Bringing Philo Home

A very interesting article by René Bloch has been published recently. It deals with the reception of Harry A. Wolfson’s Philo I-II (1947):

René Bloch, ‘ Bringing Philo Home: Responses to Harry A. Wolfson’s Philo (1947) in the Aftermath of World War II,’ Harvard Theological Review 116.1 (2023) 466-489.

Abstract: “In 1947 Harry Austryn Wolfson published his massive and revisionary Philo: Foundations of Religious Philosophy in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. With the book, Wolfson aimed at proving that Philo was an innovative and highly influential philosopher—by no means an isolated Jew of no consequence to the history of philosophy. As becomes clear from numerous letters written to Wolfson on the occasion of the publication of the book and stored at the Harvard University Archives, for Jewish readers Wolfson’s proposed rehabilitation of Philo could provide a point of orientation. It served as a source of comfort and of pride in the post-war years. While the main thesis of Wolfson’s book, Philo as the precursor of medieval philosophy, was rejected by most scholars of Philo and ancient philosophy, the letters and notes discussed in this article show that much more was at stake than a purely academic discussion.”

Philo and allegorical interpretation

Răzvan Perșa, ‘Philon of Alexandria and his allegorical interpretation,’ Romanian Orthodox Old Testament Studies 9 (2023) 91-95.

Other interpretative studies from this tradition can be found here: Articles.

On the Change of Names -New Commentary!

Michael Cover, On the Change of Names: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary (Philo of Alexandria Commentary Series, Vol. 8). Leiden: Brill, 2024. Hardback/PDF: EUR  €219.00. xxxiv + 630 pp. (hardback version to be published in March)

Abstract: “In the treatise On the Change of Names (part of his magnum opus, the Allegorical Commentary), Philo of Alexandria brings his figurative exegesis of the Abraham cycle to its fruition. Taking a cue from Platonist interpreters of Homer’s Odyssey, Philo reads Moses’s story of Abraham as an account of the soul’s progress and perfection. Responding to contemporary critics, who mocked Genesis 17 as uninspired, Philo finds instead a hidden philosophical reflection on the ineffability of the transcendent God, the transformation of souls which recognize their mortal nothingness, the possibility of human faith enabled by peerless faithfulness of God, and the fruit of moral perfection: joy divine, prefigured in the birth of Isaac.”

Congratulations to the author and editors of this series! Every commentary is so welcome and such a treasure of information and viewpoints. My only wish is that they all were somewhat (a lot) cheaper to buy. Yeah, I know I have said that more than once, but to be honest: €219 is a lot of money for a book!

A new Index to Philo

Sean A. Adams & Zanne Domoney-Lyttle, The Philo of Alexandria Scripture Index (Studia Philonica Monographs, 9) Hardback – Paperback-Kindle. 2023. 164pages.

A great event: a new index to Philo’s use of the Jewish Scriptures.

Abstract: “The Philo of Alexandria Scripture Index identifies and lists every instance in which Philo of Alexandria cites or alludes to passages from Jewish Scripture. With 7,831 references, this book is the most comprehensive study of its kind to date, presenting the data in both the biblical order and Philo’s treatise order. Sean A. Adams and Zanne Domoney-Lyttle provide a detailed introduction. Also included in this index are the Philo’s fragmentary works and those that survive only in the Armenian tradition. “

The Studia Philonica Annual 2023

The Studia Philonica 2023 is available, fully loaded with good scholarly articles and reviews focusing on Philo of Alexandria, his world and works. No-one wanting to stay updated on recent research on Philo should miss this Annual. Below is a list of the contents of the most recent issue, the 2023 edition:

ARTICLES
David T. Runia, Naming Philo of Alexandria’s Exposition of the Law 1
Tatjana AleknienĖ, Caïn et Abel dans l’œuvre de Philon d’Alexandrie:
Arrière-plan Platonicien 13
Sami Yli-Karjanmaa, Individualism, Universalism, and Mysticism:
Observations on Philo’s Views of Virtue 35
Dexter Brown, How Did the Israelites Get Their Weapons? An Overlooked
Solution to a Famous Literary Zetema in Philo’s Life of Moses 67
Jesse Mirotznik, Philo’s Literary Use of the Apologoi 89
Erkki Koskenniemi, Philo and Rome: A Dramatic Change in His
Thoughts? 115

