Phlo photo7/28/2023 ![]() ![]() Woodcut from Die Schedelsche Weltchronik ( Nuremberg Chronicle) They were educated in the Hellenistic culture of Alexandria and the culture of ancient Rome, to a degree in Ancient Egyptian culture and particularly in the traditions of Judaism, in the study of Jewish traditional literature and in Greek philosophy. Philo along with his brothers received a thorough education. Philo visited the Second Temple in Jerusalem at least once in his lifetime. The latter was the first husband of the Herodian princess Berenice. Through Alexander, Philo had two nephews, Tiberius Julius Alexander and Marcus Julius Alexander. Due to his extreme wealth, Alexander was also influencial in imperial Roman circles as a friend of emperor Claudius. Alexander was so rich that he gave a loan to the wife of king Agrippa I, as well as gold and silver to overlay the nine gates of the temple in Jerusalem. He accumulated an immense amount of wealth, becoming not only the richest man in that city but also in the entire Hellenistic world. Philo had one brother called Alexander Lysimachus who was the general tax administrator of customs in Alexandria. His ancestors and family had social ties and connections to the priesthood in Judea, the Hasmonean dynasty, the Herodian dynasty and the Julio-Claudian dynasty in Rome. Jerome wrote that Philo came de genere sacerdotum (from a priestly family). It was either his father or paternal grandfather who was granted Roman citizenship from Roman dictator Gaius Julius Caesar. Īlthough the names of his parents are unknown, it is known that Philo came from a family which was noble, honourable and wealthy. ![]() Philo's reference to an event under the reign of Emperor Claudius indicates that he died sometime between 45 and 50 CE. Schwartz estimates his birth year as sometime between 15 and 10 BCE. Philo's dates of birth and death are unknown but can be judged by Philo's description of himself as "old" when he was part of the delegation to Gaius Caligula in 38 CE. The only event in Philo's life that can be decisively dated is his participation in the embassy to Rome in 40 CE whereby he represented the Alexandrian Jews in a delegation to the Roman Emperor Caligula following civil strife between the Alexandrian Jewish and Greek communities. Some claimed this lack of credit or affinity for Philo by the Rabbinic leadership at the time, was due to his adoption of allegorical instead of literal interpretations of the Hebrew Bible, though it was likely due to his criticism of Rabbinic scholars, citing their works and ideas were "full of Sybaritic profligacy and licentiousness to their everlasting shame", "eager to give a specious appearance to infamous actions, so as to secure notoriety for disgraceful deeds", and ultimately, that he "disregards the envious disposition of such men, and shall proceed to narrate the true events of Moses' life" of which Philo felt were unjustly hidden and covered over.Īccording to Josephus, Philo was largely inspired by Aristobulus of Alexandria and the Alexandrian school. ![]() Though never properly attributed, Philo's marriage of Jewish exegesis and Stoic philosophy provided a formula later picked up by other Midrash content from the 3rd and 4th centuries. Philo often advocated a literal understanding of the Torah and the historicity of such described events, while at other times favoring allegorical readings. Many critics of Philo assumed his allegorical perspective would lend credibility to the notion of legend over historicity. Philo's deployment of allegory to harmonize Jewish scripture, mainly the Torah, with Greek philosophy was the first documented of its kind, and thereby often misunderstood. 50 CE), also called Philo Judaeus, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. Philo of Alexandria ( / ˈ f aɪ l oʊ/ Ancient Greek: Φίλων, romanized: Phílōn Hebrew: יְדִידְיָה, romanized: Yəḏīḏyāh (Jedediah) c. ![]()
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