Philo of Alexandria

On Creation

The Embassy to Gaius (Caligula)

Description of the Essenes

Philo of Alexandria (15 B.C.-40 A.D.)

Philo, often called Philo Judaeus, lived in Alexandria, Egypt, c. 20 B.C. to 40 A.D. He was a Jew in religion but a Greek in philosophy, and did much to promote the fusion of these two great lines of thought.

Josephus, in the Antiquities of the Jews (18.8.2) says that "Philo, the principal of the Jewish delegation [to Caligula], was a man eminent on all accounts, brother to Alexander the alabarch, and one not unskillful in philosophy." When the emperor treated the Jews with contempt, "Philo being thus affronted, went out and said to those Jews who were with him, that they should be of good courage, since Gaius's words indeed showed anger at them, but in reality had already set God against himself." Clearly a courageous man, willing to risk his life for his people. Josephus also mentions that Philo's brother, Alexander, was immensely wealthy, and that he contributed the gold and silver with which nine huge gates of the Temple in Jerusalem were overlaid.

Philo was born into the extensive Jewish diaspora of the first century B.C. The Encyclopaedia Britannica has a nice description of the Jewish community in Alexandria at that time, which we are glad to reproduce here. This community, "to judge from the language of the Jewish papyri and inscriptions, had for nearly three centuries been almost exclusively Greek-speaking and indeed regarded the Septuagint (the 3rd-century-bc translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek) as divinely inspired. During the century and a half before Philo's birth, Alexandria had been the home of a number of Jewish writers whose works exist now only in fragments. These men were often influenced by the Greek culture in which they lived and wrote apologies for Judaism.

"The Alexandrian Jews were eager to enroll their children of secondary school age in Greek gymnasiums, institutions with religious associations dedicated to the liberal arts and athletics; in them, Jews were certainly called upon to make compromises with their traditions. It may be assumed that Philo was a product of such an education: he mentions a wide range of Greek writers, especially the epic and dramatic poets; he was intimately acquainted with the techniques of the Greek rhetorical schools; and he praises the gymnasium. Philo's education, like that which he ascribes to Moses, most probably consisted of arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, harmonics, philosophy, grammar, rhetoric, and logic.

"Like the cultured Greeks of his day, Philo often attended the theatre, though it had distinctly religious connotations, and he noted the different effects of the same music on various members of the audience and the enthusiasm of the audience for a tragedy of Euripides. He was a keen observer of boxing contests and attended chariot races as well. He also mentions the frequency with which he attended costly suppers with their lavish entertainment. Philo says nothing of his own Jewish education. The only mention of Jewish education in his work indicates how relatively weak it must have been, because he speaks only of Jewish schools that met on the Sabbath for lectures on ethics. That he was far from the Palestinian Hellenizers and that he regarded himself as an observant Jew is clear, however, from his statement that one should not omit the observance of any of the Jewish customs that have been divinely ordained.

Philo is critical both of those who took the Bible too literally and thus encountered theological difficulties, particularly anthropomorphisms (i.e., describing God in terms of human characteristics), and those who went to excesses in their allegorical interpretation of the laws, with the resulting conclusion, anticipating Paul's antinomianism, that because the ceremonial laws were only a parable, they need no longer be obeyed. Philo says nothing of his own religious practices, except that he made a festival pilgrimage to Jerusalem, though he nowhere indicates whether he made more than one such visit.

"In the eyes of the Palestinian rabbis the Alexandrian Jews were particularly known for their cleverness in posing puzzles and for their sharp replies. As the largest repository of Jewish law apart from the Talmud before the Middle Ages, Philo's work is of special importance to those who wish to discern the relationship of Palestine and the Diaspora in the realm of law (halakah) and ritual observance. Philo's exposition of the law may represent either an academic discussion giving an ideal description of Jewish law or the actual practice in the Jewish courts in Egypt. On the whole, Philo is in accord with the prevailing Palestinian point of view; nonetheless he differs from it in numerous details and is often dependent upon Greek and Roman law." (Encycl. Britannica, 2001).

We include just three of his texts as a sample of his views. His reflections on the Creation links elements of Judaism, Greek philosophy, and allegorical mysticism. His devotion to the welfare of his Alexandrian fellow-Jews is clear from his advocacy of their cause with the notorious emperor Caligula (the Gaius text). Philo also provides an interesting account of the Essenes, to be set alongside the little that Josephus says of them, in the account of his Life.