The death of Josiah in scripture and tradition: Wrestling with the problem of evil?

This study in comparative midrash traces the accounts of the death of Josiah through more than a dozen texts and translations. These include the two biblical texts, as well as texts from Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Septuagint, Vulgate and early rabbinic writings. The evidence suggests that the later tradents may have been wrestling with the problem of evil that lies at the core of the biblical accounts of the death of Josiah. As such, the study represents a fascinating look into the ongoing relationship between canon and the communities that looked to it for identity and ethos.