SPECIAL SECTION: PHILO’S DE CHERUBIM
Annewies van den Hoek, Introduction 139
Anne Boiché, “Distinguishing Differences between Things”:
On Philo’s Method in De Cherubim 145
Olivier Munnich, La Cohérence du De cherubim: La Notion
d’Acquisition 159
Michael B. Cover, The Poetics of Association: Secondary and Tertiary
Texts in the Thematic Development of Philo’s De Cherubim 177
Justin M. Rogers, A Little Cain in All of Us: De Cherubim and the Character
of Cain 201
Sean A. Adams, Philo of Alexandria on the Difference between
Philosophers and Sophists 211
INSTRUMENTA
David T. Runia, Yury Arzhanov, and Alexander Treiger,
References to Philo of Alexandria in Greek, Latin, Syriac, and Arabic
Literature up to 1500 CE 229

BIBLIOGRAPHY SECTION
D. T. Runia, M. Alesso, E. Birnbaum, A. C. Geljon, H. M. Keizer,
J. Leonhardt-Balzer, O. Munnich, M. R. Niehoff, J. M. Rogers,
S. Yli-Karjanmaa, Philo of Alexandria: An Annotated

Bibliography 2020 259
Supplement: A Provisional Bibliography 2021–2023 311

BOOK REVIEW SECTION
Jeffrey M. Hunt, De vita Mosis I: An Introduction with Text, Translation,
and Notes. Reviewed by Gregory E. Sterling 335
René Bloch, Ancient Jewish Diaspora: Essays on Hellenism
Reviewed by Erich S. Gruen 338
Jason A. Staples, The Idea of Israel in Second Temple Judaism: A New
Theory of People, Exile, and Israelite Identity
Reviewed by Ellen Birnbaum 342
Radka Fialová, JiŘí Hoblík, and Petr Kitzler, eds., Hellenism, Early Judaism,
and Early Christianity. Transmission and Transformation of Ideas
Reviewed by Justin M. Rogers 347
Daniel Maier, Das Glück im antiken Judentum und im Neuen Testament
Reviewed by David T. Runia 350
Ryan Heinsch, The Figure of Hagar in Ancient Judaism and Galatians
Reviewed by Per Jarle Bekken 354
Torrey Seland, Crossing Borders: The Life and Work of Peder Borgen in
Context. Reviewed by David T. Runia 358

The Platonic-Biblical Origins of Apophatic Theology

Mrugalski, D. (2023). “The Platonic-Biblical Origins of Apophatic Theology: Philo of Alexandria’s Philosophical Interpretation of the Pentateuchal Theophanies”. Verbum Vitae 41(3), pp. 499-528. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31743/vv.16300

Abstract: “This article examines Philo’s philosophical interpretation of the three theophanies in Exodus, which would, centuries later, continue to be considered by the great thinkers responsible for developing negative theology, such as Gregory of Nyssa and Dionysius the Areopagite. Although Exod 33:11 clearly states that the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as if someone were to speak to his own friend, according to Philo, the lawgiver neither saw the face of God nor learned the proper name of God, nor was he able to comprehend the essence of God. These very statements became the inspiration for later apophaticism. The present article seeks to establish to what extent Philo’s theses were influenced by Plato’s philosophy or by later Middle Platonism, and to what extent Philo, by commenting allegorically on the Pentateuch, becomes the initiator of new ideas hitherto unknown in philosophical discourse. In the analyses, three great questions of apophatic theology are discussed: 1. the unnameability of God; 2. the unknowability of God’s essence; and 3. the knowability of God’s nature by grace.”

