Philo of Alexandria, also known as Philo Judaeus, was a first-century Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, Egypt during the time of Jesus Christ. Though he is not mentioned in the Bible itself, Philo played an important role in merging Hebrew scripture and Greek philosophy and interpreting Judaism for the Greek-speaking world. Here is an overview of his life and influence:
Background and Early Life
Philo was born around 20 BC in Alexandria, Egypt. This city had a large Jewish population at the time but was part of the Greek-speaking world ruled by Rome. Philo came from a prominent Jewish family of the priestly line. His brother Alexander the Alabarch was an important customs official in Alexandria. Philo received an elite Hellenistic education and would have been exposed to Greek philosophers like Plato. However, Philo remained dedicated to his Jewish faith and studied scripture extensively.
In the year 39 AD, Philo led a delegation of Alexandrian Jews to Rome to plead for protection of their rights before Emperor Caligula. This experience showed him the tensions that could arise between Judaism and the Greco-Roman world. Philo devoted much of his later work to arguing for the reasonableness of Jewish beliefs and practices to Gentile readers.
Writings and Philosophy
Philo was a prolific writer, though few of his works survive today. His three main surviving writings are:
- On the Contemplative Life: Philo describes the customs and communal life of an ascetic Jewish sect in Egypt called the Therapeutae. He presents their lifestyle favorably as the ideal philosophical life.
- On the Creation of the Cosmos: This commentary interprets the Genesis creation account allegorically according to Greek philosophical concepts.
- The Exposition of the Law: Philo provides allegorical interpretations of passages from Genesis through Deuteronomy, extracting moral and philosophical lessons.
Philo believed scripture contained deeper truths beneath the surface that Greek philosophical methods could uncover. His primary approach was allegorical interpretation. For example, he interpreted the six days of creation in Genesis not as literal 24-hour periods but as a symbolic progression from imperfect to perfect forms.
Drawing on Platonism and Stoicism, Philo saw the material world as a mere shadow of higher spiritual truths. The ideal life was one of contemplation to transcend earthly distractions and comprehend true reality. Philo believed this aligned with the teachings of Moses. He argued the Jewish patriarchs like Abraham embodied the ideal philosophical life.
Philo affirmed that God first created and ruled the material world through his divine Logos. But he maintained God’s utter transcendence from the physical realm. Philo’s concept of the Logos would influence early Christian thinkers who identified Jesus as the “Word” through whom all things were created (John 1:1-3).
Attitude Toward Scripture
Philo had an extremely high view of the Mosaic law. He considered it the ultimate embodiment of divine wisdom. At points, Philo even personified the Torah and described it in terms resembling wisdom literature in the Bible. For example:
The Chief and Lord of the universe himself gave [the law] as a gift to his servants, in order that it might guide them without error on their way to the most excellent life possible (On the Creation of the Cosmos XVIII).
However, Philo argued that the surface meaning of scripture was not adequate for those pursuing the philosophical life. Allegorical interpretation was necessary to fully comprehend its truths. So in practice, Philo would often interpret scripture in very novel ways to support Greek philosophical ideas about God, ethics, and anthropology.
Influence on Christianity
As an Alexandrian Jew, Philo helps bridge between Hebrew and Greek thought in the period leading up to Christianity. The early church drew upon his philosophical methods and concepts in several ways:
- Allegory: Early Christian interpreters like Origen adopted allegorical methods for interpreting scripture. This allowed them to shape biblical texts to answer philosophical questions.
- Logos: John’s Gospel opens by equating Christ with the divine Logos. This likely draws upon Philo’s concepts.
- Greek apologetics: Many early Christian apologists, like Justin Martyr, followed Philo’s approach of framing Christianity in Greek philosophical terms.
So while Philo was not a Christian himself, his work profoundly shaped the way Christianity assimilated Hebrew revelation with Greek thought. This allowed the gospel to engage cultures shaped by Hellenism during the early centuries of the church.
Core Beliefs
Some key beliefs that characterized Philo’s philosophical worldview include:
- God is completely transcendent and incomprehensible in his essence. Human language cannot adequately describe him.
- The material world is a flawed shadow of spiritual realities. True wisdom comes from contemplating the immaterial realm.
- Scripture contains hidden allegorical meanings. Correct interpretation requires going beyond the literal text.
- The Logos is the mind of God that creates and governs the physical world. Philo also calls the Logos “the Son of God.”
- The Jewish patriarchs and prophets represented ideal examples of the philosophical life of contemplation.
Above all, Philo sought to harmonize Judaism with Greek philosophy. This led him to radically reinterpret many aspects of the biblical text through allegory. While drawing on Philo’s methods, early Christian theologians were more careful to ground their theology firmly in the literal meaning of scripture.
Relationship to Judaism
Philo always maintained his Jewish identity and commitment to the law of Moses. He made arguments defending the reasonableness of core Jewish practices like circumcision and Sabbath observance to pagan critics. Philo also affirmed God’s special election of Israel as his chosen nation (Deuteronomy 7:6).
However, Philo’s allegorical interpretation often weakened the historical truth of the Old Testament. For example, he did not affirm a literal six-day creation or Noahic flood but treated these stories as philosophical metaphors. Post-apostolic Jewish rabbis firmly rejected this approach as contrary to the plain meaning of scripture.
The traditional Jewish view was expressed succinctly in the 2nd century AD by Rabbi Akiva: “The Torah speaks in human language.” Jewish interpreters argued Scripture must be understood through its literal sense, not allegorized as Philo did. So while Philo identified as a Jew, his methods had little lasting impact on rabbinic Judaism after him.
Death and Legacy
The date of Philo’s death is unknown, but it was likely around 50 AD. While his allegorical interpretation fell out of favor with both Christianity and Judaism, his philosophical writing proved very influential in the early church. As the gospel spread through the Greek-speaking world, many Christian apologists and thinkers utilized Philo’s approach to make biblical truth comprehensible to pagan culture.
In summary, Philo of Alexandria was a Jewish philosopher who interpreted the Hebrew scriptures through Greek philosophy and allegory. His impact was most significant on the early church, who drew upon his methods to translate the gospel for Hellenistic culture. Core philosophical concepts like the divine Logos also helped bridge biblical revelation to Greek thought.