Philo at the SBL Annual Meeting 2023

It is only a few weeks until thousands of people from almost all over the world will gather at the SBL Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. And as usual, Philo of Alexandria will also have a seminar dedicated to his works and life, and several other lectures will deal with issues in his works. Here is an overview of what I found when searching the Catalogue of the Meeting. (Updated Nov. 12)

S 18 – 138 Religion and Philosophy in Late Antiquity
11/18/2023 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: Bonham B (3rd Floor) – Grand Hyatt

Theme: Rituals and Philosophy
1st lecture: Constantin-Daniel Cosereanu, University of Halle
Philo on Material Forms of Religion and Their Relevance for Mosaic Philosophy (25 min).

S 18 – 319 Hebrews
11/18/2023 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: 303B (Ballroom Level) – San Antonio Convention Center

3. lecture: Michael Francis, Catholic University of America
Emotion, Reason, and Freedom from Sin: High Priestly Ministry according to Hebrews and Philo of Alexandria (30 min)

S 18 – 344 The Historical Paul
11/18/2023 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: 007A (River Level) – San Antonio Convention Center

2. lecture: Maren Niehoff, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Paul: An Intellectual next to Philo of Alexandria (20 min).

S 19 – 131 Mysticism, Esotericism, and Gnosticism in Antiquity
11/19/2023 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: Travis D (3rd Floor) – Grand Hyatt

Scott D. Mackie, Chapman University
Platonic Asceticism in Philo of Alexandria’s Contemplative Practice (25 min)

S 19 – 137 Philo of Alexandria
11/19/2023 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: 007A (River Level) – San Antonio Convention Center

Theme: Philo’s De gigantibus (On the Giants)

Ellen Birnbaum, Presiding

Archie T. Wright, Catholic Biblical Association of America
Philo’s Allegory of the Soul: A Sample Commentary on De Gigantibus 1–23 (20 min)
Tag(s): Philo (Early Jewish Literature – Other), Jewish (Ideology & Theology)
Gregory E. Sterling, Yale Divinity School
The Place of Philo’s De gigantibus in Philo’s Allegorical Commentary (20 min)
Discussion (15 min).
Break (10 min).
Michael B. Cover, Marquette University
A Retrospective Evaluation of David Winston and John Dillon, “Two Treatises of Philo of Alexandria” (20 min)
Ronald Cox, Pepperdine University
The Role of Angels in Philo and the New Testament (20 min)
Justin Rogers, Freed-Hardeman University
The Nachleben of Philo’s De Gigantibus (20 min)
Discussion (20 min)

S 19 – 329 Philo of Alexandria
11/19/2023 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: 214C (Meeting Room Level) – San Antonio Convention Center

Theme: Studies in Philo of Alexandria

Justin Rogers, Freed-Hardeman University, Presiding

Tommy Woodward, Florida State University
“Accusations Mixed with Mockery” Laughter and Ethnicity in Philo’s Embassy to Gaius (20 min)
Discussion (5 min)
Austin Richards, University of Arizona
Gregory of Nyssa on Philo of Alexandria: Theological Epistemology and Anti-Jewish Rhetoric (20 min)
Discussion (5 min)
Jon-Paul Lapeña, Yale University
A Drunken Civic Issue: Philo’s Insights on Heavy Drinking in Roman Alexandria (20 min)
Discussion (5 min)
Break (10 min)
Jeffrey M. Hunt, Baylor University
Ancient Israelites and Alexandrian Jews: Contemporary Resonance in Philo’s De vita Mosis (20 min)
Discussion (5 min)
Dexter Brown, Yale University
Philo the Literary Stylist: The Episode of the Egyptian Spoils in the Life of Moses (20 min)
Discussion (20 min)

S20-214 SBL Corpus Hellenisticum Novi Testamenti Section
1:00 PM–3:30 PM
Room: Grand Hyatt – Bonham A (3rd Floor)
Theme: Resonances through History: Biographically Grounded Construals of Divine Involvement in History in the Early Roman Imperial Era
Rainer Hirsch-Luipold, Universität Bern – Université de Berne,
Presiding

