Early Judaism- A Comprehensive Overview

Exposition of the Law

Philo’sExposition of the Lawincludes his treatiseOn the Creation of the

World (De opificio mundi),his lives of the Israelite patriarchs Abraham and

Joseph(De AbrahamoandDe Iosepho),his treatise on the Ten Command-

ments(De decalogo),and his four-volume commentaryOn the Special

Laws (De specialibus legibus).Two other treatises function as an epilogue

to his treatment of the Mosaic Law:On the Virtues (De virtutibus)andOn

Rewards and Punishments (De praemiis et poenis).These works are Philo’s

most accessible writings, in which he explains the principles of Jewish reli-

gion and history. While it has sometimes been assumed that the exoteric

character of these writings presupposes a Gentile audience, it is now gen-

erally accepted that Philo primarily addressed fellow Jews in the commu-

nity of Alexandria. Faced with multiple approaches and lively controver-

sies, Philo aimed at expounding his own position. He hoped to gain a

wider following and to expand his circle of students, who would ultimately

also be able to read his more complicated works.

Stylistically, theExpositionclearly differs from Philo’s other exegetical

works. In hisAllegorical CommentaryandQuestions and Answers on Gene-

sis and Exodushe quotes Bible verses, offering respectively either an alle-

gorical interpretation or a solution to a particular question. In theExposi-

tion,by contrast, Philo freely paraphrases and rearranges biblical material,

both in Genesis and in the legal passages of the Pentateuch. It is this style

of “rewritten Bible” that makes these writings easily accessible to both an-

cient and modern readers.

In terms of contents, Philo pointed to a significant connection between

the creation of the world, the lives of the patriarchs, and the specific laws.

He wanted his treatises to be read in that order so that the discussion of the

creation directly precedes theLife of Abraham(Abr.2–3). This order is im-

portant and has been preserved in the Modern Hebrew edition of Philo’s

works, while the English edition interrupts the flow of theExposition,intro-

ducing theAllegorical Commentaryafter the treatise on the creation.

The intended sequence of theExpositionrests on the notion that the

Mosaic Law reflects the law of nature, which had already been enacted by

the patriarchs even before the specific laws were given. Philo stresses that

“Moses wished to show initially that the ordinances laid down are not at

variance with Nature and, secondly, that it is not hard for those who wish

to live in accordance with the established laws, seeing that...theforefa-

thers readily and easily lived under them” (Abr.5). The thread running

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sterling, runia, niehoff, and van den hoek

EERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:04:08 PM