Ptolemy II Philadelphus and His World

He reigned as king of Egypt from 282 to 246 BC, a golden age, but has long been maligned by modern scholars as a self-indulgent, pleasure-seeking pacifist and so of little account. Classicists, archaeologists, and religious scholars journeyed to Aukland, New Zealand in July 2005 to present a more nuanced view. The 21 papers consider royal patronage, foreign policy, Ptolemaic policy in Nubia, Aristobulus and Pseudo-Aristeas as examples of Alexandrian Jewish approaches, the problem of sibling marriage, the woman's voice of Ihweret as focalizer in the First Tale of Setne Khaemwas, and other topics. The quality of the physical volume matches the quality of the scholarship. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Paul McKechnie, D.Phil. (1985) in Ancient History (University College, Oxford), is an Associate Professor of Ancient History in the Centre of Research Excellence in Ancient Cultures at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. His books include The First Christian Centuries (IVP, 2002) and Thinking Like a Lawyer, the John Crook Festschrift (Brill, 2002).Philippe Guillaume, D.Theol. (2002) in Old Testament (University of Geneva) is Privat Docent at the University of Bern (Switzerland). The rise of historical literature in the Bible is one focus of his research: Waiting for Josiah: the Judges (T&T Clark, 2004).