Philo of Alexandria Blog

From tomorrow and for a week or so, I'll be without access to the Internet , spending the last days of this year and the first ones of 2008 at my private cabin.

Hence, I'll wish all visitors during 2007 A happy new year 2008

Thanks to a recent posting on Jim Davila's blog Paleojudaica, based on information provided by Athens News, I have been made aware of the establishment of a Centre for Hellenistic Studies at the Libray of Alexandria in Egypt:"With a capacity of eight million volumes, the Library of Alexandria will host a Centre for Hellenistic Studies as of 2008. The Alexander S Onassis Foundation and the Vardinoyannis Foundation will share the centre's funding as part of their efforts to boost Greek culture abroad and promote the history of the Hellenistic era, during which the ancient library was created.
...

The Alexandria Centre for Hellenistic Studies will offer diplomas and degrees at the master's and PhD levels. The Library of Alexandria will provide the centre with classrooms, lecture rooms and meeting areas. All lessons will be conducted in English, and students will have access to the library premises for their research.

The director of the Library of Alexandria, Dr Ismail Serageldin announced that the centre will receive its first students in September 2008. Referring to the centre's Hellenistic focus, he pointed out: "This was a period when Greece and Egypt joined hands... We should once more reach hands across the Mediterranean to bring that period to life for a new generation of scholars.""

Even though this particular centre will focus on the Hellenistic times, it should be relevant also for students of Philo and his Roman times. It should be thus be interesting to see how the development of this centre will be.

I have tried to update my list on Resource Pages for Biblical Studies, Page Four: The Philo Page, of Scholars involved in writing on Philo, but I still miss several names, and even more web-adresses. If you find that I have missed some, please notify me in the comment field, just below this posting.

Scholars added Dec. 20:

Bosman, Philip R.
University of South Africa, Department of classics and modern european languages.

Cox, Ronald R.
Pepperdine University, Seaver College, Religious Division.

Fox, Kenneth A.
Ambrose University College

Konstan, David.
Brown University, Comparative Literature.

Martiín, Joseé Pablo.
Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento, San Miguel, Argentina

Radice, Roberto.
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Facolta' Di Lettere e Filosofia

Riaud, Jean. Universiteé Catholique de l'Ouest, Angers

Pearce,Sarah.
University of Southampton, School of Humanities.

Taylor, Joan

In the last issue of the Tyndale Bulletin (58.2-2007, pp. 313-316) , Stephen E. Witmer is presenting his own Ph D thesis, from University of Cambridge, 2007:Taught by God: Divine Instruction in Early Christianity.His supervisor was Graham N. Stanton.
"The study investigates one aspect of early Christian self-understanding, the conviction of some early followers of Jesus that they had been, and were being, taught by God in fulfilment of OT prophetic promises (most importantly, Isa. 54:13 and Jer. 31:33-34)."
It seems that the study is concentrating on the idea of divine instruction in the Johannine corpus, but also with brief chapters focusing on the Pauline writings and Matthew.
Part One; 'Divine Instruction in the OT and early Jewish literature' is supposed to provide a context for understanding the NT: Chap Two concerns divine instruction in the OT; Chap 3 examines the concept of divine instruction in early Jewish literature, with special attention to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Philo.

According to Witmer then, "Investigation of Philo's writings demonstrates that while Philo has a robust concept of divine instruction, his understanding is very different: it is more indepted to Greek educational ideas and personal observation that to the OT. Philo never draws on the OT prophetic promises mentioned above, and never develops an understanding of eschatological divine instruction."Part Two then deals with the Johannine literature, and Part Three with Divine instruction in Paul and Matthew.

I have, alas, no further publication info on this dissertation.

From time to time I stumble over books that make me think; How come I didn't see this book before. One of those I stumbled over most recently is this one, published in 2004. It does not deal primarily with Philo, but it contains one article directly relevant for Philo students: Michael F. Mach,
‘Choices for Changing Frontiers: The Apologetics of Philo of Alexandria,’
in Yossef Schwartz and Volkhard Krech (eds.), Religious Apologetics – Philosophical Argumentation (Religion in Philosophy and Theology 19; Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck, 2004. X, 574 pp.), pp. 319-334.
You can read the publisher's information on the book here.
If you try Google, you will find a Table of contents, and the now famous Google book-search engine by clicking here. That's what I did.
Did you know this article. Kåre? :-)

