Editing Asenath

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{{short description|Biblical figure}}
{{Infobox saint|name=Aseneth|image=Asenath.jpg|caption=Asenath from [[Guillaume Rouillé]]'s ''[[Promptuarium Iconum Insigniorum]]''|titles=the Fair|feast_day=[[Sunday of the Holy Forefathers]] (Eastern Orthodox)<br>13 December<ref name=":4">{{cite web|title=Asenet (Asenat)|url=https://deon.pl/imiona-swietych/asenet-asenat,854|access-date=2021-12-12|website=DEON.pl|language=pl}}</ref> (Roman Catholic) |honored_in=[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]<br>[[Roman Catholic Church]]<ref name=":4" />}}
[[File:Joseph and Asenath.JPG|thumb|200px|Joseph and Asenath]]
[[File:Joseph meets Asenath (Asenath throws the Idols out of the Tower))-Bode museum- Berlin.jpg|thumb|Joseph meets Asenath (1490s painting).<ref name=":1" />]]
'''Asenath''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|s|ᵻ|n|æ|θ
}}, {{Hebrew Name|אָסְנַת|ʾŎsnát|ʾĀsnaṯ}};<ref>{{Cite book |last=Khan |first=Geoffrey |title=The Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition of Biblical Hebrew, Volume 1. |publisher=Open Book Publishers |year=2020 |isbn=978-1783746767}}</ref> [[Koine Greek]]: Ἀσενέθ, ''Asenéth'') is a minor figure in the [[Book of Genesis]]. Asenath was a high-born, aristocratic Egyptian woman.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=The Egyptian woman Asenath in the Bible|url=https://www.womeninthebible.net/women-bible-old-new-testaments/asenath/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160831091235/http://www.womeninthebible.net:80/women-bible-old-new-testaments/asenath/ |archive-date=2016-08-31 |access-date=18 November 2020|website=}}</ref> She was the wife of [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]] and the mother of his sons, [[Manasseh (tribal patriarch)|Manasseh]] and [[Ephraim]].

There are two [[Rabbinic literature|Rabbinic]] approaches to Asenath. One holds that she was an [[Egyptians|Egyptian woman]] who converted to marry Joseph. This view has her accepting [[God in Judaism|God]] before marriage and then raising her two sons in the tenets of Judaism. This presents her as a positive example of [[conversion to Judaism]] and places her among the devout women converts. The other approach argues she was not Egyptian by descent but was from the family of [[Jacob]]. Traditions that trace her to the family of Jacob relate that she was born as the daughter of [[Dinah]].<ref>{{Jewish Encyclopedia |inline=1 |title=1905-asenath}}</ref> Dinah was raped by [[Shechem (biblical figure)|Shechem]] and gave birth to Asenath, whom Jacob left on the wall of Egypt, where she was later found by [[Potiphar]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}} She was then raised by Potiphar's wife and eventually married Joseph. However, in ''[[Genesis Rabbah]]'' 80:11<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.34.26?lang=bi&aliyot=0&p2=Radak_on_Genesis.34.26.1&lang2=bi&p3=Bereshit_Rabbah.80.11&lang3=en&w3=all&lang4=en|title=Genesis 34:26|website=www.sefaria.org|accessdate=July 15, 2024}}</ref> she is not stated to be Dinah's daughter; rather, Dinah's rape resulted in her giving birth to Shaul, the son of Simeon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.34.26?lang=bi&with=Commentary&lang2=en&p3=Bereshit_Rabbah.80.11&lang3=en&w3=all&lang4=en|title=Genesis 34:26|website=www.sefaria.org|accessdate=July 15, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.34.26?lang=bi&aliyot=0&p2=Radak_on_Genesis.34.26.1&lang2=bi&w2=all&lang3=en|title=Genesis 34:26|website=www.sefaria.org|accessdate=July 15, 2024}}</ref>

Asenath's importance is related to the birth of her two sons, who later become forefathers of two of the [[Twelve Tribes of Israel]].<ref name=":0" />

