Stelae, Elephants, and Irony: The Battle of Raphia and Its Import as Historical Context for 3 Maccabees
The opening verses of 3 Maccabees set the story in the aftermath of the Battle of Raphia (217 bce); the significance of this historical setting has been overlooked. The Battle of Raphia is intimately related to the narrative at large in at least three ways. First, 3 Maccabees advocates for a counter...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Brill
2018
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In: |
Journal for the study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman period
Year: 2018, Volume: 49, Issue: 1, Pages: 49-67 |
Further subjects: | B
3 Maccabees
Ptolemy iv Philopator
Raphia Decree
war elephants
historical fiction
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Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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Summary: | The opening verses of 3 Maccabees set the story in the aftermath of the Battle of Raphia (217 bce); the significance of this historical setting has been overlooked. The Battle of Raphia is intimately related to the narrative at large in at least three ways. First, 3 Maccabees advocates for a counter-tradition to a stele tradition that arises out of Ptolemy’s victory at Raphia. Second, the story reworks the famous incident of Ptolemy’s elephant retreat at Raphia into a tale of praise for the God of the Jews. And finally, the book is invested with the irony already present in the historical realities of Ptolemy’s short-lived victory. |
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ISSN: | 1570-0631 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman period
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700631-12481190 |