For Passover this year I would like to do a series of posts presenting the texts of the Hellenistic Jews, dealing with Moses and the Exodus story. These texts while rarely read or study by lay people, are very important, as they serve as both a link between Biblical and Rabbinical Judaism, and as a contemporary to the early Rabbinic tradition. With that in mind let us look at how the Hellenistic Jews, portrayed the foundational story of the Jewish people, the Exodus. Additionally this literature should be of interest to Muslims as well, as the story of Moses is one of the often repeated narratives of the Quran.
The Hellenistic Jews were Jews living in both Israel and throughout the Greco-Roman world, whom were influenced by Greek culture. More than a few of these Jews were writers; they were philosophers, theologians, exegetes, poets, dramatists, historians, chronologists, and so much more. Unfortunately with the exception of the writings of the philosopher and exegete Philo Judaeus (Philo of Alexandria) and the historian Josephus, none of their writings survive in their complete form, but only in fragments, preserved in quotations, mostly by the church fathers. For a brief introduction to the writings of the Hellenistic Jews please see my post Brief Introductions to Religious Texts: Hellenistic Jewish Literature at the link below:
Thousands of years before Cecil B. Demille’s cinema classic, The Ten Commandments was filmed, the story of Moses and the Exodus was performed on stage in a Greek drama, called The Exagoge written by the Hellenistic Jew, Ezekiel the Tragedian. Fortunately, even though his drama comes down to us in fragmentary form, a good portion of it survives in quotes from the Church Fathers Eusebius and Demetrius. The following translation is taken from:
Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Volume 2: Expansions of the Old Testament and Legends, Wisdom and Philosophical Literature, Prayers, Psalms, and Odes, Fragments of Lost Judeo-Hellenistic works James H. Charlesworth
Exagoge by Ezekiel the Tragedian
And with regard to Moses being exposed by his mother in the marsh, and being taken up and reared by the king’s daughter, Ezekiel the tragic poet narrates the events, taking up the story from the beginning, when Jacob and those that were with him came into Egypt to Joseph.8 Introducing Moses as the speaker, he says:
1 And when from Canaan Jacob did depart,
2 with threescore souls and ten he did go down
3 to Egypt’s land; and there he did beget
4 a host of people: suffering, oppressed,
5 ill-treated even to this very day
6 by ruling powers and by wicked men.
7 For Pharaoh, seeing how our race increased
8 in swarms, devised against us this grand scheme:
9 he forced the men to manufacture bricks
10 for use in building lofty walls and towers
11 thus with their toil he made his cities strong.
12 He ordered next the Hebrew race to cast
13 their infant boys into the river deep.
14 At which point, she who bore me from her womb
15 did hide me for three months, as she declared.
16 But when found out, she robed me and exposed
17 me in the marsh hard by the river’s edge;
18 and Miriam, my sister, watched close by.
19 The sovereign’s daughter, with her maidens, then
20 came down to bathe her limbs, as was her wont.
21 And straightway seeing me, she took me up:
22 she knew that I was of the Hebrew race.
23 My sister, running to the princess, said,
24 “Shall I quickly fetch this child a nurse
25 of Hebrew stock?” The princess pressed her on;
26 she came and told my mother, who with haste
27 did come herself, and took me in her arms.
28 The sovereign’s daughter then said, “Woman, nurse
29 this child and I will render you a wage.”
30 And she, the princess, named me “Moses,” since
31 she took me from the river’s soggy shore. After other matters,” Ezekiel adds further information in his tragedy, introducing Moses, who says:
32 And seeing that my infancy had passed,
33 my mother led me to the princess’ rooms;
34 but first all things she did declare to me
35 pertaining to my father’s God and race.
36 Throughout my boyhood years the princess did,
37 for princely rearing and instruction apt,
38 provide all things, as though I were her own.
39 The circle of the days then being full,
40 I quit the royal house, impelled to deeds
41 by my own heart and by the king’s device.
