The journal appears annually in november and is available at the annual meeting of the society of biblical literature. Rejecting cohabitation with wives, they embrace a celibate lifestyle in their latter years, and. His chief residence was at alexandria, which at that period was, next to athens, the most celebrated seat of philosophy in the world. His ancestors and family were contemporaries to the rule of the ptolemaic dynasty and the rule of the seleucid empire. Philo of alexandria download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. In probus and the hypothetica philo of alexandria esteems the essenes as models of excellence within judaism, giving them special praise for their communality, selfcontrol, frugality and purity. Philos nephew tiberius julius alexander, alexanders son, abandoned his ancestral religion, became the roman procurator in judea in 4648 ce, and played an important role for the romans in their suppression of the jewish. Philo of alexandria is a jewish thinker who lived in alexandria in the first half of the first century bce. Z7r43 2014 18106 dc23 20140312 the author has received substantial support for his writing of. This pdf version matches the latest version of this entry. The logos and its function in the writings of philo of alexandria. Philo of alexandria, influencer of judaism, christianity and islam by daniel c.
As it happens, we have an excellent witness to events in judaea and the jewish diaspora in the first half of the first century ad. Philo of alexandria, influencer of judaism, christianity. Philo of alexandria philo, of alexandria the online. Philo of alexandria and the construction of jewishness in.
A contemporary of paul and jesus, philo judaeus, of alexandria, egypt, is unquestionably among the most important writers for historians and students of hellenistic judaism and early christianity. A contemporary of jesus and his apostles, philo was born in 25 bc and came from an honorable aristocratic family in alexandria. Philo, usually known as philo the jew philo judaeus or philo of alexandria a city in. Click download or read online button to get philo of alexandria book now.
Whether he really was a philosopher is a question still debated at length. An intellectual biography is well written and provides a compelling theory for philos intellectual development. Philo was probably born with the name julius philo. Philo of alexandria stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Open access to the sep is made possible by a worldwide funding initiative. Niehoffs use of 38 ce as an anchor for philos biography is exemplary, but her confidence in his clear and radical transformation could be viewed as problematic. Philo of alexandria, a hellenized jew also called judaeus philo, is a figure that spans two cultures, the greek and the hebrew. An introduction to philo judaeus, and foundation to more recent works on philo. Philo of alexandria books list of books by author philo of. Philo of alexandria commentary series this commentary series aims to make philos thought accessible to readers such as graduate students who are just beginning to read him, but also contains much material that will be of interest to specialists in hellenistic. Studies in philo of alexandria publishes monographs and collections of essays focusing on the study of philo of alexandria and his cultural environment.
Philo of alexandria internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Pdf the holy logos in the writings of philo of alexandria. Philo about 20 bce to about 50 ce of alexandria, egypt, is one of judaisms great philosophers. Philo of alexandria philo, of alexandria the online books. Great, easytoread, easytonavigate, native pdf format. The contributors all wellknown experts on philo of alexandria discuss philo in context, offer methodological considerations how best to study philo, and explore philo s ongoing relevance and. Click download or read online button to get philo s alexandria book now. The studia philonica annual is a scholarly journal devoted to furthering the study of hellenistic judaism, and in particular of the writings and thought of the great hellenisticjewish writer philo of alexandria circa 15 b. Although the names of his parents are unknown, it is known that philo came from a family which was noble, honourable and wealthy. Flaccus, whose misgovernment and cruelty to the jews and ultimate fate are here described, was appointed prefect of alexandria and egypt in or about a. Project gutenbergs philo judaeus of alexandria, by norman bentwich this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. Philo of alexandria abbreviations of the philonian.
You can also read more about the friends of the sep society. I have in my former treatises set forth the lives of moses and the other wise men down to his time, whom the sacred scriptures point out as the founders and leaders of our nation, and as its unwritten laws. Philo of alexandria by individual philosopher philosophy. Project gutenbergs philojudaeus of alexandria, by norman. Philos trajectory from alexandria to rome and his enthusiastic adoption of new modes of thought made him a key figure in the complex negotiation between east and west. He wrote expansively in koine greek on the intersection of philosophy, politics, and religion in his time, specifically he explored the connections between greek platonic philosophy and late second temple judaism. At the beginning of the roman empire, especially for the stoics and the cynics, the fundamental task of a philosopher was the construction of his own self. Dispersion and the chief centre of hellenistic culture. Not only a hebrew scholar but a noted scholar within alexandrian academe, philo is an interesting expositor of greek. Philo of alexandria philo, of alexandria online books about this author are available philo, of alexandria.
The encyclopedia now needs your support please read how you can help keep the encyclopedia free. Philo in early christian literature media sabda org. The series aims to present a wide spectrum of studies covering the religious and philosophical background as well as the main streams of thought of his time. Philo of alexandria, sometimes known as philo judaeus, was a firstcentury philosopher who was born sometime between 1530 bc in alexandria, egypt. Philo judaeus of alexandria represents the earliest link between judaism just prior to the destruction of the holy temple in jerusalem in the first century of the first millennium, 70 ce, and the influx and influence of graeco roman culture. His writings provide the clearest view of this development of judaism in the diaspora. The holy logos in the writings of philo of alexandria article pdf available in communio viatorum 563. A citizen of the place which was at once the chief home of the jewish. An introduction, is a basic introductory, supplementing his own teacher goodenough. It may be well to illustrate this characteristic by a single specimen, neither worse nor better thai hun dreds of others.
