Fisk builds on intertextual studies to show how and why the author has created these episodes in pursuit of his strategy of rewriting the canonical story. The Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum, a 'rewritten Bible' that follows the broad contours of Genesis to Samuel, includes numerous secondary, or out-of-sequence, episodes, and frequently juxtaposes unrelated biblical characters. The subtlety and significance of these inner-biblical linkages has up to now not been fully appreciated. Building on recent studies in intertextuality, Fisk shows how Pseudo-Philo is often guided by intertextual links and themes present within the canonical precursor, that he is heavily indebted to post-biblical midrashic traditions, and that 'secondary scripture' is a strategic means by which Israel's traditions are reconfigured in this enigmatic text.
Author Biography
Bruce Fisk is Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California.