42 And first I saw men locked in strife, at odds,
43 Egyptian one, and one of Hebrew race.
44 And seeing them alone, frit none about,
45 I saved my kinsman, but his foe I slew
46 and hid him in the sand, that none might see
47 or, else, expose our homicidal act.
48 The next day, once again I saw two men:
49 my kinsmen, they, each other pommeling.
50 I said, “Why strike one weaker than yourself?””
51 Said he, “Who set you for a judge ‘twixt us
52 or ruler in this place? Will you slay me
53 as that man yesterday?” And I, afraid,
54 said, “How, then, has this deed been brought to light?”
55 All this was soon reportedv to the king,
56 upon which Pharaoh sought to take my life.
57 When such I heard, I fled beyond his reach,
58 and now I wander in a foreign land.
Then concerning the daughters of Rague[i]l he adds:
59 But, lo! These seven maidens I espy!
In response to his question as to who they might be, Sepphorah replies:
60 This land, O stranger, all bears Libya’s name,
61 but tribes of sundry races dwell throughout;
62 the dark-skinned Aethiops. Yet there is one
63 who ruler, prince, and sole commander, he
64 rules all this state and judges mortal men;
65 a priest, the father of myself and these.
Then he describes the watering of the flocks and adds an account of the marriage of Sepphorah, introducing Chus and Sepphorah, who speak in dialogue
66 Sepphorah, you must speak in words forthright.
67 My father gave me for this alien’s wife.
(S) (Section from Demetrius, describing these same events) And Ezekiel also speaks about these things in the Exagoge, including, in addition, the dream which was seen by Moses and interpreted by his father-in-law. Moses himself speaks with his father-in-law in dialogue:
68 On Sinai’s peak I saw what seemed a throne
69 so great in size it touched the clouds of heaven.
70 Upon it sat a man of noble mien,
71 Decrowned, and with a scepter in one hand
72 while with the other he did beckon me.
73 I made approach and stood before the throne.
74 He handed o’er the scepter and he bade
75 me mount the throne, and gave to me the crown;
76 then he himself withdrew from off the throne.
77 I gazed upon the whole earth round about;
78 things under it, and high above the skies.
79 Then at my feet a multitude of stars so fell down, and I their number reckoned up.
81 They passed by me like armed ranks of men.
82 Then I in terror wakened from the dream.
And his father-in-law interprets the dream as follows:
83 My friend, God gave you this as sign for good.
84 Would I might live to see these things transpire.
85 For you shall cause a mighty throne to rise,
86 and you yourself shall rule and govern men.
87 As for beholding all the peopled earth,
88 and things below and things above God’s realm:
89 things present, past, and future you shall see.
And in regard to the burning bush and Moses’ mission to Pharaoh, once again Ezekiel introduces Moses conversing with God. And Moses says
90 Aha! What token this from yonder bush,
91 some sign beyond belief to mortal men?
92 A bush that sudden bums, with raging flame,
93 and yet its shoots remain all green and fresh.
94 What then! I shall advance and view this sign,
95 so great it seems incredible to men.
Then God addresses him:
96 Stay, Moses, best of men, do not come near
97 till you have loosed the bindings from your feet;
98 the place on which you stand is holy ground,
99 and from this bush God’s word shines forth to you.
100 Take courage, son, and listen to my words;
101 as mortal man you cannot see my face,
102 albeit you have pow’r to hear my words,
103 and for this very reason I have come.
104 God am I of those, your fathers’ three,
105 of Abram, Isaac, Jacob, I am He.
106 Mindful of my promises to them,
107 to save my Hebrew people I am come,
108 since I have seen my servants’ toil and pain.
109 Now go, and testify162 to these my words,
110 to all the Hebrews first, then to the king,
111 the things commanded by me unto you,
112 that you should lead my people from this land.
Then, a few speeches farther down, Moses himself replies:
113 I am not by nature eloquent;
114 my tongue with difficulty speaks, I stammer, is so that I cannot speak before the king.
Then, in reply to these things, God answers him:
116 Your brother Aaron I will send with haste,
117 to whom you’ll tell all things that I have said,
118 and he it is who’ll speak before the king.