Surfing and searching on the Internet for Philo related recently published works, I found this that also has a chapter on Philo: Gäbel, Georg,
Die Kulttheologie des Hebräerbriefes. Eine exegetisch-religionsgeschichtliche Studie (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2.Reihe / 212; Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck 2006. 598 pp), esp. pp. 112-127.
The publisher describes the book thus: "Der Hebräerbrief macht die unüberbietbare Heilsbedeutung von Erniedrigung, Tod und Erhöhung Christi neu und vertieft einsichtig, indem er sie kulttheologisch und damit soteriologisch deutet. Georg Gäbel zeichnet diese kulttheologische Neuinterpretation der Tradition unter breiter Berücksichtigung von für den Hebräerbrief teils noch nicht ausgewertetem religionsgeschichtlichen Material differenziert nach. Der Brief deutet den irdischen Weg Christi als die Erfüllung des Willens Gottes, die in der Selbsthingabe bis in den Tod kulminiert. Komplementär dazu begreift er die Erhöhung Christi als Eintritt ins himmlische Allerheiligste, als hohepriesterliche Investitur und so auch als Darbringung seines Selbstopfers, das die Annullierung der Sünden bewirkt und zugleich das himmlische Heiligtum reinigt und den himmlischen Kult inauguriert. Christologie und Deutung der Adressatensituation sind aufeinander hin entworfen: Die Adressaten sind die Gemeinde des Neuen Bundes, die dem himmlischen Heiligtum und seinem Kult zugehört. Die Taufe ist die Bundesinitiation, welche die Gewissen reinigt, Zutritt zum himmlischen Heiligtum und Befähigung zur Kultteilnahme gewährt. Dem entspricht der Verzicht auf Teilnahme an irdischem Kult. An deren Stelle tritt ein Leben auf Erden in eschatologischer Reinheit, Glaube und Gehorsam, das sich am irdischen Weg Christi orientiert und auf himmlische Herrlichkeit zielt."

A Table of Contents is not provided on the publisher's webpage, but can be accessed via Google, for instance here.

The last of the two sessions in the Philo of Alexandria Group at the SBL Annual Meeting last November was devoted to the theme Interpreting Philo’s De Abrahamo. The session was presided over by Annewies van den Hoek, Harvard University, and the first speaker was professor (now retired) John Dillon, Trinity College, Dublin. He is working on a commentary on De Abrahamo, and presented a section of that work.
It is always fascinating to listen to Professor Dillon. In his ways of presenting, he might remind you somewhat of Philo; easily going into some digressions; because of his great knowledge of this writing and its context, small issues might rise great questions. But he managed to keep himself on the track, to the reward of all who were present.
His presentation was followed by three responses, on which see below.

If you click on the pictures, you'll get them full-sized.

Update:
Ken Schenck, whom I have seen, but never been able to talk to, also has some comments on this session. Check out his blog here.

After Dillon's presentation, Professor Erich Gruen, University of California-Berkeley, was the next speaker. He commented on some aspects of Abraham more than on the particular commentary section presented by Dillon.

Ellen Birmbaum gave the next response to Dillons paper; polite, kindly as ever, but with several to the point observations she gave her response.

Professor David T. Runia, now the Master of Queen's College, Queen's College, University of Melbourne, Australia, presented a paper in which he commented on the location and importance of De Abrahamo in Philo's works as a whole.

The last speaker this evening in the Philo Group was Professor James R. Royse, San Francisco State University, probably the greatest expert on questions related to the texts of Philo works. His paper then dealt with issues concerning textual problems of De Abrahamo.

The Studia Philonica Annual is now out. It was available at the SBL Book booth, and soon after I returned home, it arrived in my post box:The Studia Philonica Annual.
Studies in Hellenistic Judaism Volume XIX. 2007

Edited by David T. Runia and Gregory E. Sterling.
(Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, 2007). 239pp.



Contents:
ARTICLES
Joan E. Taylor, 'Philo of Alexandria on the Essenes: A Case Study on the Use of Classical Sources in Discussions of the Qumran-Essene Hypothesis,' pp. 1-28;
Lucia Saudell, 'La Hodos anô kai katô d'Héraclite (Fragment 22 B 60 DK/33 M) dans le De Aeternitate Mundi de Philon d'Alexandrie,' pp. 29-58;
Andrew Dinan, 'The Mystery of Play: Clement of Alexandria's Appropriation of Philo in the Paedagogus' (1.5.21.3-22.1), pp. 59-80;

