This book is a comparative study of early Jewish interpretations of the biblical outline of Joseph's character. It focuses on the treatises of Philo, who idealises the figure as a Hellenistic politician, on Josephus's autobiographical account and the Midrash Genesis Rabbah, which uses the figure mostly for religious instruction.

Maren Niehoff studied Judaism, Philosophy and Literature in Berlin, Jerusalem, and Oxford. He is Junior Fellow at Harvard since 1989. Publications include articles in various journals.