Texts in Conversation
In Deuteronomy 17, Moses tells Israel's king to keep a copy of the law and obey it all his life. In the Letter of Aristeas, a translator tells the king of Egypt that kings must obey the laws, perhaps applying that rule to a foreign ruler.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Deuteronomy 17:19
Hebrew Bible
17 Furthermore, he must not marry many wives lest his affections turn aside, and he must not accumulate much silver and gold. 18 When he sits on his royal throne he must make a copy of this law on a scroll given to him by the Levitical priests. 19 It must be with him constantly, and he must read it as long as he lives, so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and observe all the words of this law and these statutes and carry them out. 20 Then he will not exalt himself above his fellow citizens or turn from the commandments to the right or left, and he and his descendants will enjoy many years ruling over his kingdom in Israel.
Letter of Aristeas 1:279
Letter of Aristeas to Philocrates
Pseudepigrapha, Hebrew Bible Expansions
The king said that he had answered well, and asked, What ought kings to obey? And he said, 'The laws, in order that by righteous enactments they may restore the lives of men. Even as you by such conduct in obedience to the Divine command have stored up for yourself a perpetual memorial.' The king said that this man, too, had spoken well, and asked the next, Whom ought we to appoint as governors? And he replied, 'All who hate wickedness, and imitating your own conduct act righteously so that they may maintain a good reputation constantly. For this is what you do, mighty King,' he said, 'and it is God who has given you the crown of righteousness.'
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Notes and References
“... Of course, there is also a model set out in the Jewish scriptures for how the king should relate to the laws, and that is the so-called laws of the king in Deuteronomy 17. Of the various prescriptions for the king, one enjoins him to read the law every day “so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, diligently observing all the words of this law and these statutes” (Deut 17:19). It is difficult to know whether Ps.-Aristeas is applying this injunction to the Ptolemaic king, when Deuteronomy refers specifically to an Israelite king (cf. 17:15 where no foreigner is permitted to rule over the Israelites). Elsewhere, Ps.-Aristeas has employed biblical injunctions as applying to the king (see § 228 on parents). It may be that Ps.-Aristeas has introduced this idea here in order to curb the power of the king in theory, since in § 253 he has mentioned the king’s absolute power and authority over his subjects. ...”
Wright, Benjamin G., III
The Letter of Aristeas: ‘Aristeas to Philocrates’ or ‘On the Translation of the Law of the Jews’
(p. 417) De Gruyter, 2015
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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