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

6o PHILO'S POLITICS

feet or the iuridicus to quote to them this Jewish precedent which gave

slavery as the penalty. So the judgment of Joseph, as Philo paraphrases

it, reads:

May I never do such a thing as to condemn so many for the sin of one. For
how can it be right to make those men share in a penalty who have not
abetted the crimes? Let that man alone be punished, since he alone did the
deed. Now I am aware that you have assigned death before the city as the
penalty of theft. But I conduct such affairs by equity; I therefore lighten the
penalty, and sentence him to slavery instead of death.^65

In the ultimate reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers Philo
again makes Joseph speak in terms of the ideal ruler when he has him

refer to "the natural kindliness" (h <$>\JO\KY\ ^iXavOpwrria) which is his
general characteristic, though especially manifest in his dealings with
his blood-relations.^66 Among the qualities sung in the panegyric by the
brothers, when he reveals his identity, they praise Joseph's readiness to
forgive (aMv^ofoaKov), his family affection (iAou<eiov), sagacity (ouve-
oic), restraint (KapTspta), fairness (IOOT/IC), and kind behavior (§e£io-
TIQC), as well as his total lack of the haughtiness and crudity of other
rulers.^67 Far from trying to impress his subjects with his personal su­
periority, he had made no effort, though of the noblest birth, to dispel
the general impression that he was really anything better than the slave
of Potiphar.

In complete contrast with the grasping Joseph of De Somniis, Philo
now goes out of his way to expand a simple statement of Genesis (xlvii,
14) that Joseph brought the purchase money of the grain into Pharaoh's
house. Philo changes this statement into a brief warning to people, of a
type only too common in Roman provinces, who took advantage of a
position of authority to build up their private fortunes. Philo says:

The young man was so exceedingly faithful that, although the circumstances
and conditions offered very many opportunities for getting money, and he
could soon have become the richest man of his day, he yet preferred the
genuine and true wealth to the spurious, and the wealth that "sees" to that

65. Jos., §§220 f. The sentence reads in Genesis: "Far be it from me that I should do so (i.e.
    keep all the brothers as slaves): the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my bond­
    man; but as for you, get you up in peace unto your father."


66. The qpdavftocoma of the ideal monarch is so familiar as to need little comment. See, e.g.,
    Archytas in my "Hellenistic Kingship," 60.


67. Jos., 246-249.