph story is in every respect distinct from the patri·
archal narratives which it follows. Whereas almost all
the stories of Abraham and ofjacob are limited in length
to twenty or thirty verses, the four hundred or so verses of the
Joseph narrative patently show it to be a document of quite a
different literary form. Quite evidently it is not a "cycle" of
sagas, that is, a catena of what were originally self·contained
narrative units. 1 If we go on to compare the internai charac·
teristics of the two, the differences become stili more marked.
The stories about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob consist of
local, cultic saga-material, brought together by the Yahwist or
an even earlier writer under the heading of pronùses made to
the forefathers of Israel with regard to the land and to their
progeny. The~oseph.narrative is a nove] through and through,
and the matenal 1s m no way associated at any point with
genuine local traditions.2 From the point of view of literary
technique the Joseph story displays resources far beyond those
ofthe ancient sagas-in the depiction ofinvolved psychological
situations, far example, or in the use of telling phrases in the
course of action. In this respect it has affinities with the Court
History of David (II Sam. vr to l Kings u), and for this reason
it may be taken for granted that it cannot have been written
before the early part of the monarchie period.
J. This despite Gunkel, who leaned far too heavily on the assumption
that thejospeh story was in origina saga in making his analysis ofit.
2. The writer was able to e.stablish only a qui te marginai contact between
the joseph narrative and the promise made to the Patriarchs, i.e. at Gen.
L.24. So far as the history of the tradition itself is concerned (although not
from a literary point ofview) this is a quite secondary reference unknown
to the originai, independent Joseph narrative. ' dating from the monarchie period: Prov. x.t-xxu.t6; xxn. t7·XXIV.22, 25-29.
292
~93
narrative even more closely with the spiritual outlook of this
period. Gunkel himselfremarked upon the delight in ali things
foreign which characterises the Joseph story,' the enlightened
interest in the customs and social structure of a distant nation,
the magnificence ofPharaoh's court, theinstallationofthevizier,
the storage of cercai crops, the mummification of dead bodies,
and so on. The early monarchie period saw the abandonment
of many patriarchal traditions, but it also saw a wholly new
departure in spirituality, a kind of"enlightenment", an awaken·
ing of spiritual self-consciousness. Men became aware of their
own spiritual and rational powers, and whole ncw dimensions
of experience opened up before their eyes, inwardly as well as
outwardly. They were dimensions of which the faith of their
forefathers had taken no account. •
One of these new dimensions with which wc have become
familiar in the literature of the period is what might be called
the anthropological factor, a concentration upon the pheno-
menon of man in the broadest sense, his potentialities and his
linùtations, his psychological complexity and profundity. A
further step immediately dependent upon this one was the
recognition of the fact that this human factor can and must be
developed and educated. This was the underlying purpose of
the earliest wisdom literature. 5 Such education, however, is
impossible unless there exists some guiding pattern ofhumanity,
· even though it may not offer a final and definitive ideai of
development. Ancient Israelite wisdom had such a pattern,
and applied it in no uncertain manner. Wc shall try to point
out some of its characteristics, far it is the purpose of this study
to show that theJoseph narrative is closely related to the earlier
wisdom writings as a manifestation of this educational ideai.
None would dispute the fact that this early wisdom litera-
ture belongs within the context of the royal court, and that its
principal aim was to build up a competent body of future
3· H. Gunkel, Gtne.sis, p. 397·
4- There is also a newly awakened intere.st in scientifìc natura! history at
this time: A. Alt, Die Weisheit Salomos, ThLZ, 1951, pp. 139ff. (Kl. Schr.,
n, pp. goff.). .
5· .To this early wisdom literature we assign the collections of proverbs,
294 THE PROBLEM OF THE HEXATEUCH
administrators. Joseph himselfis an administrator, who became
one by demonstrating to Pharaoh that he possessed the twin
virtues of outspokenness and good counsel- precisely the quali-
ties upon which the wisdom-teachers continually insist. To
speak well at the decisive moment, to give sound advice in any
and every con tingency of state affairs, and so if possible to take
his piace among the king's entourage-such was the main aim
of the education of the scribe.
Do you see a man skilful in his work?
He will stand before kings.
(Prov. xxn.2g)
As Ben Sira was later to say,
Neglect not the discourse of the wise ...
For of them thou shalt leam instruction
And how to minister to great men.
(Ben Sira vm.8)
lt could equally well have been said in the days of Solomon.
