Philo of Alexandria: An Exegete for His Time

344 Pages·1997·8.54 MB·English

by  Peder Borgen

PHILO OF ALEXANDRIA
AN EXEGETE FOR HIS TIME
SUPPLEMENTS TO
NOVUM TESTAMENTUM
EDITORIAL BOARD
C.K. BARRETT, Durham - P. BORGEN, Trondhcim
J.K. ELLIOTT, Leeds - HJ. DEJONGE, Leiden
M.J.J. MENKEN, Utrecht - J. SMIT SIBINGA, Amsterdam
Executive Editors
A.J. MALHERBE, New Haven
D.P. MOESSNER, Atlanta
VOLUME LXXXVI
PHILO OF ALEXANDRIA
AN EXEGETE FOR HIS TIME
BY
PEDER BORGEN
BRILL
LEIDEN • NEW YORK • KÖLN
1997
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Borgen, Peder.
Philo of Alexandria : an exegete for his time / by Peder Borgen.
p. cm. — (Supplements to Novum Testamentum, ISSN 0167-9732 ;
v. 86)
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 9004103880 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Philo, of Alexandria. 2. Bible. O.T.—Criticism,
interpretation, etc., Jewish—History. 3. Philosophy, Ancient.
4. Philosophy, Jewish. I. Tide. II. Series.
BSU61.P5B67 1997
221.6*092—dc21 97-29997
CIP
r97
Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufhahme
Borgen, Peder:
Philo of Alexandria - an exegete for his time / by Peder Borgen. -
Leiden ; New York ; Köln : Brill, 1997
(Supplements to Novum testamentum ; Vol. 86)
ISBN 90-04-10388-0
[Novum Testamentum / Supplements]
Supplements to Novum testamentum - Leiden ; New York ; Köln :
Früher Schriftenreihe
Fortlaufende Beiheftreihe zu Novum testamentum
Vol. 86. Borgen, Peder: Philo of Alexandria - an exegete for his
time. - 1997
ISSN 0167-9732
ISBN 90 04 10388 0
© Copyright 1997 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in
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PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS
Dedicated to NILS ALSTRUP DAHL
and
HOWARD CLARK KEE
formerly my treasured teachers
presently my treasured colleagues

CONTENTS
Preface ix
Introduction: Mystic? Philosopher? Exegete? 1
1 Philo and His World 14
2 The Historical Perspective 30
3 Reviewing and Rewriting Biblical Material 46
4 Rewritten Bible 63
5 Questions and Answers 80
6 On the Giants and On the Unchangeableness of God 102
7 The Allegorical Laws, Book 1 124
8 Proclamatio Graeca - Hermeneutical Key 140
9 Tension and Influence 158
10 The Conflict 176
11 Illegitimate and Legitimate Ascents 194
12 Reaching Out and Coming In 206
13 Man and God's People within a Cosmic Context 225
14 Philanthropia and the Laws of Moses 243
15 A Conditioned Future Hope 261
Concluding Summary 282
Abbreviations 289
Bibliography 290
Indexes 301

PREFACE
While writing my monograph on the concept of manna in the Gos­
pel of John and the writings of Philo, entitled Bread from Heaven (1965),
I became convinced that a clue to Philo's writings lay in the appre­
ciation of the relationship between exegesis, exegetical traditions, con­
temporary ideas, and historical context. Over the years I have explored
various aspects from the same perspective. In the present monograph
I build on insights gained from these preceding studies and bring the
analysis further into a monograph on Philo as an exegete for his time.
This approach to Philo makes it possible to understand Philo's
two historical treatises, Against Flaccus and On the Virtues, that is On the
Embassy to Gaius, closely together with his expository writings. Those
two treatises demonstrate that a central context for Philo, as also for
the Alexandrian Jews in earlier times, was the relationship and inter­
action between the Jewish community and its non Jewish surroundings.
This context is in various ways reflected in his expository writings.
The majority of Philo's extant treatises is of expository nature. The
analysis of their structures, of the various exegetical forms, and of
exegetical methods and terminology used, is only in its infancy. In
this area the contribution made in this monograph is meant to sug­
gest avenues for further research.
Philo is a representative of Diaspora Judaism and of Judaism as
such in the late Second Temple period. At the same time he also
illuminates the background and the wider context of the New Tes­
tament and the early Church. At some points this perspective is
indicated in the monograph.
Biblical quotations in English are taken from The Holy Bible Con­
taining the Old and New Testament, Revised Standard Version (New York:
Nelson & Sons, 1952), and quotations in English from Philo's writ­
ings are taken from Philo with an English Translation by F.H. Colson,
1-10, Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univer­
sity press, 1929-62), and from Philo, Supplements, 1-2, translated from
Ancient Armenian Version of the Original Greek by R. Marcus, Loeb
Classical Library (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1953).
In some cases modifications of these translations have been made on
the basis of the Greek text.