SPECIAL SECTION: PHILO AND THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS
John J. Collins, 'Introduction,' pp. 81-84;
Florentino García Martínez, Divine Sonship at Qumran and in Philo,' pp. 85-100;
Hindy Najman, Philosophical Contemplation and Revelatory Inspiration in Ancient Judean Traditions,' pp. 101-112;
Katell Berthelot, Zeal for God and Divine Law in Philo and the Dead Sea Scrolls', pp. 113-129;
Loren T. Stuckenbruck, To What Extent Did Philo's Treatment of Enoch and The Giantrs Presuppose a Knowledge of the Enochic and Other Sources Preserved in the Dead Sea Scrolls?' pp. 131-142.
Then, as usual there also is a BIBLIOGRAPHY SECTION(pp. 143-204: An Annotated Bibliography 2004)), and a BOOK REVIEW SECTION (pp. 205-224), and some News and Notes, Notes on Contributors, and Instructions to Contributors.
Again a nice volume with a lot of Philo information for interested Philonists.

PS:I discovered, alas, that there is a missing s in my email adress on p 231; it is torreys@ ... not torrey@ ......

UPDATE THURSDAY NIGHT
Update on the Studia Philonica from David T. Runia:

"Many thanks from the editors of The Studia Philonica Annual to Torrey
for placing the announcement of the publication of this year's
volume. This is the second volume produced in collaboration with SBL
publications. It has to be said that the cover is very similar to
last year's. In fact two of the colleagues in San Diego accidentally
bought copies of last year's volume instead the one for this year
which they wanted! But if it is ordered from SBL hopefully this
mistake will not happen.
We are very proud that we are able to provide this service for
Philonists every year. We ask all scholars interested in Philo and
his legacy to support our working by purchasing the volume, either
for themselves or their institutional library or both. And a special
request for those readers who publish on Philo: as the convenor of
the International Philo Bibliography Project I am always very keen to
hear about publications on Philo in all languages. Please contact me
on my email address, runia@queens.unimelb.edu.au.
David Runia"

Yess, I am back again from The SBL Annual Meeting in San Diego. It was nice to be in San Diego, to feel the mild climate compared to the wet and rainy, cold and stormy western Norway.
But I got sick when I came home, and have had a slow recovery. But now much is better. I will soon post some pictures of the last Philo session, and then I probably will have to get going as normal.

I arrived in San Diego Thursday night, after having spent a couple of days with a brother in Indianapolis. It's a terrible long travel, getting here from Norway. Hence it was good to have a break in Indianapolis, even having a great day of golfing with my two brothers.

Today -Friday - I had breakfast with Ellen Birnbaum and David Runia;- or rather they were having breakfast together, and I were invited to join them when I dumped into Ellen. Two great Philo scholars.
I think I will join the Philo session on Monday, and then I have a lot of other sessions I would like to attend, but even more I have to 'chose away.'

When I get home, I will read the latest book by Sarah Pearse, which arrived just before I left Norway. Ellen B said many nice things about the book.

I must also say, I have bought my self a Palm T/X, and now I have downloaded the free Philo texts, both Greek and English. It is even possible to have both texts on the screen simultaneously, and be able to scroll them both, following each other. A great thing! Now I have Philo in my pocket! (well, don't overinterpet that statement....).

Yesterday I read a posting on the Logos Blog about some sessions that they (www.logos.com) were to be involved in at SBL, but when I looked for it earlier today the blog was -for some reasons - not available.

But now Ellen Birnbaum wrote me today, and reminded me of the sessions, including the whole program, and now the Logos blog is also available.

Focusing on Philo related studies, I would like to point your attention to this sessions (see the Logos Blog for the other sessions):

AM 18-21 Electronic Books and Databases for Research in Josephus, Philo and the Pseudepigrapha
Date: 11/18/2007 - 11:45AM-12:45PM
Room: Manchester 1 - MM

This meeting presents an overview of searchable, morphologically tagged databases of the Greek Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, the writings of Philo (the Philo Concordance project), and the Niese edition of The Works of Josephus with critical apparatus. Along with these databases, scholarly monographs now available in digital form for the study of these texts will be presented.

I am soon on my way to the SBL Annual Meeting in San Diego. I am making a stop in Chicago/ indianapolis, hence I am leaving tomorrow Tuesday. It might turn out to be a busy meeting; seeing people, buying books,- and even attend some lectures. And as usual there is a lot of collisionss of interest, hence pick and choose the best is the way of surviving through it all. Have a nice time.