Let us cite but one out of the multitude of examples available
in Egyptian literature:
"lfyou are a tried counsellor who sits in the hall ofhis lord,
gather your wits together right well. When you are silent, it
will be better than tef-tef flowers. When you ·speak, you must
know how to bring the matter to a conclusion. The one who
gives counsel is an accomplished man; to speak is harder than
any labour. "&
It would certainly be a mistake to see in these and many
similar exhortations no more than a desire to impart a super-
fìcial gloss which would enable a young man to climb rapidly
in his profession. Ifi t were so, we could not properly ~peak of an
educational ideai here. Yet the wise men present us with a
very imposing and well-found pattern for human living, which
in some respects has striking points of contact with the human-
istic idea of antiquity.' They depict a man w ho by his up-
bringing, his modesty, his learning, his courtesy and his self-
discipline has acquired true nobility of character. He is, let us
6. Ptahhotep, 24, from the translation by H. Kees.
7· H. Kees, Aegypten, Handbuch der Altertumswissen.rcluift, Series m, Pt. r,
Vol. m, Kulturgeschichte des alten Orierzt.r, Munich 1933, pp. 268, 283.
THE JOSEPH NARRATIVE 295
say it at once, the image ofjoseph! Joseph, as the writer ofthe
narrative draws him, is the very picture of just such a young
man at his best, well-bred and finely educateci, steadfast in faith
and versed in the ways of the world. The foundation on which
such a character is built, as Joseph himself recognises, is "godly
fear"; and the fear of Yahweh is quite simply obedience to the
divine law (Prov. q; xv.g3; Gen. XLII.18). 8
Theologically speaking this foundation is the most impor-
tant factor in the whole educational programme, for wisdom is
not directed towards the cultus and towards divine revelation, but
works outwards from them. Because i t knows nothing of man's
yearning for salvation, the programme has a certain undog-
matic flexibility of approach, and shows pronounced realism in
its concern for that which is practicable. Concern for the
absolute standards of divine law emerges with particular clarity
in thé story of Joseph's temptation by Potiphar's wife (Gen.
xxXIx), which brings to mind a vast area of wisdom-teaching
on the subject of "strange women" (l'l"e"::~~). 9
The narrative of Gen. XXXIX reads as if i t had been devised
expressly to illustrate the warnings of the wisdom writers. 10
Another person concerning whom the wise men give a warning
is the "hot tempered man". the uncontrolled, passionate man
whose exact opposite is to be seen in the "cool spirited", patient
man (r:!11 ,p_).n
He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he
who has a hasty temper exacts folly.
(Prov. XIV. 29)
In his relationship with his brothers, Joseph is the very
pattern of the man w ho c an "keep silence", as described in
Egyptian wisdom-lore. He is the "prudent man who conceals
his knowledge" (Prov. x11.23), and who "restrains his lips"
(Prov. x. 19). Above ali, the "patient man" does not give way
8. L. Kohler, Old Testament Theology, p. r 10.
g. G. Bostrom, ProverbiQStudien, Lund 1935, pp. rsff.
10. Prov. xxn.r4; xxrrr.!27f. Cf. The Wisdom of Ani: "A woman who is
far from her husband says to you every day, 'I am beautiful', when there is
no one to see." Erman, The Literatur1 ofthe Ancient Egyptians, p. 240.
r r. Prov. xvu.27; xv.t8; xvr.32. On the ideai of the taciturn man, see
H. O. Lange, Die Weisheit des Amen em ope, Copenhagen 19!25.
2g6 THE PROBLEM OF THE HEXATEUCH
to his passions, and the writer intends us to be amazed at the
extraordinary control which Joseph is able to exercise over his
emotions. 12 I t must not be forgotten that this prohibition of any
display of emotion13 ran counter to the whole instinct of the
ancient Hebrew. Israelite wisdom-writers refer to a self-con-
trolled man as imi~ '?W?J, and a "tranquil mind" such as he
has (Prov. XIv.go) is a constructive force for good in the !ife of
the community: "He who is slow to anger quietens contention"
(Prov. xv.18). Ofwhom is this more true than ofjoseph? We
may go yet further: evenjoseph's magnanimity and his generai
forbearance from any kind of revenge find striking parallels in
proverbial wisdom:
Do not say, "I will do to him as he has clone to me; I
will pay the man back for what he has done."
(Prov. XXIV.29)
Love covers ali offences.
(Prov. x.r2)
To build up the whole man in this way is not the work of a
night; such discipline is learnt only in the hard school of
humility, ill~~· That "humility comes before honour" and
that "the reward of humility is riches and honour"-these are
the lessons so richly illustrateci in the first part of the Joseph
story.
So much, then, for the educational ideal and the pattern
of human living exemplified in the Joseph narrative, as com-
pared with the teaching of early wisdom-literature. Let us now
turn to the underlying theological presuppositions. Our case
could not be regarded as proven if there were divergence be-
tween the Joseph story and the wisdom writings on this
fundamental issue.
