www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Scripture and Patristic Writings Joseph and Asaneth

Dear Friends,

I have a question about an ancient apocryphal work. Recently when I was reviewing the topic of the traditional Old Testament Canon received by the Armenian Church, I came across this interesting quote:

"The noteworthy features of the Armenian version of the Bible was the inclusion of certain books that elsewhere were regarded as apocryphal. The Old Testament included the "History of Joseph and Asenath" and the "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs," and the New Testament included the Epistle of Corinthians to Paul and a Third Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians."

This quote although by an anti-Christian source trying to place doubt in our Bible's authenticity due to various canonical traditions [a futile argument], nevertheless relied to some extent on sound Christian scholarship. What interested me so much about this quote is the fact that my Armenian great-grandmother's first name was "Asanet." Asanet, or the English rendition "Aseneth" was a very obscure figure of the Old Testament (Gen 41:41-45, 50-52; 46:20) known only as the daughter of the Egyptian Pagan Priest Portipher, the wife of the Patriarch Joseph and the mother of Eprhaim and Manasseh (hardly noteworthy enough to name a child after). Due to such obscurity, I often wondered why my medz mayrrig (grand-mother) had received such a name. After reading the above quote, I began to wonder if I had finally received my answer to this question.
Next I did a search on the web and found an excellent scholarly modern edition of the book Joseph and Aseneth and much information at the following web-site:

http://www.bham.ac.uk/theology/goodacre/aseneth/index.htm

This site states that: "This [Biblical] information [about Aseneth] is tantalisingly brief. Who was this woman? How did Joseph come to meet and marry her? How could he, an upstanding Israelite, the son of Jacob, have married this pagan daughter of an Egyptian priest? Had he not struggled, only two chapters earlier, to avoid the lures of Potiphar's wife? Where the Biblical narrative provided only hints, later interpreters became fascinated with these problems. Looking to fill in the gaps, they inferred what they thought must have happened. As they reflected on the few clues available, the story of Aseneth began to construct itself." The site goes on to note that many scholars believe it was very ancient even possibly written before the New Testament era.

My question for all of you is this: Is this book (or tradition about Asanet) very well known in your Churches? If this book or tradtion about the heroic faith of Asaneth is still known among the ancient Eastern Churches, this could very well explain why my great-grandmother would be named in her honor. On the other hand, this might be a more exclusively Armenian Church question. Thanks for any help you might offer.

Trusting In Christ's Light,
Wm. DerGhazarian
Armenian Catholic Christian
www.geocities.com/derghazar/ [geocities.com]

Dear Ghazar,

Yes, the wider Ethiopian Old Testament canon does indeed contain that book as deuterocanonical scripture - I didn't know the Armenians also had it and thank you for bringing this to light!

St Aseneth is venerated as a saint together with St Joseph the Fair, Son of Jacob throughout the Oriental Orthodox world.

She is also venerated in the Byzantine Orthodox world and there is a "Blessed Aseneth" a Russian venerable nun who is up for a possible future canonization.

It would certainly not be the first time that someone outside Israel in the Old Testament accepted the faith in the One God - as did St Makeda, the Queen of Sheba.

Her feast day in the Orthodox Church is actually the Monday of Holy Week, the day on which St Joseph the Fair is commemorated as a prototype of Christ (for being sold for 20 pieces etc.). Although her name is usually not included with St Joseph's in many calendars, that is her original feast day.

St Aseneth's two sons were blessed by Jacob and the tribe of Joseph was subdivided into two, one for each of his sons that, according to some, related to the subdivision of Peter's place at the head of the Apostles into that of "St Peter and St Paul, Chiefs of the Apostles."

And don't forget the letters of Abgar to Christ as another deuterocanonical book of the Armenian New Testament.

The Anglicans in the 19th century had a movement to include this correspondence in the King James Version of the Bible!

They petitioned the Archbishop of Canterbury incessantly.

Anglicans also developed the devotional practice of framing a picture of the Face of Christ on the Holy Mandylion and keeping a framed copy of these letters beside it.

It's what I do too - and so should every Armenian!!

Don't I just, well, overwhelm you?!

Alex

Dear Alex,

I appreciate your response and the information. It was most helpful, brother. As you may know, we have a child due in June. You probably don't know that my family and I are changing our last name(s) back to my old Armenian family name, "DerGhazarian" (it should be official in 5 days).

We thought it would be nice, if our next child is a girl, to include in her name "Asanet" after my great-grandmother. This is the primary reason I'm researching the name.

Now that I have confirmed she is a canonized saint in many of the ancient Churches, I have one reamaining problem. The problem is, I have a tradition of making a special icon for my children which includes all the saints they are named after (my children have very long names). See: http://www.geocities.com/wmwolfe_48044/family.html

If we used "Asanet" (the Armenian version of Aseneth) how on earth would I get an icon of her???

Your last reply really impressed me, Alex. Respond to this one with a practical suggestion that I can use and then I WILL be overwhelmed! (and extremely grateful).