119 You’ll take the words from me, and he from you.
And concerning the rod and other wonders, he speaks thus in dialogue:
120 Say, what is this you hold within your hand
121 A rod, the chastener of beasts and men.
122 Now cast it on the ground and move away;
123 a fearful serpent you in awe shall see.
124 See, there I cast it down. Be gracious, Lord!
125 How dreadful, huge! Be merciful to me!
126 I tremble at the sight, my limbs do shake.
127 Fear not! Stretch forth your hand and seize its tail;
128 again ’twill be a rod as it once was.
129 Your hand thrust in your bosom, draw it forth.
130 ‘Tis done. It has become as white as snow!
131 Reach in again, it shall be as it was.
To these things (after certain other matters that he has interposed), he (Polyhistor) adds the following: Ezekiel says these things in similar fashion in the Exagoge, introducing God, who speaks concerning the signs as follows:
132 And with this rod these woes you shall effect:
133 now, first the river shall flow red with blood,
134 and all the springs, and every stagnant pool.”
135 A host of frogs and lice I’ll cast on earth
136 then sprinkle ashes from the furnace round,
137 and ulcerous sores shall thus burst forth on men.
138 And swarms of flies shall come and sore afflict
139 the men of Egypt; then another plague
140 shall come, and they shall die whose hearts are hardened.
141 And I shall make the heavens bitter; hail
142 and fire shall fall and slay all mortal men,
143 and cause to perish every crop and beast.
144 Darkness I’ll decree for three whole days,
145 and locusts send, who shall the residue
146 of food consume and every blade of grass.
147 Last shall I slay the firstborn of mankind,
148 and thus bring down the wanton pride of men.
1 49 Yet Pharaoh shan’t be moved by what I say
150 until his firstborn child lies as a corpse;
151 then, moved with fear, he’ll send the people forth.
152 This also say to all the Hebrew race:
153 “This month shall be the first month of your years,
154 in which I’ll lead your2 to another land
155 which to the Hebrew fathers I did swear.”
156 And say to all the people, “In this month,
157 on full moon’s eve, the Paschal sacrifice
158 to God present, and touch the doors with blood,
159 which sign the fearsome angel shall pass by.
160 But you, by night, shall eat the roasted flesh;
161 then shall the king drive out the throng in haste.
162 But ere you go I’ll grant the people favor;
163 one woman from another shall receive
164 fine vessels, jewels of silver and of gold
165 and clothing, things which one may carry off,
166 so as to compensate them for their deeds.
167 But when at last you enter your own land,
168 take heed that from the morn on which you fled
169 from Egypt and did journey seven days,
170 from that same morn, so many days each year
171 you eat unleavened bread and serve your God.
172 The firstborn of all living things present
173 to God, whatever virgins first shall bear
174 of males that open up the mothers’ wombs.
And again, concerning this same feast, he says that he elaborates more precisely:
175 And when the tenth day of this month is come,
176 let Hebrew men by families thus select”
177 unblemished sheep and calves, and keep them till
178 the fourteenth day has dawned, and then, at eve,
179 make sacrifice; thus shall you eat them whole,
180 the flesh and inward parts roast with fire;
181 your loins girt up and shoes upon your feet,
182 and in your hand a staff, for thus in haste
183 the king will order all to leave the land.
184 It shall be called “Passover. Then, when you
185 shall sacrifice, take hyssop in your hands;
186 and dip the twigs in blood and lightly touch
187 both doorposts, so that death may pass you by.
188 So keep this festival unto the Lord;
189 for seven days you’ll eat unleavened bread.
190 For there shall be deliverance from these ills;
191 a “going forth” he’ll grant you in this month,
192 and first of months and years it e’er shall be.
And after certain other matters he (Polyhistor) adds: “And Ezekiel, also, in the drama entitled Exagoge, introduces a messenger who tells of the disposition of the Hebrews and of the destruction of the Egyptians as follows:
193 For when King Pharaoh set forth from his house
194 with multitude of myriad armed men,
195 with cavalry and four-horsed chariots,
196 and front ranks with supporting troops nearby;
197 how awesome was the host arrayed for battle.
