RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Begg, Christopher T.YR 2006 T1 Israel’s First Judge according to Josephus JF NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion, VO 60 IS 4 SP 329 OP 336 DO https://doi.org/10.5117/NTT2006.60.329.BEGG PB Amsterdam University Press, SN 2590-3268, AB Inspired by the contemporary interest in the ‘rewritten Bible’ phenomenon, this article offers a detailed comparative study of the account of Israel’s first judge (‘Othniel’) in Judges 3:7-11 and its Josephan version in Ant. 5.179-184, where the figure is called ‘Keniaz’. Josephus, the study finds, significantly amplifies the Bible’s presentation, likewise redirecting attention from the theological to the political sphere when describing the nature of Israel’s offense that sets events in motion. Josephus’ version further evidences a number of similarities and differences with Pseudo-Philo’s rewriting of the biblical Othniel story in his Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum 25-28. At the same time, Pseudo-Philo has much more to tell about the personage than either the Bible or Josephus., UL https://www.aup-online.com/content/journals/10.5117/NTT2006.60.329.BEGG