Scholar examines Aseneth's character in Jewish retellings

Biblical Archaeology Review published an analysis by Patricia Ahearne-Kroll of the University of Minnesota examining the figure of Aseneth, wife of Joseph and mother of Ephraim and Manasseh. Though Aseneth appears in only three verses of Genesis—chapters 41 and 46—describing her as daughter of the Egyptian priest Potiphera, later Jewish writers during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods expanded her story in a work titled "Joseph and Aseneth." Ahearne-Kroll's column, "Aseneth of Egypt," traces how Aseneth's character developed from that of an Egyptian priest's daughter to a Jewish matriarch. The later Jewish retelling addressed potential questions about Aseneth's fitness to enter the Israelite lineage, given her foreign faith and priestly background. In the expanded narrative, Aseneth converts to Joseph's faith, mourns in ashes for a week, receives an angelic visitation confirming her transformation and new name, and demonstrates devotion through prayer and miraculous protection. These details, scholars note, would have assured a Jewish audience of her virtue and genuine commitment to the faith of Israel.

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Source: Biblical Archaeology Society — https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/who-is-josephs-wife-in-the-bible-who-is-aseneth/