Philo of Alexandria : a thinker in the Jewish diaspora / by Mireille Hadas-Lebel ; translated by Robyn Frechet.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Print version record.

Philo (20BCE?-45CE?) is the most illustrious son of Alexandrian Jewry and the first major scholar to combine a deep Jewish learning with Greek philosophy. His unique allegorical exegesis of the Greek Bible was to have a profound influence on the early fathers of the Church. Philo was, above all, a philosopher, but he was also intensely practical in his defence of the Jewish faith and law in general, and that of Alexandria's embattled Jewish community in particular. A famous example was his leadership of a perilous mission to plead the community's cause to Emperor Caligula. This monograph provides a guide to Philo's life, his thought and his action, as well as his continuing influence on theological and philosophical thought.

Machine generated contents note: I. Alexandria "on the Edge" of Egypt -- Alexandria Yesterday, Alexandria Today -- City of Alexander -- Founder of Great Eminence -- New Brand of Urbanism -- Lighthouse and the Ports -- At the Heart of Hellenistic Civilisation -- Museum -- Library -- Gymnasium -- Places of Entertainment -- Population and Districts of Alexandria -- Alexandrian Syncretism -- Greek Temples -- Isis and Sarapis -- Syncretism of the Necropolis -- From Royal Cult to Imperial Cult -- How Egypt Became Roman -- II. Being Jewish in Alexandria in Philo's Day -- Distinguished Family -- Between "Metropolis" and "Fatherland": The Diaspora -- "If I Forget Thee, O Jerusalem" -- Between Greeks and Egyptians -- Proselytes and Renegades -- Fragile Minority -- III. Philo's Cultural World -- Hellenised Jews -- Philo's Education -- Greek or Hebrew? -- Septuagint Translation -- Philo and the Miracle of the Greek Bible -- Jew and Greek: "The Judaeo-Hellenistic Symbiosis" and its Limits -- IV. Amid Political Turmoil -- Early Warning Signals -- When the Mob Seizes Power -- Confronting the Tyrant -- V. Judaism According to Philo: Practice and Ethics -- Exterior Criteria for the Jewish Identity -- Circumcision -- Dietary Laws -- Sabbath -- Passover in Egypt -- Two Other Feasts of Pilgrimage -- Great Fast -- Universalist Interpretation -- VI. Biblical Commentary -- Philo's Treatises and the Bible -- On the Necessity of Exegesis -- Bible of Philo -- Questions and Answers -- Creation of the World -- Man, Woman and the Serpent -- Problem of Evil: Cain and Abel -- Models in Humanity -- First Triad and Noah -- Second Triad and Abraham -- From Joseph to Moses: The Ideal Leader -- Decalogue and the Laws of Moses -- Exegetical Invention of Philo -- Variety of Ways -- "God is not Like Man" -- Are there Myths in the Bible? -- Philo and the Midrash -- VII. Philo and Philosophy -- Contemplation and Philosophy -- Philo and the Greek Philosophical Schools -- When Philo "Platonises" -- "Everything is Number" (Pythagoras) -- Philo, a Stoic? -- Barbarian Wisdoms: Essenes and Therapeutes -- Is Philo a Philosopher? -- "True" Philosophy -- VIII. Philo's Doctrine -- God, Logos and Powers -- Law of Nature, Law of Moses -- "Migration" and Spiritual Progress -- Political Theory: In Praise of Democracy -- Destiny of the Soul -- Sojourner on Earth -- IX. Philo, ̀Father of the Church Honoris Causa' -- Philo and the Beginnings of Christianity -- Septuagint, an Inspired Text -- Philo and the Development of Christianity in Alexandria -- Philo in Caesarea -- Ambrose the "Latin Philo" -- Philo as a "Christian Source": From Translations to Printed Editions -- Philo Judaeus -- Conclusion: The Philonic Heritage.

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