Product Description

While it would not be correct to say that Philo's works have been "lost"—scholars have always known and used Philo—they have essentially been "misplaced" as far as the average student of the Bible is concerned. Now the translation of the eminent classicist C. D. Yonge is available in an affordable, easy-to-read edition, with a new foreword and newly translated passages, and containing supposed fragments of Philo's writings from ancient authors such as John of Damascus. The title and arrangement of the writings have been standardized according to scholarly conventions.

A contemporary of Paul and Jesus, Philo Judaeus, of Alexandria, Egypt, is unquestionably among the most important writers for historians and students of Hellenistic Judaism and early Christianity. Although Philo does not explicitly mention Jesus, or Paul, or any of the followers of Jesus, Philo lived in their world. It is from Philo, for example, that we learn about how, like the Gospel of John, Jews (and Greeks) in the Greco-Roman world spoke of the creative force of God as God's Logos. Philo, too, employs interpretive strategies that parallel those of the author of Hebrews. Most scholars would agree that Philo and the author of Hebrews are drawing from the same, or at least similar, traditions of Hellenistic Judaism. With these kind of connections to the world of Judaism and early Christianity, Philo cannot be ignored.

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A significant book for people who want to understand the history of religion        Rating:

Philo (about 20 BCE to about 50 CE) of Alexandria, Egypt, was, according to Harry Wolfson's Philo, the first Jewish philosopher who "contributed anything new" to Jewish-Greek philosophy. His philosophy incorporated the somewhat mystical views of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato (about 428 to about 348 BCE). About forty books that he wrote still exist that do not offer a systematic philosophy; they are, in essence, a collection of sermons.
Philo was convinced that the Bible should be understood on two levels. The first level contains its literal or plain meaning, words mean what they say. The second is an underlying or allegorical layer, which requires that the alert more intelligent reader go beyond the obvious and delve deeper into the text. Philo used allegory to interpret virtually everything in Scripture, including names, dates, numbers and events.
Philo argued that biblical allegories differ radically from Greek myths. Myths are man-made and false. They are invented stories designed to deceive the masses with what the educated philosopher knows is nonsense, because the masses are unable to understand and deal with the truth. The masses need myths to help them live without fear. Thus, myths do not teach the real truths of nature and how it functions; they only make people feel good and they stop or at least hinder people from committing many wrongs.
But, Philo insists, biblical stories are not lies. They are the work of a compassionate God and contain and transmit the real truth. Even biblical tales that were never designed to be taken literally have an underlying level of true divine doctrine, which can be mined and understood by using the allegorical method. Thus, for example, Philo states that the tales of creation, which are not true facts or even remotely real science, are parables with profound truthful life-essential significance below their false literal surface. The following are some examples where Philo interprets the Bible allegorically:
1. Genesis 6:6 states that after viewing the evils that humans committed God "reconsidered that He made man on earth, and He was sad of heart." Taken literally, the passage is stating that the all-knowing deity changed His mind and decided to destroy the human race. It also describes Him suffering a bout of sadness. This is contrary to the philosophical understanding of a God without defects and the view contained in I Samuel 15:29 - that God is not like man and does not change His mind. Thus, Philo could not accept the literal meaning of this verse. He realized that Scripture is speaking metaphorically: the human behavior resulted in horrific and harmful natural consequences, and it was as if God changed His mind and decided to no longer treat humans mercifully.
2. Deuteronomy 21:18 describes a case of parents with a stubborn and rebellious son who refuses to obey them. Philo felt that the biblical punishment, that the child be killed, was overly harsh. He offered a couple of allegorical interpretations, including interpreting the father as God, the mother as philosophy, and the child as a person who refuses to study philosophy to understand God and truth. The failure to study and understand philosophy, the allegory indicates, is tantamount to death.
3. Philo, as previously stated, used allegory in interpreting everything in Scripture, even when there was no contradiction with rational thought. Thus for example, he accepted the stories of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob literally, but also insisted that they should be understood as allegory, each patriarch represented a different type of behavior.
Philo's overuse of allegory made the rabbis very uncomfortable. They were concerned that Jews reading his books would begin to ignore the biblical laws. As a result, his books were ignored by Judaism for many centuries, until the middle ages, although they were accepted by Christians.

The Complete Works of Philo        Rating:

An absolute must for the serious study of Hellenic Jewish History. The translation is easy to understand to the modern english speaker.

Good translation of important works        Rating:

The works of Philo are important to scholars of history and philosophy for a number of reasons, and are found in an accessible translation here.

Jewish and Kabbalistic scholars will find early Neoplatonized commentary on the Jewish scriptures, while classicists will find useful comparative points regarding Roman practices, and philosophers will find useful developments of Plato's thoughts. This book really does have a great deal to offer many students of different disciplines. Christian scholars too will find a great deal of roots of early Church theology in this work as well.

I would highly recommend the study of Philo to most people, and this is a good translation of his works.

Wisdom        Rating:

Philo: "wisdom a very rare thing among mankind" = *Many are called YET very very few are chosen* quote from Jesus Christ

St Paul says *we speak the mysteries only among the wise*

Paul
New Orleans
June 20, 2008

Go to the source        Rating:

Along with Josephus no source is cited more than Philo when it comes historical biblical study. Incredibly literate and actually entertaining.

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