Philo of alexandria translated by yonge 18541855 i. He creates a paradigm of elderlymature men who are at a superior level of advancement within judaism. The works of philo judaeus by philo, of alexandria. Philos works are available in a singlevolume english translation. The noted scholar harry wolfson wrote in his book philo that philo was the first jewish philosopher who contributed anything new to jewishgreek philosophy. The contemporary of josephus, translated from the greek. As the first to attempt to synthesize revealed faith and. Philo of alexandria has 118 books on goodreads with 1814 ratings. Egypt with a large jewish diaspora population in grecoroman times.
All of the extant writings of philo the jew, translated into english by c. You may copy it, give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. I will now, as seems pointed out by the natural order of my subject, proceed to.
Rabbi samuel has done an outstanding service to philo and to modern readers. 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. Project gutenbergs philojudaeus of alexandria, by norman bentwich this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. Philo was an old man when he led an embassy from the jews to the court of emperor gaius caligula. The w orks of philo judaeus the contemporary of josephus, translated from the greek.
A rough contemporary of jesus, philo of alexandria has had enormous influence on the development of religious thought not only among his fellow jews, but in christianity and islam as well. To view the pdf, you must log in or become a member. Philo of alexandrias most popular book is the works of philo. Philo of alexandria, who is also known as philo, the jew. The logos and its function in the writings of philo of alexandria page 1 of 16 72900 the logos and its function in the writings of philo of alexandria. Philo of alexandria studia philonica annual yale divinity. Philo was born at some date between 20 bc and 5 bc. The text offers an account of the concepts of the logos in philo of alexandria, clement of alexandria, and origen, in an attempt to show the abundance of the ontological. Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle. Like the intelligible world within the divine mind compared to a blueprint within the architects mind. Although philo does not explicitly mention jesus, or paul, or any of the followers of jesus, philo lived in their world. Philo of alexandria quotes author of the works of philo. Philo of alexandria, the first century jewish exegete, is one of the most important nonchristians in the history of christianity. Nb i am putting up the proof to help other scholars and students with research, since a number of people have asked me to send them a pdf or offprint of the article which i do not have electronically in its printed form.
Philo of alexandria aka philo judaeus, philo the jew and yedidia c. Philo of alexandria books list of books by author philo. Philos nephew tiberius julius alexander, alexanders son, abandoned his ancestral religion, became the roman procurator in judea in 4648 ce, and played an important role for the romans in their suppression of the jewish revolt of 6670 ceanother indication of the status enjoyed by the people in philos family. The logos and its function in the writings of philo of. Greek interpretation of the hebrew myth and foundations of christianity published in a journal from the radical reformation. The contributors all wellknown experts on philo of alexandria discuss philo in context, offer methodological considerations how best to study philo, and explore philo s ongoing relevance and value why reading him is important. Philo of alexandria is a jewish thinker who lived in alexandria in the first half of the. Philo s alexandria download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Philo of alexandria, influencer of judaism, christianity and. Philo of alexandria and the construction of jewishness in early christian writings investigates portrayals of one particular jew, the firstcentury philosopher and allegorical interpreter of the bible, philo of alexandria, in the works of three prominent early christian thinkers, clement of alexandria, origen, and eusebius. 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. As the first to attempt to synthesize revealed faith and philosophic reason, he occupies a unique position. Philo judaeus, also called philo of alexandria, born 1510 bce, alexandriadied 4550 ce, alexandria, greekspeaking jewish philosopher, the most important representative of hellenistic judaism. It argues that early christian invocations of philo are best.
Reading philo is an excellent introductory guide to philo s work and significance. Niehoff, max cooper professor of jewish thought at the hebrew university of jerusalem, trained in jerusalem, berlin, and oxford and at the harvard society of fellows. When hebrew mythical thought met greek philosophical thought in the first century b. On the birth of abel and the sacrifices offered by him and. Books by philo of alexandria author of the works of philo. Pdf this study looks at the impact that the study of the hebrew bible had on the philosophical thinking of the most important hellenistic jewish. His positive faith is saturated with an ardent mysticism.
A member of the jewish diaspora, he was raised with a jewish and greek education, giving him an impressive status in a nonjewish city like alexandria. I mean, from the beginning of the historical person to whom they refer. A clear implication is that philo belonged to an extremely prominent family in the large jewish community at alexandria. This topos won great favor among greek intellectuals like philos. These words together produce a paradox from the beginning. The latest researches on philo of alexandria jstor. He was welleducated, and made a particular study of jewish and greek philosophy and literature, and attempted to combine moses and plato into one system of thought.
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