==Name==

Her name is believed to derive from the Ancient Egyptian ''[[wikt:js|js]][[wikt:.tj|.tj]]-[[wikt:n#Egyptian|(n)]]-[[wikt:nt|n(j)t]]'', meaning "belonging/she belongs to [[Neith]]". Neith was an Egyptian goddess.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/asenath-bible|title=Asenath: Bible {{!}} Jewish Women's Archive|website=jwa.org|access-date=2019-09-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bibelwissenschaft.de/stichwort/14069/ |title=Asenat |date=July 2020 |website=Das wissenschaftliche Bibellexikon im Internet (WiBiLex) |last=Theis |first=Christoffer |publisher=Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft |publication-place=Stuttgart |language=de }}</ref>

"Asenath" or "Osnat" is a commonly used female first name in present-day [[Israel]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3847875/jewish/Popular-Jewish-Hebrew-Girl-Names.htm|title=Popular Jewish (Hebrew) Girl Names - Chabad.org|accessdate=July 15, 2024}}</ref>

== Portrayal ==
Asenath is mentioned in three verses of the Bible, all in the [[Book of Genesis]]. First appearing in Genesis 41:45, Asenath is said to have been given by the [[Pharaoh]] to Joseph as a wife.<ref>{{Cite journal|jstor=43301987|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/43301987.pdf|last1=Aptowitzer|first1=V.|title=Asenath, the Wife of Joseph: A Haggadic Literary-Historical Study|journal=Hebrew Union College Annual|year=1924|volume=1|pages=239–306}}</ref> Here, she is referred to as the daughter of [[Potipherah]], priest of On (Gk. [[Heliopolis (ancient Egypt)|Heliopolis]]).<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last1=Brooks |first1=Ernest Walter |year=1918 |title=Joseph and Asenath - Translations of Early Documents |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VYDYAAAAMAAJ&dq=asenath+potipherah&pg=PR6}}</ref> Genesis 41:50 says that before the years of famine, [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]] had two sons with Asenath. The firstborn was named [[Manasseh (tribal patriarch)|Manasseh]] and the second [[Ephraim]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=FAMILY BENEDICTION: THE ROLE OF ASENATH IN REMBRANDT"S JACOB BLESSING|url=https://repository.library.fresnostate.edu/bitstream/handle/10211.3/191670/FamilyBenediction.pdf?sequence=1}}</ref> Later, in Genesis 46:20, [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]] and Asenath are mentioned in the family of [[Jacob]]; the verse says that in Egypt, [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]] had two sons named [[Manasseh (tribal patriarch)|Manasseh]] and [[Ephraim]], whom Asenath, daughter of [[Potipherah|Potiphera]], the priest of [[On (Ancient Egypt)|On]], bore to [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]].

In the [[Book of Jubilees]], generally considered to be [[Apocrypha|apocryphal]], Asenath is said to be given to Joseph to marry by the [[Pharaohs in the Bible|Pharaoh]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3092832/1/EBR%20online_%20Marriage%2C%20Ancient%20Egypt.pdf|title=Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception vol. 17 (pages 991 to 994)|accessdate=July 15, 2024}}</ref> a daughter of [[Potiphar]], a high priest of Heliopolis, with no clarification as to whether or not this Potiphar is the same Potiphar whose wife falsely accused Joseph of attempting to rape her. While in the [[Midrash]] and [[Targum Pseudo-Jonathan]], she is said to be the daughter of Dinah, Joseph's sister, and Shechem, born of an illicit union, described as either premarital sex or rape, depending on the narrative.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/asenath-midrash-and-aggadah|title=Asenath: Midrash and Aggadah &#124; Jewish Women's Archive|website=jwa.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/jubilees/40.htm|title=Jubilees 40|website=www.pseudepigrapha.com|access-date=2019-09-05}}</ref><ref>''[[Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer]]'', chapter 38.</ref> A later-date [[apocrypha]]l publication written in Greek, believed to be a Christian document, called ''[[Joseph and Aseneth]]'', supposedly details their relationship and their 48-year long reign over Egypt; in it, Asenath weds Joseph, whose brothers [[Dan (son of Jacob)|Dan]] and [[Gad (son of Jacob)|Gad]] plot to kill him for the sake of Pharaoh's son, who wants Asenath to be his wife, only for their efforts to be thwarted by Joseph's younger brother [[Benjamin]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ahearne-Kroll |first=Patricia |title=Biblical Profile: Aseneth of Egypt |journal=Biblical Archaeology Review |date=Summer 2022 |volume=48 |issue=2 |page=27 |url=https://library.biblicalarchaeology.org/department/biblical-profile-aseneth-of-egypt/}}</ref>