Los terapeutas y los esenios

Cardoso Bueno, D. A. (2023). “Los terapeutas y los esenios: dos comunidades ascético-filosóficasjudías de la Antigüedad”. Antigüedad y Cristianismo 40, pp. 1-27. DOI: https:/doi.org/10.6018/ayc.539051

Abstract: “En este artículo intentamos acercarnos a la realidad de dos corrientes ascéticas judías, los esenios y los terapeutas de Alejandría, que florecieron durante la época herodiana, en las postrimerías del periodo del Segundo Templo, tanto en tierras palestinas como en la Diáspora. Queremos comprobar sus similitudes y sus diferencias así como las características más sobresalientes de ambas, teniendo presente que bajo nuestro criterio son dos realidades relacionadas pero distintas, aunque a veces algunos investigadores las han querido identificar. Los textos de la Antigüedad que nos transmiten noticias de los esenios se deben fundamentalmente a Filón de Alejandría, Flavio Josefo, Plinio el Viejo, Nicolás de Damasco y Dión Crisóstomo. De los terapeutas solo tenemos el testimonio de Filón en su tratado De vita contemplativa, y de autores posteriores como Eusebio de Cesarea o San Jerónimo (Jer. De vir illus. 11; Eus. HE. 2. 17, 1-24), que se basan para elaborar sus escritos en los propios textos del filósofo judeo-alejandrino. El ascetismo judío de estos momentos, además de su relevancia per se, conserva una especial significación porque de algún modo está en el origen del monaquismo cristiano posterior.”

Entangled Jewish Identities in Rome

Niehoff, M. (2023). “Entangled Jewish Identities in Rome. The Case of “Barbarians” in Philo and Josephus”. [En:] D. Candido, R. Egger-Wenzel & S. Reif (eds.), What Makes a People?: Early Jewish Ideas of Peoplehood and Their Evolving Impact. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 229-246.

Abstract: “This article unveils the presence of Rome in Philo’s and Josephus’s construction of Jewish identity as “barbarian” and shows how they locate the Jewish people on the Roman side of a cultural divide between Rome and Greece. Special attention is paid to the comparisons drawn by the two Jewish authors between the Jews and the Indians, two nations devoted, in their view, to practical ethics, endurance and free speech.”

La celebración del «Sabbat»

Cardoso-Bueno, D.-A. (2023). La celebración del «Sabbat» por los terapeutas de Alejandría según el tratado «De vita contemplativa». Scripta Theologica, 55(3), 569-595. https://doi.org/10.15581/006.55.3.569-595.

Abstract: “Los terapeutas descritos por el filósofo hebreo Filón de Alejandría en su tratado De vita contemplativa, constituyen una original congregación filosófica judía mixta, femenina y masculina, en la que su devenir cotidiano giraba alrededor de un puro objetivo espiritual: conseguir la virtud y el acercamiento a Dios a través del ejercicio espiritual, representado por la propia vida ascética recoleta y por la práctica de la contemplación. Solamente en dos ocasiones se rompía el aislamiento personal de sus componentes para tener sendas jornadas de convivencia comunitaria, durante la celebración del Sabbat, que analizamos seguidamente, y en la fiesta pentecostal acaecida cada cincuenta días.”

“The therapists described by the Hebrew philosopher Philo of Alexandria in his treatise De vita contemplativa, constitute an original mixed Jewish philosophical congregation, female and male, in which their daily life revolved around a pure spiritual objective: achieving virtue and approaching God through spiritual exercise, represented by one’s own ascetic recollect life and by the practice of contemplation. Only on two occasions was the personal isolation of its components broken to have separate days of community coexistence, during the celebration of the Sabbat, which we analyze below, and at the Pentecostal festival that occurs every fifty days.”

Oneness, Unity, and the One God

Jutta Leonhardt-Balzer, ‘The Number One: Oneness, Unity, and the One God in Philo of Alexandria,’ in Stephen C. Barton & Andrew J. Byers, eds., One God, One People: Oneness and Unity in Early Christianity (Atlanta, GA: SBL Press, 2023), pp. 127-144.

“Jutta Leonhardt-Balzer makes a unique contribution in her analysis of Philo’s carefully reasoned and often surprising understanding of oneness. While he draws on a range of philosophical traditions, Philo’s rationale is chiefly grounded in an arithmological theology in which “one” signifies God. Like the Creator, “one” is the independent, unmixed, and ungenerated generator of the other numbers. It is only when human beings are unified in their worship of the one God that their collective oneness is welcome, and this unity can include not only faithful Jews but proselytes from other ethnicities. Oneness is therefore sourced in the one God and finds proper social expression as humans orient their lives and worship around him.” Summarized by Andrew J. Byers, Introduction: Oneness and Unity in Worlds Contemporary and Ancient,’ pp. 1-12, here quoted from p. 5.