Trusting In Christ's Light,
Wm. DerGhazarian
Armenian Catholic Christian
www.geocities.com/derghazar [geocities.com]

Dear Ghazar,

Congratulations on more than one thing!

I looked this up and I can now tell you that the Ethiopian Church celebrates the Feast of St Aseneth/Asanet on two days: May 26th and on July 31st!

I think you might just have to get an icon-writer to do an icon of St Asanet - I've never seen one.

If you REALLY want to have a great tradition, should you have a baby girl, have her length measured, and then have a board cut to that length.

The icon of St Asanet could be written on it.

This is called "taking the full measure" and is always a fond tradition that is cherished by those who have such an icon of their patron!

Should you have a baby boy, no problem, you can name him "Joseph" after the son of Jacob, and husband of Asanet and there is an icon of him that Holy Transfiguration Monastery has for sale.

You could still celebrate his nameday on May 26 and July 31 as the feast of "Joseph and Asanet."

Either way, you win!!

Alex

Dear Ghazar,

I also forgot to mention that Joseph and Aseneth are mentioned in the Orthodox marriage ceremony, along with their children, Ephraim and Manasseh.

Alex

Dear Ghazar,

And just one more point.

I really would wish that the ecumenical editions of the Bible not ignore the Oriental Orthodox deuterocanonical OT books.

They are divided into appendices for the Greek and Slavonic Bibles, but one doesn't need 4th Maccabbees in there.

One could include another section for the Armenian and Ethiopian extra deuterocanonicals, like the Book of Enoch (recognized as scripture by Tertullian and others), The book of Jubilees, Testaments of the Patriarchs and Joseph and Aseneth etc.

FYI.

Alex

Dear William,

Thank you for sharing your children's names, and your naming-customs. They are an inspiration, especially to those who are expecting as well.

Adam K.

Dear Alex,

i have a book, pub. ca 1923, but reprinted many a time, called "the Lost books of the Bible." This anthology was printed by some big Bible company in the US, from translations done in the 18th and 19th Cen.ies Englonde. It contains all the books you mention-sans the "Book of Jubilees" as well as many New Testament writings. These include the Epistles of St Clement, Epistle of St Barnabbas, some other Epistles of St Pauls, numerous gospels, like the Gospel of Nicodemus, the Last Gospel of Peter, and i think some others, The Epistle of Agbar to Jesus, and the reply, and the three books of the Shepard of Hermes. Not a bad collection for $20.

Adam K

Dear Adam,

Yes, I have a reprint of that book!

It doesn't contain "Joseph and Aseneth" which is a beautiful story about that wonderful couple .

I think the study of those books is a good antidote for any fundamentalist who thinks the current bible just fell down from Heaven .

If you ever come across an icon of Aseneth, let us all know, will you?

Alex

Dear Alex,

Thanks again for all the information. It has helped a lot with my question. I agree with you about the usefulness of amassing all the books that have been (or are now) included in some of the ancient Churches' canons. I'm putting together my own rag-bag collection which is better than nothing. Thanks God for modern means of information! Btw, we already have boy's names that we are focussing on, but thanks for the suggestion. That was a beautiful suggestion for an icon of a child's patron. Great tradition, there! How does one find an Icon writer anyways and what does it cost to have one written???

gratefully,

Ghazar

Thanks a lot, Adam, for your encouragement and congratulations to you and your wife. Is this your first child?

Dear William,

This will be our second. By the signs and sayings, it will be a girl (my father says so, and he is never wrong). Our first is a boy, John Chrysostom. If a girl for the one in the oven, we shall name her Seraphima (has much meaning to us), though my parents are resistant--that is too bad. They have become too American, and are loosing many of the old ways they handed down to me. Everyone else loves the name, especially our friend, Seraphima. If the child is a boy, we will name a saint's name close to the birthdate. (Josaphat would be a candidate, so would Athanasius-of Brest).

Adam K

Dear Ghazar,

A number of monasteries will write an icon for you, including Jordanville and others.

Mark Medved here knows and he is an iconographer too.

Costs vary, but if you want one subject, St Aseneth, that shouldn't be too much, depending on how tall your baby is at birth!

Alex

Dear Adam,

Just don't name your baby boy with the names of BOTH those saints, eh?

"Josaphat of Polotsk (martyred by Orthodox) AND Athanasius of Brest (martyred by Catholics)" - very ecumenical, but the fellow may develop some inner conflicts later on in life . . .

Alex

"Just don't name your baby boy with the names of BOTH those saints, eh?
"Josaphat of Polotsk (martyred by Orthodox) AND Athanasius of Brest (martyred by Catholics)" - very ecumenical, but the fellow may develop some inner conflicts later on in life . . . "

Christ is risen!

Inner conflict is good. It will make him a good German, full of Angst, or at least Innigheit. If his Innigekrieg is too much, i could always take him to a Polish or Irish church. He would then be able to have commonality between his warring factions...

AK