God's Acting, Man's Acting: Tradition and Philosophy in Philo of Alexandria

280 Pages·2008·2.15 MB·English

by  Francesca Calabi

God’s Acting, Man’s Acting
CALABI_Prelims_i-iv.indd i 10/10/2007 5:37:42 PM
Studies in Philo
of Alexandria
Edited by
Francesca Calabi
and
Robert Berchman
Editorial Board
Kevin Corrigan (Emory University)
Louis H. Feldman (Yeshiva University, New York)
Mireille Hadas-Lebel (La Sorbonne, Paris)
Carlos Lévy (La Sorbonne, Paris)
Maren Niehoff (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Tessa Rajak (University of Reading)
Roberto Radice (Università Cattolica, Milano)
Esther Starobinski-Safran (Université de Genève)
Lucio Troiani (Universita’ di Pavia)
VOLUME 4
CALABI_Prelims_i-iv.indd ii 10/10/2007 5:37:43 PM
God’s Acting, Man’s Acting
Tradition and Philosophy in Philo of Alexandria
By
Francesca Calabi
LEIDEN • BOSTON
2008
CALABI_Prelims_i-iv.indd iii 10/10/2007 5:37:43 PM
Translated by Helen C. Tooke
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A C.I.P. record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
ISSN 1543-995x
ISBN 978 90 04 16270 9
Copyright 2008 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishers,
IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission
from the publisher.
Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by
Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to
The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910,
Danvers, MA 01923, USA.
Fees are subject to change.
printed in the netherlands
CALABI_Prelims_i-iv.indd iv 10/10/2007 5:37:43 PM
CONTENTS
Abbreviations .............................................................................. ix
Introduction ................................................................................ xi
PART ONE
THE NATURE OF GOD
Chapter One Plato and the Bible. Ontology and Theology
in Philo .................................................................................... 3
Theoretical Context ................................................................ 3
The Principle .......................................................................... 6
Nous-noesis-noeton ................................................................. 9
Chapter Two Simplicity and Absence of Qualities in God ..... 17
God’s Unchangeability ........................................................... 17
Deus 107–110 .......................................................................... 19
Didaskalikos XII ........................................................................ 26
Predicates and Properties ....................................................... 30
Bos’s Interpretation ................................................................. 33
Conclusion .............................................................................. 37
Chapter Three Unknowability of God ................................... 39
Unknowability and Ineffability of God ................................. 39
Unnameability of God ........................................................... 42
“My nature is to be, not to be spoken” ................................. 43
Via Negationis, Via Eminentiae, Via Analogiae .................... 48
Compatible Ways .................................................................... 51
Appendix One The dazzling Light: a Metaphor on the
Unknowability of God ........................................................... 57
Dillon on Origen .................................................................... 57
The Sun Simile ....................................................................... 60
Philo’s Reading of the Sun Simile ......................................... 62
The Intelligible Light .............................................................. 65
The Impossibility of Seeing God ........................................... 67
CALABI_F1_v-xiv.indd v 10/9/2007 1:51:53 PM
vi contents
PART TWO
THE MEDIATION ACTIVITY
Chapter Four The Powers of God. Seraphim, Cherubim
and Powers in Philo of Alexandria ........................................ 73
De Deo ...................................................................................... 73
Isaiah’s Vision ......................................................................... 76
The Wings of the Seraphim .................................................. 80
The Image of God ................................................................. 82
The Powers ............................................................................. 84
Visions of the Powers ............................................................. 87
Names of God ........................................................................ 90
Middle Platonism and the Rabbinic Tradition ..................... 94
Kneaded Measures ................................................................. 99
Seeing the Shadow ................................................................. 100
The ‘Vision’ of God ............................................................... 102
Comparison with Parallel Passages ........................................ 105
Conclusion .............................................................................. 108
Chapter Five Roles and Figures of Mediation ....................... 111
Demonology in Philo .............................................................. 111
