"Like Phalaris in Every Way": 3 Maccabees and Its Portrait of Tyranny
This article examines 3 Maccabees' use of the sixth-century BCE tyrant Phalaris in its portrayal of its antagonist, King Ptolemy IV Philopator. Twice in the narrative (3 Macc 5:20, 42) the author explicitly compares Philopator to Phalaris. The author does not describe the earlier figure but ass...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
[2019]
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| In: |
Journal for the study of Judaism
Year: 2019, Volume: 50, Issue: 3, Pages: 371-382 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Maccabean books 3.
/ Phalaris, Akragas, Tyrann ca. 6 BC. Jh.
/ Ptolemaios, IV., Ägypten, König 240 BC-205 BC
/ Tyrant
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| RelBib Classification: | BH Judaism HD Early Judaism |
| Further subjects: | B
3 Maccabees
B Ptolemy iv Philopator B Phalerischer Stier B Phalaris B brazen bull B tyrant |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article examines 3 Maccabees' use of the sixth-century BCE tyrant Phalaris in its portrayal of its antagonist, King Ptolemy IV Philopator. Twice in the narrative (3 Macc 5:20, 42) the author explicitly compares Philopator to Phalaris. The author does not describe the earlier figure but assumes that the audience shares knowledge of his reputation and legendary deeds. After tracing the ancient literary evidence of Phalaris' legacy, the article then argues that 3 Maccabees incorporates that legacy in more implicit ways in the narrative. This contributes to the author's overall portrait of Philopator's tyranny. It also helps explain some of the features of the text—specifically, the choice of Philopator's execution device and the peril of newborn infants found in the narrative. |
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| ISSN: | 1570-0631 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of Judaism
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700631-15031261 |