Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/304

Rh T lie Book

286 to a satisfactory

outcome

of Genesis

world of meaning.

my

For, as

we

the

all,

words

brethren", contain a

shall

future life; his brothers

entire

his

Above

to the story.

of Joseph to the stranger, "I seek

they foreshadow

see',

will

he indeed seek

in

the land of his bondage and glory,

and their salvation will have himself become purified. And

he work after he shall

not this alone, but they also, will seek him, after their natures,

shall

too,

have been purified and ennobled.

once more the aged

all,

father

will

darling son, and supreme joy will

And

row.

we

can not fully

lieve in, out of last

Best of

with

his

see God's provi-

shall

dence and divine purpose running,

through a web of

reunited

succeed to deepest sor-

we

throughout the story

be

like

a

and God somehow, comprehend, but still can silver,

thread in a

of

gold

way which

realize

and be-

the evil of Joseph and his brothers, at

all

for them and all about them, and enabling Joseph to fulfill the be a blessing unto mankind.

bringing greater good

kee])ing alive

may

people,

birthright of Israel, to

We

have already seen that the Jacob story is a unit of in dramatic form, and animated

thought and narration, cast

by one

and

theme.

single, central

])erceptible degree

When we

XLVI,

table in

To

much more pronounced

a

with the Joseph story. omit such extraneous ])assages as the genealogical is

this the case

8-27, which,

show, could not have been a

moment's consideration

a

])art

will

of the original narrative,

but which w^as clearly inserted by some late writer or editor, the dramatic unity becomes immediately apparent. Like the Jacob story, the Joseph story, too, could very easily be cast into perfect dramatic form. It might be arranged thus

Act

— brothers. Joseph — —Joseph prison. IV — the viceroy, I

Act II Act III Act

Joseph

the

boy

and

his

relations

with

his

in Poti])har's house.

in

Josej)h

his brothers.

and

his

first

meeting with \n