Narrativity and literariness in receptions of Josephus's teknophagia story.

This article analyzes the narrative and literary development of the teknophagia story—centered on a cannibalistic mother—from Josephus's first-century Greek work *Bellum Judaicum* through its Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, and Ethiopic adaptations. It traces how successive texts, including the Latin *De Excidio Hierosolymitano*, the Hebrew *Sefer Yosippon*, and the Christian-Arabic (*CA-SY*) and Ethiopic (*Zena Ayhud*, *ZA*) versions, rework the story's portrayal of the mother, shifting from a tragic and mad figure to a more rational, merciful, and complex character. These changes reflect differing rhetorical and theological aims across cultural and religious contexts, with the *CA-SY* and *ZA* notably softening the mother's mental state and framing her act as a merciful response to famine, thereby complicating the narrative of divine punishment found in earlier versions. The study highlights the interplay between narrativity and literariness in shaping the reception and meaning of this story across centuries and traditions.