Philo of Alexandria On Virtues: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary (Philo of Alexandria Commentary)

501 Pages·2010·2.45 MB·English

by  Walter T. Wilson

Philo of Alexandria
On Virtues
Philo of Alexandria
Commentary Series
GeneralEditor
Gregory E. Sterling
AssociateEditor
David T. Runia
EditorialBoard
haroldw.attridge–ellenbirnbaum–johndillon
annewiesvandenhoek–alanmendelson
thomastobin,s.j.–davidwinston
VOLUME3
Philo of Alexandria
On Virtues
Introduction, Translation, and Commentary
By
Walter T. Wilson
LEIDEN•BOSTON
2011
Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaper.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Philo,ofAlexandria.
[Devirtutibus.English]
Onvirtues/PhiloofAlexandria;introduction,translationandcommentarybyWalterT.
Wilson.
p.cm.–(PhiloofAlexandriaCommentarySeries,ISSN1570-095X;v.3)
Includesbibliographicalreferences(p. )andindexes.
ISBN978-90-04-18907-2(hardback:alk.paper)
1.Virtues–Earlyworksto1800.2.Jewishethics–Earlyworksto1800.3.Conductof
life–Earlyworksto1800.I.Wilson,WalterT.II.Title.
BJ1521.P46132011
296.3'699–dc22
2010036405
ISSN 1570-095X
ISBN 9789004189072
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CONTENTS
GeneralIntroduction.ThePhiloofAlexandriaCommentary
Series
GregoryE.Sterling.................................................. ix
Preface ................................................................ xv
Abbreviations ......................................................... xvii
Introduction .......................................................... 1
.ThePlaceoftheTreatiseinthePhilonicCorpus............... 1
.ThePlaceoftheTreatiseinPhilo’sLife ......................... 8
.TheTitleandIntegrityoftheTreatise .......................... 10
.AnalysisoftheTreatise’sContents.............................. 16
.TheCharacterandAimoftheTreatise ......................... 23
.TheNachlebenoftheTreatise................................... 37
TRANSLATION
PHILOOFALEXANDRIA
ONVIRTUES
OnCourage........................................................... 45
OnHumanity ......................................................... 55
OnRepentance ....................................................... 79
OnNobility ........................................................... 83
COMMENTARY
OnCourage,Chapters–:CourageinPeacetime(§§–) ....... 93
OnCourage,Chapters–:CourageinWartime(§§–)........ 119
OnHumanity,Chapters–:TheDeathandSuccessionofMoses
(§§–).......................................................... 157
OnHumanity,Chapter:IntroductiontotheSurveyofLaws
(§§–).......................................................... 199
OnHumanity,Chapter:OnLendingatInterest(§§–)....... 205
viii contents
OnHumanity,Chapters–:PromptPaymentofWages(§);
SeizingaPledge(§) ............................................. 219
OnHumanity,Chapter:AgriculturalProduceforthePoor
(§§–).......................................................... 227
OnHumanity,Chapter:Priests(§)andtheDispossessed
(§) ............................................................... 237
OnHumanity,Chapter:SabbaticalandJubileeLaws(§§–) 245
OnHumanity,Chapters–:ProselytesandMetics(§§–) 255
OnHumanity,Chapter:EnemiesandWarCaptives(§§–) 265
OnHumanity,Chapter:TheAnimalsofEnemies(§§–) 275
OnHumanity,Chapter:IndenturedServantsandSlaves
(§§–) ....................................................... 283
OnHumanity,Chapter:NewbornAnimals(§§–)........ 291
OnHumanity,Chapter:MotherAnimalsandTheirYoung
(§§–) ....................................................... 305
OnHumanity,Chapter:DraughtAnimals(§§–)......... 319
OnHumanity,Chapters–:CultivatedPlants(§§–).... 325
OnHumanity,Chapters–:TheRulingClasses(§§–) .. 341
OnRepentance(§§–) ......................................... 359
OnNobility(§§–)............................................. 381
Bibliography .......................................................... 419
EditionsandTranslationsofDevirtutibus........................ 419
OtherAncientTexts ............................................... 419
ModernScholarlyLiterature ...................................... 420
IndexofSources ...................................................... 449
IndexofBiblicalPassagesCited ................................... 449
IndexofPhilonicTextsCited...................................... 451
IndexofAncientTextsCited ...................................... 455
IndexofModernAuthors ............................................ 463
IndexofSubjects...................................................... 471
IndexofGreekTerms................................................. 477
generalintroduction
THEPHILOOFALEXANDRIACOMMENTARYSERIES
Philo of Alexandria (c.  bce–c.  ce) was a member of one of the
mostprominentfamiliesofthelargeandinfluentialJewishcommunity
inAlexandria.Weknowmoreabouthisbrotherandhisfamilythanwe
do about Philo. His brother, Julius Gaius Alexander, held a responsible
governmental position (Josephus, AJ ., ; .–, .)
andbecameknowntotheemperor’sfamilythroughHerodianinterme-
diaries (Josephus, AJ .–). His praenomen and nomen suggest
that the family was associated in some way with Julius Gaius Caesar. It
may be that Caesar granted Roman citizenship to Alexander’s grandfa-
therforassistanceduringtheAlexandrianWar(–bce).Alexander
madethemostofhispositionandbecameexceptionallywealthy(Jose-
phus, AJ .). Josephus reported that he covered nine of the tem-
ple doors in Jerusalem with gold and silver (BJ .–), an act of
patronagethatattestshisimmenseresourcesaswellashiscommitment
toJudaism.Alexander’sstandingisconfirmedbytherolesofhistwosons.
ThearchiveofNicanorsuggeststhatMarcusJuliusAlexanderwasactive
in the import-export business that moved goods from India and Ara-
bia through Egypt to the West. He married Berenice, the daughter of
Herod Agrippa I and later partner of the emperor Titus, but died pre-
maturelyc.ce(Josephus,AJ .–).Hisbrotherhadoneofthe
most remarkable careers of any provincial in the first two centuries of
theRomanEmpire.TiberiusJuliusAlexandermovedthroughaseriesof
lowerpostsuntilheheldgovernorshipsinJudea,Syria,andEgypt.When
hebackedVespasianintheFlavian’sbidforthethrone,hiscareerquickly
rosetoitsapex:heservedasTitus’chiefofstaffduringtheFirstJewish
revolt in –ce(Josephus, BJ .–.;.)and as prefect of the
praetrorian guard in Rome after the war (CPJ b). While his career
strained his relationship with his native Judaism to the breaking point
(Josephus,AJ.;Philo,Prov.andAnim.),itatteststhehighstanding
ofthefamily.
Themostfamousmemberofthisremarkablefamilywasparadoxically
probablytheleastknowninwidercirclesduringhislife.Thisisundoubt-
edlyduetothecontemplativenatureofthelifethathechose.Hischoice