Early wisdom literature is notoriously sparing of strictly
theological pronouncements, but so, too, is the Joseph narra-
tive. There are only two passages which explicitly refer to the
purposes of God. The first occurs in the recognition scene,
whenjoseph makes himselfknown and ascribes the past events
to the guidance of God, who has brought ali the vicissitudes
they have suffered to a happy conclusion (Gen. XLv.sff.). The
12. Cm. XLll.24i XL111.30f.; XLV.I. 13. H. Kees, Aegypten, p.
THE JOSEPH NARRATI V E ~97
same thought is stili more pointedly expressed in the words,
"You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen.
L.2.o ). Here the problem of the relationship between human
intentions and the divine contro! of events is stili more keenly
felt: God has ali the threads firmly in his hands even when men
are least aware of i t. But this is a bare statement of fact, and
the way in which God's will is related to human purposes re-
mains a mystery. Thus the statements of what "you meant"
and what "God meant" are in the last analysis irreconcilable.
Let us, however, compare Joseph's comments, both here
and in Gen. XLv.8, with the dictum of Proverbs that "A man's
mind plans his way, but Yahweh directs his steps" (Prov. xvr.g) .
Here, too, we have a statement that Yahweh controls all things,
and also a sharply-drawn contrast between human plans and
the divine direction of affairs. The similarity of thought is most
striking, and that it is not fortuitous is shown by the aphorism
of Prov. xrx.21: "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but
it is Yahweh's purpose that will be stablished."
Just as in Joseph's dictum, the purposes of God and man
are set over against each other, and the purposes of God pre-
vail. As a fina! demonstration that this opposition between the
divine economy and human intentions is a centrai issue in the
theology ofwisdom-writing, I quote the Egyptian Amenemope:
_ "That which men propose is one thing; what God does is
another" (Amenemope XIx.r6). 14 In each case the human
purpose is expressed in the first sentence, the divine activity in
the second, and in view of this similarity of form and content
between the proverb of Amenemope and the comment made
by Joseph it may well be asked whether the latter is not in fact
a wisdom-saying which has been adapted to the purpose of the
story: "You meant evi! against me, but God meant i t for good."
There is a further saying in the Book ojProverbs which is very
closely related to this dictum from thejoseph story: "A man's
steps are ordered by Yahweh, how then can man understand
his way?" (Prov. xx.24). The writer's bewilderment here con-
tains an element of resignation which should no t be overlooked.
There is evidendy anothe! side to the wisdom-writers' impres-
'4· From the translation by H. Kees, Ltsebuch (Aegypten), Ti.ibingen 1928,
p. 46; cf. K. Sethe, "Der Mensch denkt, Gott lenkt" bei den olten Aegyptem,
284. Nachrichtm der Gesellschaft der Wissei/S(hqft, Gottingen 1925, pp. 141ff.
298 THE PROBLEM OF THE HEXATEUCH
sive faith in the overriding providence of God, a side which
manifests itself as a frank scepticism with regard to all human
activity and purpose. The topic is too wide far discussion at
this point. It cannot be denied, however, that even in the
Joseph narrative a deep cleavage threatens to arise between
divine and human purposes, and that human activity is so
heavily fettered by the all-embracing divine contrai of events
that it comes dangerously near to losing ali significance
whatever.
No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel, can avail
against Yahweh. The horse is made ready for the day of
battle, but the victory belongs to Yahweh.
(Prov. xxr.3off.)
In this remarkable passage, the whole doctrine is made
explicit: Yahweh is wholly free to dispose ofthe issue as he will.
What then remains far men to do? They can, and indeed must,
make decisions and preparations, only to find that ali their
plans meet with an insuperable obstacle, and that ali their
wisdom comes to nothing against the will of Yahweh.
According to this doctrine, all earthly events are subject to
a law which is wholly beyond the grasp of the human rnind.
"God's life is achievement, but man's is a denial", says Am~ne­
mope (XIX.14), expressing an attitude which is common both
to the wisdom-sayings quoted above and also to the Joseph
story; ali of them regard the purposes of God as altogether
hidden, incomprehensible and unfathomable. So long as there
was presenta divinely inspired in~erpreter, there was no danger
in this. 'W hen, however, man is left alone with this uncompro-
mising doctrine, we at once discern an undertone of despair in
his questioning, "How can a man understand what his purpose
is?" This is what has happened in Qoheleth (m. II; vn.24;
vm.r7), whose scepticism has its roots deep in the past.u;
What piace, then, ought we to assign to the Joseph story,
both spiritually and with regard to the ancient traditions? It
15. This intrusive scepticism is easily illustrateci from the work of
Amenemope. The faith which "puts itselfinto God's arms" (xxu.7) is close
akin to an embettered resignation: there is no success to be found a t God's
hands, and yet there is no opposing him. The rnan who strives to succeed
is brought to nothing the very next moment (xrx.::z::z-xx.::z).
