I sogni di Giuseppe il Patriarca e le visioni della sua sposa Aseneth

Abstract

The subject of this paper are two interpretations given in the Judaic-Hellenistic context of the dreams of the patriarch Joseph and the visions of Aseneth. The first one is the interpretation of Philo of Alexandria who sees messages to be interpreted, 'texts', in dreams. Like the Bible, dreams also require exegesis and it is as an exegete of dreams that Joseph gains power. He interprets Pharaoh's dreams, able to take measures to govern their effects, but he also knows how to give substance to the dreams of the crowd in a world of appearances. Dreamer and interpreter of dreams, he is able to interpret them and support them, he is the emblem of the politician who dominates the crowd and, in turn, is enslaved by it. The second interpretation is that of an anonymous novel written in Greek, apparently a love story, which, however, also has a metaphorical value: it indicates a journey into a dreamlike sphere towards new forms of knowledge. It tells of Aseneth's falling in love with Joseph and the consequent desire for conversion to become similar to the Patriarch. The girl has visions, communicates with celestial spheres and is visited by a man from the sky and the bees of Paradise. It presents an exit from habitual situations: it culminates in dream images, in an ecstatic situation. There is an asymmetry between Joseph's dreams, dreams of power, and the visions of his wife who has dreams of truth, of knowledge, of acceptance of new ideas, new beliefs. She longs to turn towards higher spheres of knowledge, towards a mystical horizon.