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

66 PHILO'S POLITICS

war against Jerusalem. Tiberius Alexander is under Titus, of course,

but is apparently second in command to Titus alone, a position for

which Josephus says he "was well qualified both by age and experi­

ence."^14 It is possible that Juvenal refers to a statue of him at Rome.^15

Clearly the wealth and prestige of Philo's family led its members into

public service. I cannot believe that Philo himself broke the tradition.

Not only does the single incident known from his life show him bear­

ing the heaviest public responsibility of any man in Alexandria, and

that at a time when only the most tested members of the group could

have been entrusted with his mission: in addition in most of the very

few passages with a personal reference he speaks of himself as a politi­

cus. Some of these passages we have already met;^16 others are collected

in the Introduction to my Jurisprudence.^11 The most important passage

I published and briefly discussed some years ago.^18 The passage comes at

the beginning of that book of De Specialibus Legibus which Philo de­

votes to Jewish criminal law, and may have been inserted here because

at this point Philo approaches the subject matter of his life's routine. As

it stands, the passage is a cry against his having had to abandon a life of

contemplation in order to devote himself to political matters. The pas­

sage is so important I shall quote it again in full:

There was once a time when by devoting myself to philosophy and to con­
templation of the world and its parts I achieved the enjoyment of that Mind
which is truly beautiful, desirable, and blessed; for I lived in constant com­
munion with sacred words and teachings, in which I greedily and insatiably
rejoiced.^19 No base or worldly thoughts occurred to me, nor did I crawl for
glory, wealth, or bodily comfort, but I seemed ever to be borne aloft in the
heights in a rapture of soul, and to accompany sun, moon, and all heaven and
the universe in their revolutions. Then, ah, then peeping downwards from
the ethereal heights and directing the eye of my intelligence as from a watch-
tower, I regarded the untold spectacle of all earthly things, and reckoned my­
self happy at having forcibly escaped the calamities of mortal life.

14. Josephus gives him two titles: JCAVTCOV TCOV axQaxzv[iax(av inaQ%(OV, BJ, VI, 237
    (iv, 3); and aunpovtac; xal? xov noXi\iov xoeiaig, BJ, V, 46 (i, 6).


15. So Satire I, 130, was interpreted by B. Holyday, in a note to his translation of Juvenal and
    Persius, Oxf., 1673, 16, and this most probable conjecture has usually been repeated by subse­
    quent editors.


16. See above, pp. 27, 32. 17. See especially pp. 2 f., 9.


17. "Philo and Public Life," The Journal of Egyptian Archeology, XII (1926), 77-79.


18. 'EvEtxpoat^n/nv, a word clearly reminiscent of Prov. viii, 30, where Wisdom in her
    rapture before the Father says: HOO* f|uioav hi ev<poaiv6u,Tiv iv jtooacojtcp avxov iv Jiavxi
    xaiQcp, OTE ivzvq>Qalvzxo xr\v otxouMivryv avvxzXiaaq.