treating the virtues(De virtutibus),the other the rewards and punish-
ments resulting from observance or nonobservance of the Law(De
praemiis et poenis).Philo argues that the Decalogue introduces the main
categories underlying the specific laws, which are accordingly collected
under the headings of the Ten Commandments. While in Philo’s view all
of Mosaic Law is a reflection of the law of nature and thus anchored in the
creation of the world, it nevertheless distinguishes the Jews as a nation of
spiritual pioneers. Following the Law, Jews implement the most stringent
values and set a moral example for the world. The overall marker of Mo-
saic Law is its call to transcend the material world in the fields of cultic
worship, sexuality, and food. Mosaic stringency isolates the Jews, clearly
defining their identity vis-à-vis the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and
Romans.
Philo’s approach is decidedly different from that of the rabbis. Unlike
them, he neither knows of the Mishnah nor considers the application of
Mosaic Law to specific cases. He does not deal with halakic issues or reflect
the hypothetical decisions of local Alexandrian law courts, as Goodenough
suggested in a controversial argument. Philo’s discussion of the Torah in-
stead relies on a philosophical approach similar to that of Saadja Gaon in
the Middle Ages. He attempts to categorize the laws and to explain their
underlying meaning. He does not distinguish between rational and re-
vealed commandments, as later Jewish philosophers do, but argues for the
rationality of all the commandments. In his view, even the food laws were
set up in order to teach spiritual values. Pork, for example, was forbidden
precisely because it is the most delicious of meats. Abstinence from it is
thus a perfect way of inculcating self-restraint.
Today it is widely recognized that both Philo’s approach and the de-
tails of his discussion differ from the rabbinic discourse in the land of Is-
rael. Ignorant of Hebrew and Aramaic, he was not inspired by contempo-
rary teachers in Jerusalem. As a proud Diaspora Jew living in the cultural
metropolis of Alexandria, Philo apparently saw no reason to seek instruc-
tion in Jerusalem.Philosophical Works
Philo, whose works have been transmitted by early Christianity rather
than Judaism, represents a high point in the long-established Greek Jewish
tradition of the Diaspora. This tradition, which produced the Greek trans-272sterling, runia, niehoff, and van den hoekEERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
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