Maren Niehoff, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Moses as King and God in Philo’s Biography: A Cynic Trope
Appropriated for New Purposes (25 min)

S20 – 230 Pauline Epistles
11/20/2023 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Room: 214C (Meeting Room Level) – San Antonio Convention Center

Theme: Imagining the Contexts of Paul’s Letters

4. lecture: Michael Francis, Catholic University of America
Works of the Law and the Deficiencies of Unintentional Action (25 min)

S20-305 SBL Biblical Ethics Section 4:00 PM–6:30 PM
Room: Grand Hyatt – Travis B (3rd Floor)
Theme: Challenging Texts for Environmental Ethics
Meghan Musy, Evangel University, Presiding (5 min)
After the break:
Nelida Naveros Cordova, CDP, Spring Hill College
Called to a Higher Ethic of “Care for Creation” in Light of Philo, Paul,
and Luke (25 min)

E. Mary Smallwood 1919 – 2023

Prof. E. Mary Smallwood passed away on September 4th, nearly 104 years old. She was a great scholar and worked as a professor of classical studies, which for her also included studies of the history of Judaism. Her book about The Jews under Roman Rule (1981) can still be read with great profit, as well as her commentary on Philonis Alexandrini Legatio ad Gaium (1961, 1970 +).

There is an obituary to be found in The Scotsman of Sep 28. Here she is characterized as “a remarkable woman who has left an indelible mark on the lives of those who knew her as teacher, mentor, encourager, and friend.”

I had the pleasure of her presence in 1999 when I gave a guest lecture at the University of Edinburgh. She also had a comment ex auditorio, which I tried to answer as best I could. But I found it a great honor that she was present and commented. I still read her books with great benefit.

Apophatic and Anthropomorphic Visions of God in Philo

Scott D. Mackie, ““Apophatic and Anthropomorphic Visions of God in Philo of Alexandria,” Verbum Vitae: Negative Theology: From Anthropomorphism to Apophaticism 41.3 (2023): 529–546.”

Abstract: “Despite his core theological convictions that God is incorporeal, formless, invisible, and unchangeable, in some of his most carefully crafted visio Dei texts Philo portrays God “changing shape” and temporarily adopting a human form. However, these are only “seeming appearances” and actually involve God projecting a human-shaped “impression,” or “appearance” (φαντασία) from his shapeless, immaterial being. By accommodating the overwhelming reality of God’s being to the perceptual and conceptual limitations of the human percipient, these docetic theophanies allow humans to more confidently relate to the deity, while at the same time preserving God’s absolute transcendence and apophatic otherness.”

The Epistle to the Hebrews and Philo

Sigurd Grindheim, (2023). “Direct Dependence on Philo in the Epistle to the Hebrews”. Novum Testamentum, 65(4), 517-543. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/15685365-bja10054

The Norwegian scholar Sigurd Grindheim has published an article dealing with the possible influence in the Epistle to the Hebrews from Philo’s works. I have not read it yet, but the topic and the abstract below contain so many suggestions that I hope to get my hands on in the near future.

Abstract: “The near consensus opinion that the author of Hebrews was not directly influenced by Philo needs to be reevaluated. Even though there are no obvious cases of borrowing, the cumulative weight of the evidence indicates a more linear relationship than what may be accounted for by situating them both within Hellenistic Judaism. A number of parallels are sufficiently detailed to suggest direct dependence. These parallels are of a formal character, such as the metaphor of the dagger and the particular use of the terms ὑπόστασις, ἀρχηγός, τελειόω, ἄθλησις, τεχνίτης, and δημιουργός, as well of a material nature, concerning the development of key ideas, such as the eternal nature of the Son, his Melchizedekian high-priesthood, and the perception of the heavenly sanctuary.”