THE JOSEPH NARRATIVE
displays no histÒrico-political interests, nor any cultic, aetio-
logical motive. I t is equally devoid of any specifically theologi-
cal interest in redemptive history. We can only say that the
Joseph story, with its strong didactic motive, belongs to the
category of early wisdom writing. Severa} consequences follow,
which can only be lightly touched upon here.
First, with regard to wisdom writing as a whole, seen not
simply as collections of proverbs but as a literary phenomenon,
which from the beginning had an extremely wide spiritual
scope: Ifthe infiuence ofwisdom was so significant aver so wide
a field of literature in ancient Egypt,16 it would be very sur-
prising if a similar state of affairs had not also prevailed in
Israel. In that case, however, we must be prepared to reassess
the Joseph story in the light of the possibility that it is closely
related to contemporary Egyptian literature. There is, of
course, no question ofits being an Egyptian story, at all events
in anything like its present form: i t is far too clearly stamped as
a story about a non-Egyptian, written for non-Egyptians. On
the other hand it must certainly be presumed that Egyptian
literary inftuences and models, even specific literary sources, all
played their part in the formation of the Joseph narrative. I t
cannot be accidental that the Wisdom of Amenemope speaks
of that same contro} of events by "God" ,17 with a similar
emphasis on the fact that it is incomprehensible to man, which
characterises the history of J oseph.
The educational ideai of Amenemope, too, is one of dis-
cretion, modesty, self-control and deliberation,18 the very quali-
ties displayed by Joseph. lf, further, we look far a dose parallel
to the narrative technique of the Joseph story, we shall find it
pre-eminently in Egyptian stories such as the Peasant's La-
ment,19 whose psychological realism is of a very sirnilar type.
Finally, the whole question ofthe mythological background
of the Joseph story calls far re-examination if we are to postu-
late the presence ofEgyptian inftuence,20 for we cannot exclude
r6. H. Brunner, Aegyptologie, Handbuch tkr Orientalistik, p. rog.
17. H. Brunner, Aegyptologie, pp. 107f.
rB. H. O. Lange, Die Weisheit des Amen em ope, p. ::zr.
19. J. Spiegel, Aegyptologie, pp. 117, 131.
::zo. B. Reicke, Analogier mellan Josefsberattelstn i Genesis och Ras Shamra-
Texterna, Svensk Exegetic Arsbok, Vol. x, 1945, pp. sff.
300 THE PROBLEM OF THE HEXATEUCH
the possibility of sueh a background in the very early stages of
the development of the narrative as we have i t. l t is a remark-
able coincidence that the Tale of the Two Brothers, which has
often been compared with the Joseph story, has recently been CHAPTER XVI
convincingly explained as deriving from mythological sources.tl
In short, then, we may say that the Joseph narrative is a
didactic wisdom-story which leans heavily upon influences THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE FORM-
emanating from Egypt, not only with regard to its conception CATEGORY OF I CORINTHIA}IS xn1.4-7
of an educational ideai, but also in its fundamental theological 1 953
ideas.
n this study my aim is to deal with only one aspect of the
21. J acobsohn, Du dogmotische Stellung des Konigs in der Thtologu der alten
Aegypter, Aegyptologische Forschungen, Vol. VIli, pp. 13ff.
I much-discussed passage in I Corùztlzians xm.4-7- the problem
of its "form". I t may be taken for granted that the literary
form employed by St. Paul in these verses is not the ad hoc
invention of the apostle himself. Equally there is a good case
for regarding these four verses as standing apart from their
context, in view oftheir distinctive form. In verses r-4 St. Paul
uses the first person singular. V erse 8 admittedly takes up again
the personified 1j à.ya'7TT} ("love") of verse 4, but verse 7 is clearly
in the nature of an ending, summarising what has gone before,
whilst verse 8 opens up a new line of thought.
Among recent commentators only Johann Weiss, so far as
I know, has examined this passage with a view to ascertaining
its form-category. 1 St. Paul is not here writing in the style of a
hymn, nor is there anything emotional or lyrical about the
passage. lt cannot be classed as a prayer, but has rather a
certain rhetorical character. Our best approach to this problem
is by way of a few passages from the Testament of the Twelve
Patriarchs. 2 We need not concern ourselves here with the
manifold problems as to the authorship, origin, and sources of
this work-problems which have so long awaited a solution,
and which have now been reopened by the discovery of the
Dead Sea manuscripts. lt will suffice to say that the work,
apart from those passages long recognised as Christian inter-
polations, dates from about the second century B.c. and was
written by a Palestinian devotee of the Law.
The Testament of Issachar consists mainly of an autobio-
1. Johann Weiss,.Der erslt Brief an die Korinther, 1910, p. 311.
2. R. H. Charles, The Grtek Versions of the Testaments of tht Twelve Patri-
archs, henceforth cited as Greek Versions, London 1go8.
301