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Between Eden and Egypt: Echoes of the Garden Narrative in the Story of Joseph and His Brothers Brian Osborne Sigmon Marquette University

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Between Eden and Egypt: Echoes of the Garden Narrative in the Story of Joseph and His Brothers Brian Osborne Sigmon Marquette University Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations (2009 -) Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Projects Between Eden and Egypt: Echoes of the Garden Narrative in the Story of Joseph and His Brothers Brian Osborne Sigmon Marquette University Recommended Citation Sigmon, Brian Osborne, "Between Eden and Egypt: Echoes of the Garden Narrative in the Story of Joseph and His Brothers" (2013). Dissertations (2009 -). Paper 263. http://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/263 BETWEEN EDEN AND EGYPT: ECHOES OF THE GARDEN NARRATIVE IN THE STORY OF JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS by Brian O. Sigmon A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin May 2013 ABSTRACT BETWEEN EDEN AND EGYPT: ECHOES OF THE GARDEN NARRATIVE IN THE STORY OF JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS Brian O. Sigmon Marquette University, 2013 The Joseph story (Gen 37-50) is often recognized for its remarkable literary unity and depth. At the same time, much of its richness derives from its relationship with the rest of Genesis, as the Joseph story’s context is an essential aspect of its meaning and message. This dissertation explores the Joseph story’s relationship with the beginning of Genesis, by illuminating its connections with the Eden narrative and the story of Cain and Abel (Gen 2:4-4:26). It argues that the Joseph story’s allusions to these narratives deepen its literary themes and theological vision by setting it in its proper context for interpretation. Using the concepts of intratextuality and narrative analogy, this project traces various patterns of correspondence between Gen 37-50 and Gen 2-4. These intratextual patterns are characterized primarily by reversal. The story of Joseph’s sale into slavery (Gen 37) mirrors Cain’s murder of Abel (Gen 4:1-16), showing an initial parallel between the actions of Joseph’s brothers and those of Cain. Subsequent developments in the story, however, illustrate how Joseph and Judah move beyond the primeval impulse to conflict and violence, achieving reconciliation and reversing Cain’s failure. Likewise, the account of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife (Gen 39) echoes the story of Adam’s disobedience in Eden (Gen 3), as Joseph remains faithful to God where Adam violates God’s command. Joseph’s ability to provide food during the famine circumvents the curse upon the ground, one of the consequences of the humans’ disobedience in Eden. Throughout the dissertation, close attention is paid to Joseph’s knowledge, which plays an important role in the Joseph story’s connections to Gen 2-4. These intratextual relationships add depth to the Joseph story’s theological outlook, casting fresh illumination on its themes of reconciliation, knowledge and perspective, and divine providence. At the same time, they remind the reader that the preservation of Jacob’s family in the Joseph story bears significance for all of humankind. They offer a vision of how Jacob and his sons surpass the normal limitations of human life in the post-Eden world. i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Brian O. Sigmon I am grateful for the support of my mentors, colleagues, friends, and family, whose assistance and encouragement have made this project possible. First and foremost, I thank my dissertation director and friend, Dr. Sharon Pace. Her wisdom and guidance have influenced me far beyond this dissertation, and have shaped my scholarship and teaching in innumerable ways. I am grateful for her advice, criticism, and inspiration, through which she has pushed me to be a better scholar and interpreter of the Bible. I also wish to thank Drs. Deirdre Dempsey, Andrei Orlov, and Joshua Burns, who have served as members of my dissertation board. This dissertation bears their imprint, as they encouraged me to think in new directions, showed me alternative perspectives, and helped me understand the significance and impact of my research. I am grateful for the other members of Marquette’s faculty in the Theology Department, from whom I have learned a great deal. My understanding of the Bible and its role in Christian theology has been formed by their courses, lectures, papers, and informal conversations. I also owe a debt of gratitude to my fellow graduate students, who have likewise pushed me to explore new possibilities in studying the Bible and theology. I am profoundly grateful for their thoughts, encouragement, criticism, hospitality, and friendship. My intellectual life and my interest in the Bible have been deeply influenced by my family, whom I thank from the bottom of my heart. My parents, David and Judy Sigmon, always