Introductio

n
Philo of Alexandria (a.k.a. Philo Judaeus, Philo the Jew and Yedidia) (c. 20 B.C. - A.D.

a Jewish-Egyptian philosopher of the Hellenistic period, and one of the most importanttortant

Philosophers of ancient times.

He tried to fuse and harmonize ancient Greek philosophy and Judaism, using a

composite of Jewish exegesis (or interpretation of authoritative texts) and the art

of allegory he had learned from Stoic philosophy. Given the similarity of the resulting

combination to Christian teachings, some have argued that Philo is actually the "founder

of Christianity" and that he strongly influenced the New Testament.

Lif

e
Philo was a Hellenized Jew born around 20 B.C. in Alexandria, Egypt. In addition to

his Jewish education, studying the laws and national traditions, he was

obviously thoroughly educated in Greek philosophy and culture, as can be seen from his

superb knowledge of classical Greek literature. He had a deep reverence for Plato in

particular, and clearly had a first-hand knowledge of the prevailing Stoical theories,

some neo-Pythagorean works, and at least a passing acquaintance with Cynicism and the

moral popular literature.

He appears to have come from a wealthy and prominent family, and to have been

a leader in his community, which was at that time the largest Jewish community outside

of Palestine. His brother, Alexander Lysimachus, was a very wealthy, prominent Roman

government official responsible for collecting dues on all goods imported into Egypt

from the East. Philo complained that his official functions even forced him to abandon

his studies.

The very few biographical details we have are found in Philo's own works and in those

of the 1st Century Jewish historian, Josephus. The only event that can be determined

chronologically was his participation (and leadership) in the deputation which the

Alexandrian Jews sent to the Roman Emperor Caligula in the year 39 or 40 A.D. in

order to ask for protection against attacks by the Alexandrian Greeks, to seek relief

from anti-Jewish riots promoted by Flaccus, the Roman governor of Alexandria, and

also to complain about the introduction of statues of the emperor into the synagogues.

Although this is the latest known fact in Philo's life, he is assumed to have died

around A.D. 50.

Works
Philo's works may be divided into expositions of Jewish Law, apologetical

works and philosophical treatises. His expositions of Jewish Law include the "The

Exposition of the Law" (a treatise covering the creation of the world, the patriarchs

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, the laws written by Moses and the laws on general

virtues); the "Allegorical Commentary on Genesis" (a systematic application of the

method of allegorical interpretation, and the chief source of information on Philo's ideas)

and "Questions and Solutions" (a series of questions on each verse of the Mosaic books

of the Bible). The apologetical writings include the "Life of Moses" (a résumé of the

Jewish Law intended for a larger public), "On Repentance" (a treatise written for the

edification of the newly converted), the treatises "On Piety" and "On Humanity",

the "Apology for the Jews" (written to defend his coreligionists against calumnies),

the "Contemplative Life" (written to cultivate the best fruits of the Mosaic worship), and

the "Against Flaccus" and the "Embassy to Caius" (both intended to establish the truth

about the pretended impiety of the Jews). His philosophical treatises include "On the

Liberty of the Wise", "On the Incorruptibility of the World", "On Providence" and "On

Animals".

Philo made his philosophy the means of defending and justifying Jewish religious truths

and the scripture of the Hebrew Bible, which he regarded as fixed and determinate.

Thus, he used philosophy both as an aid to truth, and as a means of arriving at it, and

he selectively chose from the philosophical tenets of the Greeks,

conveniently ignoring those that did not harmonize with the Jewish religion.

Given this standpoint, Philo incorporated and combined doctrines from various Greek

schools, including the Stoic doctrine of God as the only efficient cause as well as the

general Ethics and use of allegories of Stoicism, the Heraclitean doctrine of strife as the

moving principle, Plato's exposition of the world as having no beginning and no end,

the number-symbolism of Pythagoreanism (as well as its belief in the body as the source

of all evil), and the doctrine of the Logos from various elements of Greek philosophy.

Philo's interpretation of the Hebrew Bible is based on the assumption of its two-fold

meaning, the literal (adapted to human needs) and the allegorical (the "real" meaning,

which only the initiated can comprehend). Thus, a special method is required to

determine the correct allegory and therefore the real meaning of the words of scripture.

This may involve excluding the literal sense of certain passages of the Bible altogether

(e.g unworthy, senseless, contradictory or inadmissible passages). He suggested special

rules that might direct the reader to recognize those passages which demand an

allegorical interpretation, such as passages that contain the doubling or repetition of a

phrase, an apparently superfluous expression, the use of a synonyms or a play on words,

even the use of certain participles, adverbs, prepositions, etc.

In Metaphysics, Philo's conception of the matter out of which the world was created was

similar to that of Plato and the Stoics, holding that God did not create the world-stuff

(which, in its essentially evil nature, resists all contact with the divine), but rather found

it ready at hand and acted more as a demiurge (or cosmic craftsman). He frequently

compared God to an architect or gardener, who formed the present world according to a

pattern of an ideal world. He assigned an especially important position to

the "Logos" (similar in nature to the Hebrew phrase "word of God"), which he saw

as executing the various acts of the Creation (given that God himself can not actually

come into contact with matter), with God creating only the soul of the good. Also

following the Stoics, Philo designated God as "the efficient cause", and matter as

"the affected cause".

