Table Of ContentPhilo of Alexandria
OnCultivation
Philo of Alexandria
Commentary Series
GeneralEditor
GregoryE.Sterling
AssociateEditor
DavidT.Runia
EditorialBoard
haroldw.attridge–ellenbirnbaum
johndillon–annewiesvandenhoek–alanmendelson
thomastobin,s.j.–davidwinston
VOLUME4
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/pacs
Philo of Alexandria
On Cultivation
Introduction, Translation, and Commentary
By
AlbertC.Geljon
DavidT.Runia
LEIDEN•BOSTON
2013
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Philo,ofAlexandria.
[Deagricultura.English]
PhiloofAlexandria,Oncultivation/introduction,translation,andcommentarybyAlbertC.
Geljon,DavidT.Runia.
pages.cm.–(PhiloofAlexandriacommentaryseries;volume4)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-90-04-24303-3(hardback:alk.paper)–ISBN978-90-04-24304-0(e-book)
1.Philo,ofAlexandria.Deagricultura.2.Philosophy,Ancient.I.Geljon,AlbertC.II.Runia,David
T.III.Title.IV.Title:Oncultivation.V.Series:PhiloofAlexandriacommentaryseries;v.4.
B689.D42E52013
222'.11068–dc23
2012034623
Thispublicationhasbeentypesetinthemultilingual“Brill”typeface.Withover5,100
characterscoveringLatin,IPA,Greek,andCyrillic,thistypefaceisespeciallysuitablefor
useinthehumanities.Formoreinformation,pleaseseewww.brill.com/brill-typeface.
ISSN1570-095X
ISBN9789004243033(hardback)
ISBN9789004243040(e-book)
Copyright2013byKoninklijkeBrillNV,Leiden,TheNetherlands.
KoninklijkeBrillNVincorporatestheimprintsBrill,GlobalOriental,HoteiPublishing,
IDCPublishersandMartinusNijhoffPublishers.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,translated,storedin
aretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,
photocopying,recordingorotherwise,withoutpriorwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher.
AuthorizationtophotocopyitemsforinternalorpersonaluseisgrantedbyKoninklijkeBrillNV
providedthattheappropriatefeesarepaiddirectlytoTheCopyrightClearanceCenter,
222RosewoodDrive,Suite910,Danvers,MA01923,USA.
Feesaresubjecttochange.
Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaper.
Thisbookisdedicatedto
EllenBirnbaum
and
JamesRoyse
Philoscholarsanddearfriends
CONTENTS
GeneralIntroductiontothePhiloofAlexandriaCommentarySeries .. xi
GregoryE.Sterling
Preface..................................................................xvii
Abbreviations........................................................... xxi
Introduction............................................................ 1
1. ThePlaceoftheTreatiseinthePhilonicCorpus............... 1
2. TheGenreoftheTreatise ...................................... 6
3. TheExegeticalStructureoftheTreatise........................ 10
4. TheUseoftheBible............................................ 16
5. TheMainThemesoftheTreatise .............................. 21
6. TheIntellectualSitzimLeben .................................. 25
7. TheNachlebenoftheTreatise.................................. 32
8. TheTextoftheTreatise ........................................ 35
9. StatusQuaestionis:PreviousScholarshipontheTreatise....... 35
10. SomeNotesontheMethodUsedintheTranslationandthe
Commentary................................................... 38
TRANSLATION
PHILOOFALEXANDRIA,ONCULTIVATION
PartOne:NoahAsCultivator(§§1–123) ................................ 45
PartTwo:NoahBeginsAsaCultivator(§§124–181)..................... 67
NotestotheTextandTranslation....................................... 79
COMMENTARY
TitleoftheWork........................................................ 85
PartOne:NoahAsCultivator ........................................... 87
I. FirstDistinctionbetweenCultivatorandWorkeroftheEarth
(§§1–25)........................................................ 87
viii contents
a. CitationandLiteralInterpretation:TheSkillofthe
Cultivator(§§1–7) ......................................... 88
b. AllegoricalInterpretation:TheCultivationoftheSoul
(§§8–11).................................................... 96
c. LimitationsoftheMerelyTheoreticalSciences(§§12–16) 101
d. TheSkillofCultivating:TheSoulAnnouncesIts
Programme(§§17–19) ..................................... 110
e. ComparisonofNoahwithCain,theWorkeroftheEarth
(§§20–25).................................................. 112
II. SecondDistinctionbetweenShepherdandCattle-Feeder
(§§26–66)...................................................... 120
a. IntroducingAnotherDistinction(§§26–29)............... 121
b. ExplanationoftheDistinctioninAllegoricalTerms
(§§30–40) ................................................. 124
c. ScripturalEvidence:JacobandMosesAsShepherds
(§§41–43).................................................. 135
d. Moses’PrayeronBehalfoftheSoul(§§44–48) ............ 139
e. GodAstheGoodShepherd(§§49–54) .................... 145
f. ProofThatGod’sDisciplesPractisetheScienceof
Shepherding(§§55–63).................................... 154
g. ObjectiontotheAllegoricalExegesisAnswered
(§§64–66) ................................................. 159
III. ThirdDistinctionbetweenHorsemanandRider(§§67–123) .. 163
a. IntroducingaThirdDistinction(§§67–71) ................ 163
b. TheSameDistinctionExplainedAllegorically(§§72–78) 168
c. TheFallofHorseandRiderCelebrated(§§79–83) ........ 173
d. NoHorse-FeederAsRuler(§§84–93)...................... 178
e. TheSerpentofMosesandtheSerpentofEve(§§94–105) 184
f. TheFalloftheHorseman(§§106–123)..................... 195
PartTwo:NoahBeginsAsCultivator.................................... 209
I. MakingtheRightBeginning(§§124–145) ...................... 209
a. Introduction:TheImportanceofBeginningandEnd
(§§124–126)................................................ 210
b. Cain’sErrorinNotDistinguishingCorrectly(§§127–130).. 211
c. AllegorizationofaDietaryPrescriptionInvolving
Division(§§131–135) ....................................... 216
d. ExamplesofExcessiveDivisions(§§136–141).............. 223
e. SophistsComparedwithPigs(§§142–145)................. 230
contents ix
II. MakingProgressonthePathtoPerfection(§§146–168) ....... 234
a. IntroductionofaNewBiblicalTextonMilitaryService
(§§146–148)................................................ 235
b. RejectionoftheLiteralMeaning(§§149–156) ............. 237
c. AllegoricalInterpretation:Progressingtowards
Excellence(§§157–168) .................................... 241
III. ASuccessfulEnd(§§169–181).................................. 252
a. GivingHonourtoGodtheCauseofGoodEnds
(§§169–173)................................................ 253
b. WhenAdvancingAvoidDeliberateTransgressions
(§§174–180) ................................................ 258
c. Conclusion:NoahBeginsbutDoesNotReachtheGoal
(§181) ...................................................... 265
Bibliography ............................................................ 267
1. PhiloofAlexandria............................................. 267
2. OtherAncientTexts............................................ 268
3. ModernScholarlyLiterature ................................... 273
Indices.................................................................. 287
IndexofBiblicalPassagesCited .................................... 289
IndexofPhilonicPassagesCited ................................... 291
IndexofAncientTextsCited ....................................... 295
IndexofSubjectsandNames....................................... 299
IndexofGreekTerms............................................... 307
Description:The Jewish exegete and philosopher Philo of Alexandria has long been famous for his allegorical treatises on the Greek Bible. The present volume contains the first translation and commentary in English on his treatise De agricultura ( On cultivation), which gives an elaborate allegorical interpretat
