The Politics of Philo Judaeus: Practice and Theory, with a General Bibliography of Philo

KINGSHIP 109

it is clear. He has classed the abrogation of Jewish legal tradition with a

general policy of Gaius which Romans themselves had had cause to re­

sent, and at the same time he has emphasized the value of the true

theory of kingship, which insisted that the genuine "animate law" was

strictly law-abiding, and guaranteed the rights of subjects. Philo is no

Macro in manner of addressing his Roman rulers, but he is for that rea­

son all the more successful in driving "Macro's" ideas home.

Philo's argument throughout this section of Legatio is that Gaius, if

he wanted to liken himself to the demigods or gods, might have done so

by imitating their virtues, such as their incessant labors for mankind,^103

their brotherly love and equality which is the source of justice (\OOTY\<: 9

fine £OTI TTV)YY] SiKaioouvKjc),^104 or their giving men gifts which eased hu­

man labor and made happiness. But Gaius has not imitated the demi­

gods in these respects. He has not reproduced Hermes as the swift her­

ald of good tidings; he has not been a radiation of lawfulness.^105 or a

healer of mankind like Apollo. He was unlike Ares in being a coward

and in lacking the helpful and peaceable side of Ares' work, which lat­

ter Philo forces in by rather amusing etymology.^106 The fundamental

difficulty, according to Philo, was that Gaius did not recognize that one

cannot make such a counterfeit image of the form of a god or of God

as is possible with money.^107

Gaius, then, should be compared with none of the gods or demigods, for he

shares neither their nature, their being, nor their purposes.^108

However much this premature adoption by Gaius of the hellenistic

theory of kingship may have been foreign to Roman tradition, Philo's
description of Gaius' conduct (which corresponds to the less systematic
statements of Suetonius and Dio Cassius) makes it perfectly clear that

Gaius was only taking the old theory literally, as countless monarchs in
the East had done before him. Philo's objection is of course not from
the point of view of the Roman, though he speaks as far as possible in a

103. Cf. the king as <piA6jtovog in Dio Chrysostom, Oratio, I, 21, and on the kingship of
     Heracles in general see ibid., 59-84.


104. Legat., 85.


105. Ibid., 103. The notion that the rays of Apollo are rays of lawfulness is implied rather
     than expressed, but seems to me quite clear. It is a shame, Philo says, to wear Apollo's radiant
     crown, imitating the sun, when not the sunlight but darkness is fit for lawless deeds.


106. Ibid., ii2f. 107. Ibid., no.


107. Ibid., 114: jj/r)T6 qpuoecog fMrjxe ovoCac; [ir\bk jtQoaiQ&recoc; xsxvxryaoxa xfjs
     avxfjc;.