Philo of Alexandria: A Thinker in the Jewish Diaspora

Philo of Alexandria: A Thinker in the Jewish Diaspora......Page 4
Contents......Page 8
Preface......Page 12
Abbreviations......Page 16
Alexandria Yesterday, Alexandria Today......Page 18
A Founder of Great Eminence......Page 21
A New Brand of Urbanism......Page 23
The Lighthouse and the Ports......Page 25
The Museum......Page 28
The Library......Page 30
Places of Entertainment......Page 32
Population and Districts of Alexandria......Page 33
Isis and Sarapis......Page 34
The Syncretism of the Necropolis......Page 36
From Royal Cult to Imperial Cult......Page 37
How Egypt Became Roman......Page 38
A Distinguished Family......Page 44
Between “Metropolis” and “Fatherland”: The Diaspora......Page 48
“If I Forget Thee, O Jerusalem”......Page 52
Between Greeks and Egyptians......Page 57
Proselytes and Renegades......Page 62
A Fragile Minority......Page 65
Hellenised Jews......Page 70
Philo’s Education......Page 71
Greek or Hebrew?......Page 75
The Septuagint Translation......Page 76
Philo and the Miracle of the Greek Bible......Page 80
Jew and Greek: “The Judaeo-Hellenistic Symbiosis” and its Limits......Page 83
4 Amid Political Turmoil......Page 86
Early Warning Signals......Page 87
When the Mob Seizes Power......Page 88
Confronting the Tyrant......Page 95
5 Judaism According to Philo: Practice and Ethics......Page 108
Exterior Criteria for the Jewish Identity......Page 109
Circumcision......Page 112
The Dietary Laws......Page 114
The Sabbath......Page 116
Passover in Egypt......Page 121
The Two Other Feasts of Pilgrimage......Page 124
The Great Fast......Page 126
The Universalist Interpretation......Page 129
Philo’s Treatises and the Bible......Page 134
On the Necessity of Exegesis......Page 139
The Bible of Philo......Page 141
Questions and Answers......Page 144
The Creation of the World......Page 145
Man, Woman and the Serpent......Page 148
The Problem of Evil: Cain and Abel......Page 149
The First Triad and Noah......Page 150
The Second Triad and Abraham......Page 152
From Joseph to Moses: The Ideal Leader......Page 156
The Decalogue and the Laws of Moses......Page 162
The Variety of Ways......Page 166
“God is not like man”......Page 168
Are there Myths in the Bible?......Page 169
Philo and the Midrash......Page 171
Contemplation and Philosophy......Page 176
Philo and the Greek Philosophical Schools......Page 178
When Philo “Platonises”......Page 181
“Everything is Number” (Pythagoras)......Page 182
Philo, A Stoic?......Page 186
Barbarian Wisdoms: Essenes and Therapeutes......Page 188
Is Philo A Philosopher?......Page 192
The “True” Philosophy......Page 194
God, Logos and Powers......Page 198
Law of Nature, Law of Moses......Page 205
“Migration” and Spiritual Progress......Page 207
Political Theory: In Praise Of Democracy......Page 209
The Destiny of the Soul......Page 213
The Sojourner on Earth......Page 216
Philo and the Beginnings of Christianity......Page 218
The Septuagint, an Inspired Text......Page 221
Philo and the Development of Christianity in Alexandria......Page 223
Philo in Caesarea......Page 227
Ambrose, the “Latin Philo”......Page 230
Philo as a “Christian Source”: from Translations to Printed Editions......Page 231
Philo Judaeus......Page 235
Conclusion: The Philonic Heritage......Page 238
Requiem......Page 240
Bibliography......Page 242
1. Classical Authors and Texts......Page 248
2. Hellenistic Jewish Authors and Texts......Page 249
4. Early Christian......Page 250
Index of Philonic Passages......Page 252
Back Matter......Page 259