Fragments from Hellenistic Jewish Authors, vol. 2, Poets.

• Author: Kamesar, Adam

The present work constitutes the second part of a proposed three-part collection of the works of Judaeo-Hellenistic literature preserved in fragmentary form. The work is designed primarily as a reference tool and includes introductions, texts, translations, and commentary. The first volume, which contains historical writings, was published in 1983, and we learn from the preface of the present work that volume three will include the writings of Aristobulus, Pseudo-Phocylides and certain other texts. (The word `fragments' will not apply completely in this case, since the poem of Pseudo-Phocylides is preserved in its entirety and in direct tradition.)

The present volume contains the complete known remains of the works of three Judaeo-Hellenistic poets: Theodotus, Philo the Epic Poet, and Ezekiel the Tragedian. With the exception of a few small fragments of Ezekiel, all of this material has been preserved by Eusebius in the ninth book of his apologetic treatise, the Praeparatio evangelica. The corpus in question is quite small (the actual texts take up less than fifty pages in the present volume), yet the importance of the material as an expression of Hellenistic Judaism has led to the generation of a large amount of scholarly literature, particularly in recent years. One of the merits of this volume is that it provides an excellent guide to that literature. Holladay has also rendered an important service to scholars in his commentary, for he has devoted much of it to philological discussion, which is exactly what is needed in the case of these often difficult texts. It might have been desirable, however, in a reference volume of this sort, to provide a more complete treatment of metrical matters.

Only in modern times has the Jewish origin of this corpus been fully acknowledged. Both Josephus and Eusebius seem to have thought that the writers in question were pagans. This latter point has been disputed in recent years, and the issue is the subject of some discussion by Holladay (pp. 78, 82-84, 213-17, 320). The traditional view, however, should probably be maintained. Josephus mentions both Theodotus and Philo in Contra Apionem 1.216, 218, and groups them among pagan writers. It has been claimed, however, that the Theodotus and the Philo mentioned by Josephus are not to be identified with the poets of the same names, and according to Holladay, Josephus at least implies that they are historians, since he mentions them together with other...