198 Foot soldiers formed a phalanx in the center,
199 with spaces for the chariots to pass through;
200 and horsemen he deployed, some on the left,
201 and on the right the rest of Egypt’s force.
202 I asked as to their army’s total strength;”
203 there were a million men both brave and true.
204 The Hebrews, when confronted by our
205 lay strewn about hard by the sandy shore,
206 in masses there upon the Red Sea’s strand.
207 Some were engaged in caring for the young
208 together with their wives, worn out with toil,
209 with many flocks and herds and household stuff.
210 And they, all unprotected, without arms,
211 on seeing us sent up a doleful cry,
212 ‘gainst heaven they inveighed, their fathers’ God.
213 Now great in number was their multitude,
214 but we, for our part, were all overjoyed.
215 Then, facing them, we pitched our camp nearby
216 (the place by men is called Beelzephon).
217 And since the Titan sun was near to set,
218 we waited, longing for the fight at dawn,
219 in numbers trusting, and in our dread arms.
220 And thereupon commenced divine portents
221 full wondrous to behold! And, all at once,
222 a mighty column stood, of cloud and fire,
223 midway between the Hebrew camp and ours.
224 And then their leader Moses, taking up
225 the rodp3 of God by which he’d lately wrought
226 such evil signs and ills on Egypt’s land,
227 did smite the Red Sea’s surface, and the depth
228 was rent asunder; so they all as one
229 with haste went forthq3 along that briny path.
230 We quickly sped along in that same route,
231 foil’wing their track; by night we entered in,
232 in close pursuit with shout; then, all at once,
233 as if with chains our chariot wheels were bound.
234 From heaven, then, a shining light like fire
235 appeared to us, so we were led to think
236 that God was their defense. For when they reached
237 the farther shore a mighty wave gushed forth
238 hard by us, so that one in terror cried,
239 “Flee back before the hands of the Most High;
240 to them he offers succor, but to us,
241 most wretched men, destruction he does work.”
242 The sea-path flooded, all our host was lost.
And again, after a few things: “From there they went for three days, as Demetrius himself says (and the Holy Bible agrees with this). And since the water in that place was bitter and not sweet, at God’s command he cast a certain piece of wood into the spring and the water became sweet. And from there they came to Elim, where they found twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. In regard to these things and to the bird that appeared there, Ezekiel, in the Exagoge, introduces someone speaking to Moses about the palm trees and twelve springs of water as follows:
243 Take note, most noble Moses, of this place
244 which we have found near yonder airy glen.
245 Tis over there, where you, too, now may see.
246 From thence a lustrous light now flashes forth,
247 by night, a sign, like to a fiery pillar.
248 And there we found a meadow shaded o’er
249 and splashing streams: a place profuse and rich,
250 which draws from out one rocky ledge twelve springs;
251 the trunks of fruitful palms rise like a hedge,
252 threescore and ten, with water flowing round,
253 and tender grass yields pasture for the flocks.
Then, farther down, he sets forth a description of the bird which appeared:
254 Another living creature there we saw,
255 full wondrous, such as man has never seen;
256 ’twas near in scope to twice the eagle’s size,
257 with plumage iridescent, rainbow-hued.
258 Its breast appeared deep-dyed with purple’s shade,
259 its legs were red like ochre, and its neck
260 was furnished round with tresses saffron-hued;
261 like to a coxcomb did its crest appear,
262 with amber-tinted eye it gazed about,
263 the pupil like some pomegranate seed.
264 Exceeding all, its voice pre-eminent;
265 of every other winged thing, the king,
266 it did appear. For all the birds, as one,
267 in fear did haste to follow after him,
268 and he before, like some triumphant bull
269 went striding forth with rapid step apace.
[i] There is debate as to who this is, some say it is the father or grandfather of Jethro, others say it is his family name.
Perspectives Of A Fellow Traveler 