KINGSHIP 117coming Husbandman and his pruning in the Allegory.^125 Taking De
Benedictionibus and De Exsecrationibus by themselves it might be pos
sible to believe that the passages were unconnected with the rest of
Philo's thinking, and had no important part in it.^126 But even if these
passages could not be harmonized with the rest of Philo's writing, it is
rather wooden merely on that account to deny to Philo any real Mes
sianic hope. People who have limited their hearts' desires to the logical
possibilities of a system have lived only in the imaginations of historians.
It does not appear, however, that the Hope was left as unconnected
with the rest of his thought as it has been taken to be. For Philo has
given us broad hints as to how the Hope was to be integrated even with
his Mystery. The great Age is to begin with a sudden transformation of
the Jewish character everywhere. Up to that time they will have been
scattered and enslaved, which I take to be Philo's way of expressing the
fact that they will still be living subject to other nations' rulership. The
great era will be introduced by the "collective transformation of all the
race into virtue" (aOpoa npck apeTyjv [\ZTOL$O\Y)J which will so amaze
their present rulers that they will let the Jews go free, since the masters
themselves will be ashamed to govern people so obviously their supe
riors.^127 The Jews will then arise as a body and come together from all
over the earth to a single place (obviously Palestine) under the leader
ship of a vision which they, but no one else, can see. It is a vision of
"something more divine than human nature" (0£ior£pa Kara $uoiv
avSpumviQv), which apparently means a vision of a "Man" who is be
yond human nature and will lead them all together.^128 Such a blessed
experience comes to the Jews partly because of the mercy of God, partly
because of the prayers of the Patriarchs of old whose intercession is obvi
ously still continued for their descendants, and partly because of the
great change which has come upon those (Jews) who are in a position
to make promises and agreements, namely the change from a life which
had no direction (££ avoSiac) "into the Road, whose end is no less than
the pleasing of God as sons please a father."^129 We are really in the
Mystery again.^130 The point is that when enough Jews who are in po-
- Som., ii, 64; see above, p. 24.
- On the treatises Bened. and Exs., see my "Philo's Exposition of the Law and his De Vita
Mosis," Harvard Theological Review, XXVII (1933), 109-125. - Exs., 164. 128. Ibid., 165. 129. Ibid., 167.
- Philo is certainly making a reference to the Mystery in §§162-164 when he describes
fiuvdnetc; which come from God to men to lead them up into TT)V Jtp6g x6v avxov \6yov
ovyyivsiav, dqp' 0$ xaftdjtEo aQxexvatau yiyovev 6 avftocojiivog vovc;.