encouraged me to pursue my dreams with enthusiasm and my work with excellence. And their strong faith laid the foundation for my own Christian identity. In writing a dissertation about the story of Joseph, my thoughts have turned toward my two brothers, Joe and Chet, on more than one occasion. I am happy and proud to call these men my brothers, and I will always be grateful for their love and support. I also thank my grandparents, Joe and Louise Sherrill, who have offered emotional and financial support during my graduate education. Throughout my life I have been blessed with a close relationship with my extended family, and I thank all the rest of the Sigmons and Sherrills for always being there for me, even from hundreds of miles away. Last but certainly not least, I thank my wife, Amy. She has seen the ups and downs of my teaching, research, and writing more closely than anyone else, and her love has been a constant source of joy and strength. I am blessed and proud to be married to such a beautiful, strong, intelligent, and kind woman. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………………………i INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………...1 I. Looking beyond the Joseph Narrative………………………………………......1 II. Context, Perspective, and Meaning in the Joseph Story…………………...…..4 III. The Joseph Story and the Book of Genesis…………………………..……….5 IV. Genesis and the Composition of the Pentateuch………………………...…….8 V. Previous Research……….……………………………………………………13 A. The Joseph Story and the Eden Narrative…………………………….13 B. The Joseph Story and the Story of Cain and Abel……………………18 VI. Intratextuality: Reading within a Biblical Text…………….…………......…35 VII. Narrative Analogy………………………………………………………..…46 VIII. Parameters of the Investigation: Defining the Text and Its Parts………….52 A. Defining the Text: The Book of Genesis………………………..……53 B. Defining the Parts……………………………………………………..57 1. The Eden Narrative and the Story of Cain and Abel...………..57 2. The Story of Joseph and His Brothers…………………….…..60 IX. Procedure……………………...……………………………………….…….68 CHAPTER ONE: EDEN AND ITS AFTERMATH…………………………………….72 I. Introduction……………………………………………………………………73 II. Structure………………………………………………………………………74 III. Plot…………………………………………………………………………...78 IV. Life and Death in Eden………………………………………………………87 iii V. Disobedience and Its Consequences………………………………………….92 VI. The Knowledge of Good and Evil………………………………………….101 VII. The Consequences…………………………………………………………110 VIII. Further Consequences: The Deterioration of Family Relationships after Eden………………………………………………..120 IX. Summary and Conclusion…………………………………………………..127 CHAPTER TWO: PRIVILEGE, TEMPTATION, INNOCENCE, AND GUILT: EDEN AND ITS AFTERMATH IN GEN 37-39…………………………..…130 I. Introduction…………………………………………………………………..130 II. Thematic Continuity: Fraternal Conflict in Genesis………………………...131 III. Cain and Abel Revisited: The Betrayal and Sale of Joseph………………...134 IV. A Return to Eden: Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife…………………………….148 V. Clothing and Nakedness, Innocence and Guilt in Gen 37-39…..…………...169 VI. Summary and Conclusion…………………………………………………..185 CHAPTER THREE: LIFE, DEATH, AND KNOWLEDGE………………………….188 I. Introduction…………………………………………………………………..188 II. Knowledge in the Joseph Story……………………………………………...189 III. Joseph’s Knowledge………………………………………………………..198 IV. Joseph’s Knowledge and the Knowledge of Good and Evil……………….219 V. The Curse upon the Earth Revisited: The Worldwide Famine in the Joseph Story……………………………………………………..226 VI. Circumventing the Curse: Knowledge and the Preservation of Life…….....240 VII. Summary and Conclusion…………………………………………………248 iv CHAPTER FOUR: KNOWLEDGE AND THE RECONCILIATION OF THE FAMILY……………………………………………….251 I. Introduction…………………………………………………………………..251 II. Knowledge of God in the Joseph Story………………………………….…..253 III. Joseph’s Growth in Knowledge…………………………………………….258 IV. Knowledge and the Reconciliation of the Family……………………….…267 V. Reversing Cain and Abel……………………………………………………283 VI. Preservation of Life and Blessing for the Chosen Family………………….288 VII. Summary and Conclusion…………………………………………………299 CHAPTER FIVE: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF AN INTRATEXTUAL READING OF THE JOSEPH STORY……………………………………………..….301 I. Introduction…………………………………………………………………..301 II. The Joseph Story, Genesis, and the Pentateuch……………………………..302 III. Joseph, Cain, and Adam…………………………………………………….310 IV. Eden and Egypt……………………………………………………………..315 V. Reconciliation among Brothers……………………………………………...321 VI. Knowledge and Perspective in the Joseph Story…………………………...325 VII. God’s Unseen Providence…………………………………………………331 VIII. Summary and Conclusion………………………………………………...338 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………340 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………....344 1 Introduction I. Looking beyond the Joseph Narrative The book of Genesis concludes with the story of Joseph and his brothers. This straightforward observation has strong implications for how the Joseph
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