Pseudo-Hecataeus (who, through the story of Mosollamus, mocks pagan
superstitious belief in omens), 3 Maccabees (4:16 in particular), Wisdom
of Solomon, Philo, Josephus,Testament of Job,andJoseph and Aseneth.On
the other hand, a monotheistic creed is attributed to well-known figures
much admired by the Greeks, such as Orpheus, Homer, Hesiod, Pythago-
ras, Plato, and a few others, but they are said to have been inspired by
Abraham, Joseph, or Moses. Thus, even if Greek culture is not utterly re-
jected as vile paganism, it is still considered inferior to Judaism since it de-
rives its truth and its beauty from Judaism — hence the efforts of Josephus
and others to demonstrate the great antiquity of the Jewish people and of
the Mosaic revelation, which in their view predated the beginnings of
Greek civilization. Hence, also, the use of pseudepigraphy in the pseudo-
Orphic poem and the other verses attributed to famous Greek poets, and
in theSibylline Oracles.
All these works were conceived of as pagan testimonies to the truth
and superior wisdom of Judaism. Even Artapanus, who presents Moses as
the founder of Egyptian animal cults, was motivated by a sense of Juda-
ism’s superiority to Egyptian paganism. True, his perception of the latter is
not as negative as in other Jewish texts (especially theLetter of Aristeasand
Philo, who abhor Egyptian animal cults). But Moses’s role as cultural
benefactor in Egypt is still a mark of the superiority of Judaism over the
culture of the natives. And the worship of animals is explained euhemer-
istically, implying that they are only animals that Moses judged to be use-
ful. Moreover, Moses is identified with Mousaeus, the teacher of Orpheus.
Thus, Artapanus celebrates the superiority of Judaism over both Egyptian
and Greek culture, which is why his work can be considered an example of
“competitive historiography.”The Mutual Faithfulness of God and Israel
A fourth theme prevalent in Jewish literature written in Greek is the mu-
tual faithfulness of God and Israel. Several texts highlight God’s justice and
his providential care for Israel or reward of the righteous. For instance, in
contrast to 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees introduces the episode of Heliodorus
and of God’s miraculous intervention to preserve the Temple in Jerusalem
(chap. 3) and describes Antiochus IV’s agony at length (chap. 9). Similarly,
3 Maccabees celebrates God’s intervention at the Jerusalem Temple but
also at the hippodrome in Alexandria (1:8–2:24 and 5:46–6:29, respec-245Early Jewish Literature Written in GreekEERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
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