I usually do not post on my more personal activities of life, but to today I had the wonderful privilege of participating in an extended lunch at Losby Gods, just outside Oslo, celebrating the doyen of Philo studies in Norway, Peder Borgen, and his wife Inger. This fall she was 70, and in January Peder B is 80! Hence they celebrated their 150 years!

They are both still going strong, age taken into consideration, and in good health. It should be of interest to students of both Philo and John (and others...) that they both are going to the SBL Annual Meeting in San Diego this month.

Peder B is to partipate in a seminar on Monday 19:
S19-22 John, Jesus, and History
Joint Session With: John, Jesus, and History, Johannine Literature
11/19/2007. 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: Salon G - MM
Theme: The Past, Present, and Future of Johannine Studies, Part I: The Fourth Gospel as/in History
Craig Koester, Luther Seminary, Presiding
D. Moody Smith, Duke University
The Problem of History in John (10 min)
Craig S. Keener, Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University
Genre, Sources, and History (5 min)
J. Louis Martyn, Union Theological Seminary
The Johannine Community Among Jewish and Other Early Christian Communities (10 min)
Adele Reinhartz, University of Ottawa
Reading History in the Fourth Gospel (5 min)
Urban C. Von Wahlde, Loyola University of Chicago
The Road Ahead: Reflections on Johannine Scholarship (10 min)
Felix Just, Santa Clara University
Combining Key Methodologies in Johannine Studies (5 min)
Peder Borgen, University of Trondheim
The Scriptures and the Words and Works of Jesus (10 min)
Michael Labahn, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Living Words and the Bread of Life (5 min)
John F. O'Grady, Barry University
Into the Whirlwind: The Prologue and Chapter 17 of John (10 min)
John Ashton, Oxford, UK
Second Thoughts on the Fourth Gospel (10 min)
Wendy North, Durham University
Why Should Historical Criticism Continue to Have a Place in Johannine Studies? (5 min)
Discussion (50 min). Break (10 min)

This session, then, is directly related to a book that is published this month, in which Peder Borgen, and the others listed above, are contributors:
Thom Thatcher (ed.),
What We Have Heard From the Beginning: The Past, Present and Future of Johaninne StudiesWaco, Texas; Baylor University Press, 2007. 425 pp.
Borgens article is to be found on pp. 39-58: 'The Scripture and the Words of Jesus.'
You can find a full List of Contents of this book here.

I am sure this volume will be an interesting volume assessing the present 'state of the art', and even though this post is not mch related to Philo, I confess my interest both in the SBL session, and the volume.

I have become aware of the homepage of Sarah Pearce, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Southampton. She has published several articles on Philo, and is now on the marked with a new book on Philo.

I have to add her on my Philo research page, as she sureley belongs there on my list of those publishing on Philo.

Reading her homepage, I'll like to draw my readers attention to the following works that are directly related to Philo:‘Belonging and Not Belonging: Local Perspectives in Philo of Alexandria’, in S. Jones and S. Pearce (eds), Jewish Local Patriotism and Self-Identification in the Graeco-Roman Period, Sheffield University Press,1998, pp. 79-105.

‘Jerusalem as Mother City in the Writings of Philo of Alexandria’, in J. Barclay (ed.), Negotiating Diaspora: Jewish Strategies in the Roman Empire, T&T Clark, 2004, pp. 19-36.

'King Moses: Notes on Philo's Portrait of Moses as an Ideal Leader in the Life of Moses', in E.Gannagé, P.Crone, M. Aouad, D. Gutas, E. Schütrumpf (eds), The Greek Strand in Islamic Political Thought, Mélanges de l'Université Saint-Joseph, Beirut, Volume LVII (2004), pp. 37-74.

‘Philo on the Nile’, in J. Frey and D. Schwartz (eds), Jewish Identity in the Greco-Roman World, Brill, 2007, pp. 137-157.

I was about to write a posting on a book from Mohr-Siebeck I found interesting, but on the other hand it was somewhat familar to me. A search via the search facility at the top of this page revealed that I had already posted on that book a year ago.....

I think there are at least two lessons to draw from this: 1) Use the search function at the top of this page: it may reveal many exciting things to you!
2) I'm getting older....

Have a nice week-end!

I realize it is impossible,- at least for me, to post every day (did you read every week?); and even to post regularly. So if you are getting tired of looking up this or other blogs to see if there are some recent postings, I highly recommend that you use Bloglines, and subscribe to the various blogs (this included of course) through that portal. Then you only have to look up Bloglines, even if you subscribe to dozens of blogs. It is really very efficient and time saving. Give it a try!

