Philo of Alexandria : a thinker in the Jewish diaspora / / by Mireille Hadas-Lebel ; translated by Robyn Fréchet.

• Author: Hadas-Lebel, Mireille.
• TeilnehmendeR: Fréchet, Robyn.
• Year of Publication: 2012
• Language: English
• Series: Studies in Philo of Alexandria 7.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (258 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

Philo (20BCE?-45CE?) is the most illustrious son of Alexandrian Jewry and the first major scholar to combine a deep Jewish learning with Greek philosophy. His unique allegorical exegesis of the Greek Bible was to have a profound influence on the early fathers of the Church. Philo was, above all, a philosopher, but he was also intensely practical in his defence of the Jewish faith and law in general, and that of Alexandria’s embattled Jewish community in particular. A famous example was his leadership of a perilous mission to plead the community’s cause to Emperor Caligula. This monograph provides a guide to Philo's life, his thought and his action, as well as his continuing influence on theological and philosophical thought.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- I Alexandria “on the Edge” of Egypt -- II Being Jewish in Alexandria in Philo’s Day -- III Philo’s Cultural World -- IV Amid Political Turmoil -- V Judaism According to Philo: Practice and Ethics -- VI The Biblical Commentary -- VII Philo and Philosophy -- VIII Philo’s Doctrine -- IX Philo, ‘Father of the Church Honoris Causa’ -- Requiem -- Bibliography -- Index of Ancient Authors and Texts -- Index of Philonic Passages.