== Depictions ==
<gallery>
File:The Repentance of Aseneth.png|This painted image, which is part of a 1475 painted Flemish manuscript of unknown origin, shows Aseneth repenting.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Repentance of Aseneth (Getty Museum)|url=https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/4155/unknown-maker-the-repentance-of-aseneth-flemish-about-1475/|access-date=2020-11-05|website=The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles|language=en}}</ref> This image is likely inspired by an apocryphal text that describes Aseneth rejecting her pagan religion and repenting so that she may marry Joseph.<ref name="JeEn1905">{{JewishEncyclopedia|title=Asenath, Life and Confession or Prayer Of |last=Kohler|first=Kaufmann|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1905-asenath}}</ref>
File:Aseneth Offering Bread, Wine, and Honey to an Angel.png|This painted image, which is part of a 1475 Flemish manuscript, shows Aseneth offering honey, wine, and bread to an angel.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Aseneth Offering Bread, Wine, and Honey to an Angel (Getty Museum)|url=https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/4156/unknown-maker-aseneth-offering-bread-wine-and-honey-to-an-angel-flemish-about-1475/|access-date=2020-11-04|website=The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles|language=en}}</ref> This image was likely inspired by an apocryphal text that describes Aseneth being visited by an angel after she rejects paganism and offering the angel bread and wine. In turn, the angel gives Aseneth a honeycomb.<ref name="JeEn1905" />
File:Aseneth Requesting the Angel's Blessing of Seven Young Women.png|This image from a 1475 Flemish manuscript shows Aseneth asking for an angel's blessing for seven young women.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Aseneth Requesting the Angel's Blessing of Seven Young Women (Getty Museum)|url=https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/4157/unknown-maker-aseneth-requesting-the-angel%27s-blessing-of-seven-young-women-flemish-about-1475/|access-date=2020-11-05|website=The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles|language=en}}</ref> The image is likely inspired by an apocryphal text in which Aseneth, while being visited by an angel after converting from paganism, asks the angel to bless her seven slaves.<ref name="JeEn1905" />
File:Rembrandt - Jacob Blessing the Children of Joseph - WGA19117.jpg|This Rembrandt work shows Aseneth standing with her husband, Joseph, and her sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, as her father-in-law, Jacob, blesses her sons.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Web Gallery of Art, searchable fine arts image database|url=https://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/r//rembrand/15oldtes/21oldtes.html|access-date=2020-11-05|website=www.wga.hu}}</ref>
File:Jacob's Blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh.jpg|This image from an illuminated manuscript dating back to the 6th century shows Jacob blessing Joseph and Aseneth's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, while Joseph and Aseneth look on.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|last=Zdansky|first=Hannah|date=February 28, 2018|title="Of hiest God, Asneth, blessed thu be": Female Readers and The Storie of Asneth|url=https://sites.nd.edu/manuscript-studies/tag/aseneth/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=November 10, 2020|website=Medieval Studies Research Blog}}</ref>
File:The Birth of Ephraim.jpg|This mosaic in the Venetian Basilica di San Marco shows a midwife presenting the newborn Ephraim to Joseph. Aseneth and Manasseh are also present.<ref name=":6" />
</gallery>

== Veneration ==
Asenath is venerated in Catholic Church as a saint. Her feast day is 13 December.<ref name=":4" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
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*[http://www.piney.com/DocEgJosAsen.html Text of Joseph and Asenath] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202173950/http://www.piney.com/DocEgJosAsen.html |date=2019-02-02 }}
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[[Category:Asenath| ]]
[[Category:Ancient Egyptian women]]
[[Category:Biblical matriarchs]]
[[Category:Converts to Judaism from paganism]]
[[Category:Joseph (Genesis)]]
[[Category:Book of Genesis people]]
[[Category:Book of Jubilees]]
[[Category:Women in the Hebrew Bible]]
[[Category:Christian saints in unknown century]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic royal saints]]
[[Category:Eastern Orthodox royal saints]]
[[Category:Christian saints from the Old Testament]]