Biblexika

Philo of Alexandria — Selected Works

second-temple-judaismGreekc. 20 BCE - 50 CE

Selections from Philo of Alexandria's allegorical commentary and philosophical writings, focusing on the Logos theology, creation, the nature of God, and biblical interpretation that influenced John's Gospel and Hebrews

Translation: C.D. Yonge (1854-1890) (Public Domain)

Overview

Philo of Alexandria (c. 20 BCE - 50 CE) was the most important Jewish philosopher of antiquity — a thinker who spent his life attempting to reconcile the Hebrew Scriptures with Greek philosophy, particularly Platonism and Stoicism. He lived in Alexandria, Egypt, the greatest center of Hellenistic learning in the ancient world, and wrote entirely in Greek for both Jewish and educated Gentile audiences. His surviving works, covering biblical interpretation, philosophy, ethics, mystical theology, and political affairs, constitute the most extensive body of writing we possess from any ancient Jewish author outside the rabbinic tradition.

Philo's most distinctive interpretive move is allegory. He read the biblical text on multiple levels simultaneously: the literal meaning was true but insufficient; the deeper allegorical meaning revealed timeless philosophical and spiritual truths. The characters of Genesis became symbols of the soul's journey toward God. Abraham represented the soul seeking divine knowledge through learning and rational inquiry; Isaac represented the soul that receives wisdom as a natural gift; Jacob represented the soul that attains virtue through disciplined practice. The Exodus from Egypt became an allegory of the soul's escape from the slavery of the passions under the guidance of reason.

Central to Philo's theology is the concept of the Logos — the divine Word or Reason through which God created and continues to govern the world. The Logos is described as the firstborn of God, the image of God, the instrument of creation, and the mediator between the transcendent divine Being and material creation. This Logos theology draws on both Stoic physics (the logos as the rational principle pervading all things) and Platonic metaphysics (the divine mind as the realm of the Forms) to articulate a sophisticated account of how an absolutely transcendent God relates to and acts within the world. This concept is the most important intellectual precursor to the Gospel of John's prologue, which identifies Jesus as the divine Logos made flesh.

Bible connections
  • John 1:1-18 (Logos as divine mediator and instrument of creation)
  • Colossians 1:15-17 (Christ as image of God and firstborn of creation)
  • Hebrews 1:1-3 (divine Word sustaining the cosmos)
  • Galatians 4:21-31 (allegorical interpretation of Sarah and Hagar)
  • Wisdom of Solomon 7:22-8:1 (divine Wisdom as image and emanation)
Key terms
Logos– the divine Word or Reason through which God created and governs the world; Philo's key concept for understanding divine mediation, directly paralleled in John 1
Allegory– Philo's primary interpretive method: reading biblical narrative as symbolic of deeper philosophical and spiritual truths about God, the soul, and virtue
The Exponent (ta kyria)– Philo's term for the highest divine principles — the Logos and the divine powers — that mediate between the transcendent God and the created world
Ecstasy (ekstasis)– the mystical state in which the human mind is displaced by divine reason, allowing direct (though mediated) experience of the divine — Philo's description of prophetic and mystical vision
Did you know?

Philo is mentioned by the fourth-century church historian Eusebius, who reports a legend that Philo met the apostle Peter in Rome. While historically unlikely, the legend reflects early Christianity's recognition of Philo's profound influence on Christian theological language — the church found him so congenial that it preserved his entire corpus while the rabbinic Jewish tradition largely forgot him.