100 PHILO'S POLITICShowever, between the divinity of the king's rulership, which is an im
age of God, and his material nature (ouoia). The point is that he draws
the line at just the point Ecphantus does, for while the king is Oeoc for
both, Ecphantus points out the human and material OKSVOC as Philo
does the human ouoia. The two terms seem to me to mean the same
thing.^73 But it will appear that for Philo and his Christian successors the
distinction was used in a way Ecphantus did not dream.
One final detail in the kingly theory, of importance for later Chris
tian speculation, is to be found in Philo's remarks about tyrants. Ty
rants, he says, are permitted by God, like earthquakes and plagues, as a
punishment for the wickedness of a nation. The implication is that, bad
as they are, they are still put in office by God, and function as God's
elect. In themselves they are wicked men, but they are kept in office by
God as a state hires an executioner, who is usually a depraved individual
but has his function in society. When the tyrant has done his devastat
ing work in the wicked state he perishes with the society he has af
flicted.^74 This also seems to me an idea which is foreign to Greek politi
cal thinking. Philo appears to have had it from Jewish tradition, where
political difficulties, captivities, oppressive rulers, were interpreted con
sistently as being a form of divine punishment which God visits even
upon his chosen people if they offend him. The prophets who an
nounced this interpretation of evil rulers insisted that the only way out
was by moral reform on the part of the people, not resistance to the op
pressor, or tyrannicide. It is most interesting that this Jewish idea,
worked into the body of Greek political tradition by Philo or his group,
was reflected in Paul's unqualified assertion that the "powers that be
are ordained by God," and that Philo's own statement was quoted by
Eusebius, and became an important part of later Christian political phi
losophy. Its especial elaboration by Melanchthon for the Lutherans will
be at once recalled.
Now that we have Philo's political theory in mind it is interesting to
see how he used it when he was addressing his Roman rulers. In Chap
ter I Philo's two works of apology, In Flaccum and Legatio ad Gaium,
were shown to be realistic, if subtle, attempts to threaten the prefect and
- It will be recalled (see above, p. 58) that in discussing Joseph for gentiles Philo stopped
at this same point and made the same distinction, while he has fearlessly called the true sage
divine in virtue of his kingly nature (see above, p. 92). - Fragment, ap. Eusebius, Praep. Evang., VIII, xiv, 37-41 (393c ff.).