“... 177. bowing deeply some seven times The reverential posture seems beyond the bounds of courtesy, and even propriety. Use of the term proskynēsis may be a telling indicator. To a Greek ear, it signified the undignified prostration that courtiers and others paid to the Persian king. When Alexander the Great sought to introduce it, he encountered resistance from his own friends, soldiers, and others who induced him to drop the idea (e.g., Arrian, Anabasis, 4.5–12). By having Philadelphus perform this type of abject obeisance no fewer than seven times, the author does more than point to the awesome character of the holy books. He creates an altogether fanciful situation that renders the king somewhat ridiculous. Josephus noticeably omits the proskynēsis (Ant. 12.89–90). 178. he was moved to tears Aristeas here too ascribes a rather undignified behavior to Philadelphus. It is difficult to imagine the king giving way to this demeanor in public—let alone that he felt such emotion at the sight of Hebrew scrolls. Note, however, that Josephus does see fit to reproduce this (Ant. 12.91). ...”