There are two Rabbinic approaches to Asenath. One holds that she was an
Egyptian woman that converted to marry Joseph. This view has her accepting
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.[5] Dinah was raped by
Shechem and gave birth to Asenath, whom Jacob left on the wall of Egypt, where she was later found by
Potiphar.[citation needed] She was then raised by Potiphar's wife and eventually married Joseph. However, in
Bereshit Rabbah 80:11 she is not stated to be Dinah's daughter but rather her rape resulted in giving birth to Shaul the son of Simeon.[6][7]
Asenath's importance is related to the birth of her two sons, who later become forefathers of two of the
Twelve Tribes of Israel.[4]
Name
Her name is believed to derive from the Ancient Egyptian js.tj-
(n)-
n(j)t, meaning "belonging/she belongs to
Neith". Neith was an Egyptian goddess.[2][8]
"Asenath" or "Osnat" is a commonly used female first name in present-day
Israel.[9]
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.[10] Here, she is referred to as the daughter of
Potipherah, priest of On (Gk.
Heliopolis).[11] Genesis 41:50 says that before the years of famine,
Joseph had two sons with Asenath. The firstborn was named
Manasseh and the second
Ephraim.[12] Later, in Genesis 46:20,
Joseph and Asenath are mentioned in the family of
Jacob; the verse says that in Egypt,
Joseph had two sons named
Manasseh and
Ephraim, whom Asenath, daughter of
Potiphera, the priest of
On, bore to
Joseph.
In the
Book of Jubilees, generally considered to be
apocryphal, Asenath is said to be given to Joseph to marry by the
Pharaoh,[13] 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.[14][15][16] A later-date
apocryphal 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 and
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.[17]
Depictions
This painted image, which is part of a 1475 painted Flemish manuscript of unknown origin, shows Aseneth repenting.[18] This image is likely inspired by an apocryphal text that describes Aseneth rejecting her pagan religion and repenting so that she may marry Joseph.[19]
This painted image, which is part of a 1475 Flemish manuscript, shows Aseneth offering honey, wine, and bread to an angel.[20] 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.[19]
This image from a 1475 Flemish manuscript shows Aseneth asking for an angel's blessing for seven young women.[21] 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.[19]
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.[22]
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.[23]
This mosaic in the Venetian Basilica di San Marco shows a midwife presenting the newborn Ephraim to Joseph. Aseneth and Manasseh are also present.[23]
Veneration
Asenath is venerated in Catholic Church as a saint. Her feast day is 13 December.[1]
^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
public domain:
Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "1905-asenath". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
^Theis, Christoffer (July 2020).
"Asenat". Das wissenschaftliche Bibellexikon im Internet (WiBiLex) (in German). Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.