Later interpreters, however, saw a potential interpretive problem in an ancestral matriarch of Israel being an Egyptian. Joseph and Asenath addresses the problem by filling the gap in the biblical story with a romantic tale in which Asenath “converts” to Judaism by dramatically foreswearing idols and pledging her exclusive devotion to the God of Israel. Her transformation is marked by prayer and mystical experiences, rather than standardized rituals as later Jewish law would require.