For Philo, sense-perception and sensibility has its seat in the body, but is in need

of guidance by reason (that part of the spirit which looks toward heavenly things). He

believed that in the pre-temporal condition (before the existence of time), the soul was

without body and sex, and free from earthly matter, morally perfect, without flaws, but

still striving after a higher purity. Since the beginning of time, though, the soul lost its

purity and was confined in an earthly body, although retaining a tendency toward

something higher. The body, however, is a source of danger, as it easily drags the spirit

into the bonds of sensibility and temptation (sensibility being the source of

the passions and sensual desires, which attack the sensibility in order to destroy the

whole soul).

Philo's doctrine of virtue is generally Stoic, although he was undecided whether the

really virtuous condition required complete dispassionateness or just moderation. He

frequently identified the Logos or the Garden of Eden with virtue and divine wisdom.

He saw the fundamental virtue as goodness, from which proceed the four cardinal

virtues (prudence, courage, self-control, and justice) like the four rivers proceeding from

the river of Eden. However, unlike the Stoics, Philo sought in religion the basis

for all Ethics.

References
BOOKS

Copleston, F. (1993). A history of philosophy : Greece and Rome, v.1. New York :
Doubleday.
Edwards, P., ed. (1967). The Encyclopedia of philosophy, v.1. New York :
Macmillan Publishing.
Laitman, R.M. (2007). Kabbalah for beginners (4h ed.) New York : Laitman
Kabbalah Publishers. Retrieved from
http://www.kabbalah.info/files/public/Files/books-excerpts pdf/KFB%20
Excerpt.pdf
Marenbon, J., ed. (1998). Routledge history of philosophy : Medieval philosophy, v.3.
London : Routledge.
Winston, D., (trans.). (1981). Philo of Alexandria : the contemplative life,the giants,
and selections. New Jersey : Paulist Press.
Synopsis

Philo of Alexandria (from André Thevet)

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The writings of Philo are the most important surviving documents from the world of Hellenistic Judaism.[1] They furnish us
with a great deal of first hand information concerning the religion of the Jews outside of Israel, New Testament
background and the interaction of Judaism within a Gentile culture.[2] Philo was deeply influenced by Middle Platonism,[3]
Aristotle, the Neo-Pythagoreans, the Cynics and the Stoics. He stood at the end of a long Jewish tradition whose thoughts
he developed, as evidenced by his references to the works of his predecessors.[4] Like them he attempted to interpret the
Old Testament Scriptures in such as way as to bridge the gap between Judaism and intellectual paganism[ 5] rather than
attempting to produce his own philosophical system.[6]

Philo made extensive use of allegory in his writings, but it would be a mistake to assume that he was the first of the
Alexandrian Jews to allegorise Scripture. In fact, he stood almost at the end of a long tradition of men who wrote as Jews
for Gentile ears.[7] Previous writers, however, had not thought of their interpretations as allegorical,[ 8] but rather as
'proper' or 'fitting' in that they corresponded with what the interpreter understood as the nature and character of God.[ 9]
Philo recognised several levels of interpretation that he regarded as 'literal', ranging from the literalistic to sophisticated.
[10] He claimed to find in the text itself indications that it was not intended literally. For example, the Trees of Life and of
the Knowledge of Good and Evil are seen as being intended symbolically because no such plant have ever existed on
earth.[11] For Philo a "literal or better, a literalistic interpretation is to be rejected when it is either blasphemous or
ridiculous. The kind of literal interpretation that was rejected by Philo is the kind of interpretation that was rejected by
Jewish interpreters as far back as Aristobulus."[12] Philo was, on the other hand, the first writer who attempted to maintain
the validity of both the literal and allegorical interpretations of Scripture,[13] because he considered both to be divinely
inspired.[14]

This appears most clearly in the Questions and Answers on Genesis and Exodus. In both of these works, literal and
allegorical interpretations lie side by side. Philo is obviously more interested in the allegorical interpretation, but, for the
most part, the literal interpretations are also considered valid and valuable. The same is true in... [On the Creation and
Allegorical Interpretation]. Of the twenty seven times that allegorical terms appear, only five involve the rejection of a non-
allegorical interpretation."[15]

Though they were not preserved by the Jews,[16] Philo's works were treasured by Christian writers[17] who seized upon
his concept of the Logos, thinking that it was the same as the Logos of the prologue of John's Gospel.[18] To Philo
the Logos was "the instrument by which God makes the world and the intermediary by which the human intelligence as it
is purified ascends to God again"[19] .However, Philo's Logos is not Divine, nor is it a person and it has no existence
apart from the role it performs.[20] Although it was once generally accepted among scholars that there was some
dependence by John on Philo's concept of the Logos, it seems more likely that both were drawing on a common Jewish
background, into which Philo imported Platonic concepts.[21] So important was Philo to the early church writers that
some, such as Eusebius and Jerome even went so far as to claim that he was a Christian. Eusebius records a legendary
meeting between Philo and Peter in Rome[22] and both writers argue that Philo's work concerning Jewish ascetics (On
the Contemplative Life) is a first hand report of the church (and monasteries!) founded by Mark in Alexandria.[ 23] It is true
to say that by the fourth century "Pious legend would allow no writer so influential on early Christian exegesis to remain
unconverted."[24]