Philo

(c. 20 b.c.e.­c. 50 c.e.) philosopher and scholar The first-century c.e. Jewish author and philosopher Philo of Alexandria is an important figure for both Hellenistic Judaism and early Christianity. He was born  around 20 b.c.e. in Alexandria into one of the wealthiest and most distinguished Jewish families. Alexandria  had a thriving Jewish community and was known for  its intellectual vigor. In addition to his Jewish education,  therefore, Philo received schooling in the Greek custom,  including the philosophy of Plato, Middle Platonism,  Neoplatonism, and Stoicism, as well as Greek literature and rhetoric, all of which are evident in his work.  For example, he refers to God with the Greek term logos when discussing the divine creation of the world.The influence of Greek traditions on Judaism in Philo’s  work becomes in part representative of what is generally  known as Hellenistic Judaism in distinction from Palestinian Judaism and its rabbinic traditions.

While Hellenism influenced Philo, he remained a pious and loyal Jew who used his education to explain  and defend Judaism and its beliefs. To this end he was  very involved with the synagogues in Alexandria. His  writings consist largely of philosophical, apologetic,  and exegetical works. In addition to his intellectual  pursuits, belonging to a prominent family ensured that  Philo had public and political responsibilities as well.  In a well-known incident around 39 c.e., Philo unsuccessfully led a Jewish delegation to the emperor Gaius  Caligula in Rome, seeking rights for Jews, who were  being severely mistreated by Alexandrians, who wished  to deny Greek citizenship and its privileges to Jews. We  also know that Philo traveled at least once on pilgrimage to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. He died around  the year 50 c.e.

Much of Philo’s work is exegetical in nature, and  many individual writings include or consist entirely of  commentaries on the biblical books of Genesis, Exodus,  Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, with a special focus on the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,  and Joseph, and the laws of Moses. Working with the Greek translation of the Jewish scriptures known as the  Septuagint, Philo sought to demonstrate that the Jewish  teachings in these books, especially Mosaic law, were  compatible with and indeed were ultimately the source  of the wisdom, natural law, and virtues of classical  Greek philosophy. Thus, one must study divine revelation in scripture to gain knowledge of true philosophy.

Philo’s exegesis is characterized by the allegorical  method, which begins with the literal or historical level  of meaning and then moves to the allegorical or spiritual level of meaning. Greek authors had used allegory  for centuries, mainly to discover philosophical meanings in the writings of Homer, and Philo realized that it  would help to uncover the higher meanings of scripture.This allegorical or spiritual meaning aids in the quest  for spiritual perfection and knowledge of God, or in  Philo’s terms, the transcendence of the soul above the  body.

With the decline of Alexandrian Jewish writings and  the rise of rabbinic Judaism, ironically, Christians rather than Jews tended to read Philo. Well-educated Christians in Alexandria such as Clement and Origen also  used allegory, and traces of Philo’s infl uence are evident  in their exegesis of Genesis, for example. Subsequent  Christians like Ambrose and Jerome either read Philo  or those authors infl uenced by Philo. Early Christians  are responsible for preserving many of Philo’s works,  and some even refer to Philo by the honorary status of  “Philo the Bishop” or “Philo Christianus.” See also Hellenization; Homeric epics; Judaism,  early (heterodoxies); pre-Socratic philosophers;  Socrates; Torah.

Further reading: Runia, David T. Philo in Early Christian  Literature. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1993; Winston, David. Logos and Mystical Theology in Philo of Alexandria.  Cincinnati, OH: Hebrew Union College, 1985.