Philo
Gregory E. Sterling, David T. Runia, Maren R. Niehoff,
and Annewies van den Hoek
Philo of Alexandria (ca. 20b.c.e.–ca. 50c.e.) is one of the most important
witnesses to Jewish exegetical traditions and practices of the Second Temple
period. He was a prominent figure in the large Alexandrian Jewish commu-
nity, coming from one of the wealthiest and most distinguished families. He
is a good example of a writer from the East who used allegorical interpreta-
tion to find common ground between his ancestral tradition and Hellenis-
tic philosophy. His impact on ancient Judaism appears to have ended with
the destruction of the Alexandrian Jewish community in 115-117c.e.At least
direct awareness of his works is not discernible until Azariah dei Rossi
(1513-1578) summarized some of his views inMe}or{Einayim,and he was
ambivalent about Philo’s status. Philo’s legacy did not, however, end with
the destruction of his community; his achievement had such enormous ap-
peal to early Christians that they preserved his writings and claimed him as
one of their own, giving him a posthumous baptism (Prochurus,Acts of
John) and even introducing him as a “bishop” in some Byzantine catenae
(e.g.,Fragmenta Graeca, QG1.55).Overview of His Life
We know very little about Philo’s life. We have more contemporary evi-
dence for his brother Gaius Julius Alexander, an exceptionally wealthy cus-
toms official in Alexandria, and his nephew Tiberius Julius Alexander, an
ambitious social climber who gave up his ancestral traditions to make his
way through thecursus honorum,than we do about Philo. Our evidence
for Philo consists of the autobiographical asides that he makes in his writ-253EERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:04:06 PM