The Angels of God and the Daughters of Men ................... 113
Angels and Daemons .............................................................. 115
Souls and Daemons ................................................................ 121
Mediating Roles ...................................................................... 123
Chapter Six The Snake and the Horseman—Pleasure and
Sophrosyne in Philo of Alexandria ............................................ 127
The Ambivalence of the Snake ............................................. 127
Intellect, Sensation and Pleasure ............................................ 131
The Voice of the Serpent ...................................................... 133
The Snake’s Legs .................................................................... 137
God’s Curse ............................................................................ 143
The Poisonous Snakes and the Snake of Bronze .................. 144
Self-mastery and Judgement ................................................... 146
The Snake as Pleasure and as Self-mastery .......................... 148
Conclusion .............................................................................. 150
CALABI_F1_v-xiv.indd vi 10/9/2007 1:51:55 PM
contents vii
PART THREE
GOD AS A MODEL
Chapter Seven Happiness and Contemplation.
The Contemplative Life ......................................................... 155
God as a Model ...................................................................... 155
Alternation between Theoretical and Practical ..................... 156
Kinds of Life .......................................................................... 157
Exegesis and Contemplation .................................................. 159
The Practical Life ................................................................... 161
Coessentiality of Practical and Contemplative Activities ...... 163
Solitude and Desolation ......................................................... 165
The Therapeutae .................................................................... 171
The Identity of the Therapeutae ........................................... 173
The Therapeutae as an Emblem of Contemplative Life ...... 180
Conclusion .................................................................................. 183
Appendix Two Philo of Alexandria and Ecphantus’
Peri Basileias .............................................................................. 185
Treatises on Kingship ............................................................. 185
Possible Similarities between Ecphantus and Philo ............... 189
Homoiosis Theo ..................................................................... 190
Order and Harmony: the Musical Analogy .......................... 193
Foreigners on this Earth ......................................................... 196
The Blinded Eagle .................................................................. 199
The Sacred “Aspect” .............................................................. 202
The King as a Model ............................................................. 205
Delatte’s Interpretation ........................................................... 208
Goodenough’s Interpretation ................................................. 212
Imitation and Persuasion ........................................................ 213
Conclusion .............................................................................. 214
Appendix Three Galen and Moses ......................................... 217
Moses and Epicurus ............................................................... 217
Galen’s Referent ...................................................................... 219
The Will of God ..................................................................... 222
The Autonomy of Nature ...................................................... 227
Divine Omnipotence .............................................................. 231
CALABI_F1_v-xiv.indd vii 10/9/2007 1:51:55 PM
viii contents
Bibliography ................................................................................ 233
Index of Ancient Authors and Texts ......................................... 247
Index of Modern Authors .......................................................... 263
CALABI_F1_v-xiv.indd viii 10/9/2007 1:51:55 PM
ABBREVIATIONS
Journal and Series
ANRW Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt
HTR The Harvard Theological Review
JSJ Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic
and Roman Periods
JThS Journal of Theological Studies
LCL Loeb Classical Library
SBL Society of Biblical Literature
SPhA Studia Philonica Annual
WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament
Philo
Abr. De Abrahamo
Aet. De aeternitate mundi
Agr. De agricultura
Anim. Dc animalibus
Cher. De Cherubim
Conf. De confusione linguarum
Congr. De congressu eruditionis gratia
Contempl. De vita contemplativa
Decal. De Decalogo
Deo De Deo
Det. Quod deterius potiori insidiari soleat
Deus Quod Deus sit immutabilis
Ebr. De ebrietate
Flacc. In Flaccum
Fug. De fuga et inventione
Gig. De gigantibus
Her. Quis rerum divinarum heres sit
Hypoth. Hypothetica
Ios. De Iosepho
Leg. I–III Legum allegoriae I, II, III
Legat. Legatio ad Gaium
CALABI_F1_v-xiv.indd ix 10/9/2007 1:51:55 PM