Abstract
Whereas the Bible, Pseudo-Philo's Biblical Antiquities, and the rabbinic tradition are ambiguous in their attitude toward Gideon, Josephus, like the NT, has a very high opinion of him, regarding him as a model of every virtue. In particular, he elevates his genealogy and exaggerates his possesion of the cardinal virtues. In order to protect the Jews from the charge of intolerance toward other religions, Josephus omits the incident in which Gideon pulled down the altar of Baal which his father had built and destroyed the Asherah tree which wad worshipped beside it. Likewise, in order to defend the Jews from the charge of inhumanity, Josephus omits the incident in which Gideon kills the two captured kings of the Midianites. Furthemore, Josephus omits the episode, which would cast doubt on his piety, in which Gideon made an ephod, which the Israelites later worshipped, out of the earrings contributed by the Israelites
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