Seeing Oneself in Scripture

Louis H. Feldman, "Use, Authority and Exegesis of Mikra in the Writings of Josephus," Mikra: Text, Translation, Reading and Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity, ed. Martin Jan Mulder (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2004) 475-476.

In particular, we may note the influence of contemporary events, especially those of Josephus' life, upon his biblical interpretation...Daube has suggested that Josephus identified himself, in particular, with Joseph, who likewise was accused falsely; with Jeremiah, who was a prophet (as Josephus conceived himself because of his accurate prediction that Vespasian would become emperor) and who likewise suffered at the hands of his fellow Jews; Daniel, who likewise suffered for his convictions; Esther and Mordecai, who suffered gladly in order to help their people. To this list we may add Josephus' identification with Saul, whom he viewed as a martyred general like himself. In addition, as van Unnik remarks, the very fact that Josephus omits the name of Shittim (Num 25:1) and Ba'al Pe'or (Num 25:3) means that the story of Israel's sin with the Midianite women is no longer dated but takes on a universal flavour, with contemporary warning to Jewish youth who may be tempted to succumb to sensual temptations.

I've not read enough of Josephus to evaluate this claim. Did Josephus say something like, "This Saul character reminds me of my experience, when I..." I know Martin Luther does that a lot in his commentary on Genesis!

People like to see themselves in the Bible. I once went to a church, and I heard a man remark, "Too many Christians these days want to go out and be like Abraham, when we need shepherds right here for the church." I think he was saying that many Christians he knew were drawn to Christianity out of a desire for adventure, but they were neglecting what he thought the church really needed.

I also knew a pastor who was warmly welcomed back to church by an old woman one moment, then harshly criticized by the same woman later that day. He compared himself to Jesus, who was cheered as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, soon before many in the city called for his crucifixion.

Similarly, one of my relatives once had an employee who likened himself to Joseph. The employee felt that God was grooming him for something significant. When he worked for Burger King and had a mean supervisor, for example, he emplotted her as a harsh taskmaster who was part of God's story for his life.

Many of us would like to think that our lives are important, that God is grooming us for something significant. Whether or not we're heroes in some grand drama, I do not know. There are a lot of ordinary people out there who live ordinary lives, so why should I assume that I'm not one of them? Can everybody be Abraham in the story? At the same time, who is to say that the lives of "ordinary people" are insignificant? They're doing something to touch the lives of others, or at least they have the potential to do so.

When I watch TV shows, I wonder what type of character I would be. Would I be the main character, or would I be part of the supporting cast, or in the background, or what? Part of me wants to be the "main character" in my life--to be prominent in social situations, important in the eyes of others, etc. But someone once told me that I actually am the main character in my own little drama. We all are, as a matter of fact, since we see life through our own two eyes. We are all main characters in our day-to-day lives.

Josephus looked to the Bible for validation, and that's what a lot of people of faith do. But we're also taught to look to the Bible for constructive criticism. I've heard Christians do this. In a Bible study group I was once in, we were reading the story of Jesus falling asleep on a ship during a storm. "I wish I had that kind of faith," someone in the group said. And I recall being in another small group that was studying the story of Jairus' daughter. Jesus was asked by a prominent man to heal his dying daughter, and Jesus allowed himself to get distracted along the way by a woman with hemorrhages. The teacher asked us if we allowed ourselves to be distracted by those who needed help. We can easily identify ourselves with the righteous characters in the Bible in our search for validation, but the Bible can also be a mirror that exposes our flaws.

As I read this quote from Feldman, I also think about Josephus' perception of what he did. Essentially, many felt Josephus was a traitor, since he was a Jewish general who tricked his soldiers into committing suicide, right before he surrendered to the Romans and got a cush life. We can look at that and say "How reprehensible!" But Josephus thought that he was doing the right thing. For him, he was actually helping his people by hindering their revolt and making the Jews look good before the Romans, who would then allow Judaism to survive in some way, shape, and form.

The Feldman quote also stood out to me because of its comment on Saul. Josephus actually viewed Saul as a good guy. So did rabbinic Judaism, for that matter (see here)!

There is so much subjectivity in our approach to the Bible. We can compare ourselves to the righteous Bible characters in our search for validation. This can comfort us, or it can be a tool for our own self-righteousness. Sometimes, what others see as bad may be perfectly all right in our own eyes, as was the case with Josephus' perceptions of his own actions and of Saul. But there are also times when people can get outside of themselves in their reading of the Bible: when the Bible can confront them or encourage them to be something other than they are--to become better, or new, or whatever you want to call it. Maybe that's where the voice of God is in our study of sacred Scripture.