volume 10, issue 1, 2018, pages 1-11

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsDYTN1545
Published online: 2018-06-01
Published in print: 2018-06-30

Abstract: Israelite identity is often defined by genealogy. Therefore, it is surprising that the tribes Ephraim and Manasseh derive from Joseph’s wife Asenat, the daughter of an Egyptian priest residing at On (Heliopolis). The threefold mention in Genesis (41:45.50 and 46:20) excludes random information and lacks an explanatory comment or an intention to conceal an irritating information that is not mentioned in the other genealogies. What is the intention of these texts – in case they are late, and in case they are pre-exilic? This contribution examines possible relations between Ephraimitic and Egyptian traditions.