Philo, Volumes I–X

by Philo of Alexandria

Publishers:

Harvard University Press; William Heinemann

, 1929–1962

Overview

Philo of Alexandria was a Jewish philosopher who lived in Roman-ruled Egypt. When the Jews of Alexandria were ordered to defy their beliefs and worship Gaius Julius Caesar, also known as Caligula, they sent Philo to plead their case to the emperor. Philo’s writings provide an account of the atrocities the Jews faced for their refusal to glorify a man as a god. They were dragged to death, burned alive with their families, slaughtered in their homes, and even crucified. Well versed in Greek and Jewish learning, Philo integrated biblical teachings with Greek philosophy, giving rise to an influential approach to Scripture. The ideas that emerged impacted both Christian and Jewish religious thought. The Works of Philo (24 vols.) contains over 40 of Philo’s works, including On the Creation, Allegorical Interpretation of Genesis 2 and 3, Every Good Man Is Free, The Eternity of the World, and Apology for the Jews.

Contents

Top Highlights

“For God, being God, assumed that a beautiful copy would never be produced apart from a beautiful pattern, and that no object of perception would be faultless which was not made in the likeness of an original discerned only by the intellect. So when He willed to create this visible world He first fully formed the intelligible world, in order that He might have the use of a pattern wholly God-like and incorporeal in producing the material world, as a later creation, the very image of an earlier, to embrace in itself objects of perception of as many kinds as the other contained objects of intelligence.” (Volume 1, Page 15)

“It consists of an account of the creation of the world, implying that the world is in harmony with the Law, and the Law with the world, and that the man who observes the law is constituted thereby a loyal citizen of the world,^a regulating his doings by the purpose and will of Nature, in accordance with which the entire world itself also is administered.” (Volume 1, Page 7)

“There are two types of men; the one a heavenly man, the other an earthly. The heavenly man, being made after the image of God, is altogether without part or lot in corruptible and terrestrial substance; but the earthly one was compacted out of the matter scattered here and there, which Moses calls ‘clay.’ For this reason he says that the heavenly man was not moulded, but was stamped with the image of God; while the earthly is a moulded work of the Artificer, but not His offspring.” (Volume 1, Page 167)

“I alone am standing (Ex. 17:6) and that it was I alone that established the being of all things, bringing confusion and disorder into order and array, and sustained the universe to rest firm and sure upon the mighty Word, who is My viceroy.” (Volume 5, Page 425)

Product Details

• Title: Philo, Volumes I–X
• Author: Philo of Alexandria
• Series: The Loeb Classical Library: English
• Volume: I–X
• Publishers: Harvard University Press, William Heinemann
• Print Publication Date: 1929–1962
• Logos Release Date: 2016
• Era: era:ante-nicene
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Jewish philosophy › Early works to 1800
• ISBNs: 0674992725, 0674992873, 0674992504, 0674993039, 0674994175, 0434993794, 9780674992726, 9780674992870, 9780674992504, 9780674993037, 9780674994171, 9780434993796
• Resource ID: LLS:WRKSPHL
• Resource Type: text.monograph.ancient-manuscript.translation
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T21:10:28Z

About Philo of Alexandria

Philo of Alexandria (c. 20 BC–AD 50) was a Jewish philosopher who lived in Roman-ruled Egypt. He was educated in Hellenistic, Roman, and Ancient Egyptian culture and Judaic tradition. Philo recorded the atrocities committed against the Jews, largely by the Roman governor, Flaccus. His theological and philosophical writings used allegorical exegesis to unite Greek Stoic philosophy with Jewish philosophy. His works impacted Christian Church Fathers more than Judaism.