ON JOSEPH (DE IOSEPHO) INTRODUCTION TO DE IOSEPHO
The place of this treatise in the series, as well as the remarkable contrast between the character of Joseph as here represented and the Joseph of the allegorical commentary, have been discussed in the General Introduction to this volume. The treatise after a few words about the preparation given by the shepherd’s craft for government tells the story of Joseph’s dream, his brothers’ jealousy, their sale of him to the merchants who in turn sold him to Potiphar and the false report which they made to Jacob (1–27). It contains the first two of the set speeches which are a distinguishing feature of the treatise, viz. Reuben’s remonstrance (17–21) and Jacob’s lamentation (23–27). The allegorization which follows treats a few scattered points and not the story as a whole. That politicians have to deal with institutions which are conventional rather than natural is indicated by Joseph’s name of “Addition” (to Nature), that they must be resourceful by his coat of many colours, that they are often a prey to vanity by the false story that wild beasts had devoured him, that they are often bought and sold by the two sales (28–36); and it is to be noted that though the main purpose of the treatise is to show the ideal statesman, these mostly deal with the baser side of political life. When the story is resumed it relates his history in Potiphar’s house till his imprisonment, in the course of which we have the eloquent but rather absurd remonstrance of Joseph to Potiphar’s wife (37–53). The subjoined allegories are much more relevant than the earlier ones to the substance of the story and to the higher side of the politician. We may see the spiritual barrenness of the multitude and its tendency to cater for pleasure in Potiphar, the eunuch and cook, its demands on the statesman in Potiphar’s wife and the refusal of the true statesman to cringe in Joseph’s rejections of her overtures (54–79). In 80–124 the story is carried on through Joseph’s life in prison, his interpretation of the dreams and his release and exaltation. Then from 125–147 follows what is not so much an allegory in the proper sense as a meditation on the thought that all life is a dream and the task of a true statesman is to discover and set forth the truths which lie behind this dream. After this we have a few more definitely allegorical interpretations of some of the incidents of Joseph’s exaltation as illustrating the attitude of the democracy to the politician, and an attempt to show that the different treatment by Pharaoh of the cook (Potiphar), the butler and the baker represent the different ways in which the body-loving mind regards luxuries and necessities (148–156). From this point onwards to the end the story runs on continuously through the adventures of Joseph and his brethren as it appears in Genesis with, of course, much amplification both of incidents and speeches.