This book, written by Per Jarle Bekken, was originally planned to be published in April this year, but has been delayed:

The Word is Near You
A Study of Deuteronomy 30:12-14 in Paul's Letter to the Romans in a Jewish Context
23 x 15.5 cm. Approx. 300 pages. Hardcover. Euro [D] 88,- / sFr 141,- / für USA, Canada, Mexico US$ 118,80. *
ISBN 978-3-11-019341-1 Reihe: Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche 144.

Now it seems that it is scheduled for November.
Then, hopefully, it will available at the SBL Annual Meeting in San Diego this November.

This week I launched a new blog; the new one is more concerned with New Testament studies, and studies in 1 Peter in particular.
As you may have discovered from the sidebar here, I have published a volume on 1 Peter and Philo; I will continue to work with both 1 Peter, and with the works of Philo, but probably more as two separate fields. My present position at a School of Theology & Mission naturally directs my attention more to the New Testament; but Philo is and will still be there, and I will continue this blog and the related Resource page..

The Blog is to be found here: Research Notes on 1 Peter.

This caught my attention as it states something I had never thought of before:

"Outskirts Press, Inc. has published Voice of the Messiah: My Best Seller by Raygene Kuykendall, which is the author’s most recent book to date. The 5.5 x 8.5 Paperback in the Christianity - Theology - Anthropology category is available worldwide on book retailer websites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble for a suggested retail price of $16.95. Voice of the Messiah is also available in its 5.5 x 8.5 Hardback w/ Jacket edition for $24.95. The webpage at www.outskirtspress.com/voiceofthemessiah was launched simultaneously with the book’s publication."

Further down in the presentation of the book it is said:

"After two years of intense research, and many book reviews later, Raygene was inspired to write a “visionary” story of Jesus and his family, set in the “recorded” era of Augustus Caesar and the Roman Empire It is a story that depicts Hebrew life and family relationships at home in Nazareth as well as Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The story Includes the wedding of Mary, at thirteen years of age, to Joseph, who was nearing fifty, and eventually, Jesus’ 17 years of continuing education in the Essene community at Qumran under the tutorship of Philo of Alexandria. “Voice of the Messiah” is a compendium of the life of Jesus, from the time of the “immaculate” conception, until the beginning of his ministry. It is a story filled with intrigue, mystery, guile, murder, adultery, love, hate, and power. It is also an account of life, faith, and traditions that will leave you pleasantly filled with new views of Christianity, Judaism, Essenes, and the many other religions practiced during the life of Jesus of Nazareth."

Yeah, I have no doubts that thus book is really filled with "intrigue, mystery" etc etc. Such things sell!

But how come I never came upon the idea that Philo of Alexandria was the essene tutor of Jesus of Nazareth? This discovery would be great news at the upcoming Philo seminar at the SBL Annual Meeting in San Diego this fall...

Or,- well, I really don't think so.........

Last year Brill published a 954 pages large volume of Louis H. Feldman's studies. I see I have not mentioned it before on this blog (for reasons I can't understand...), but here it comes:Louis H. Feldman, Judaism and Hellenism Reconsidered (Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism, 107; Leiden, Brill 2006). 954 pp. € 207.00 / US$ 279.00
"This book is a collection of 26 previously published articles, with a number of additions and corrections, and with a long new introduction on "The Influence of Hellenism on Jews in Palestine in the Hellenistic Period." The articles deal with such subjects as "Homer and the Near East," "The Septuagint," "Hatred and Attraction to the Jews in Classical Antiquity," "Conversion to Judaism in Classical Antiquity," "Philo, Pseudo-Philo, Josephus, and Theodotus on the Rape of Dinah," "The Influence of the Greek Tragedians on Josephus," "Josephus' Biblical Paraphrase as a Commentary on Contemporary Issues," "Parallel Lives of Two Lawgivers: Josephus' Moses and Plutarch's Lycurgus," "Rabbinic Insights on the Decline and Forthcoming Fall of the Roman Empire."

The Brill homepage also has a Table of Contents available on their site, listing the 26 studies included in this volume.

I congratulate Feldman on the publication of these studies, hoping that it may help many other readers getting access to his many erudite articles and studies.
However, the price is disturbing; US$ 279.00 is too much for most young research fellows or scholars. My wife would be mad for days, if I spent so much on a single volume....
I always keep wondering, when seeing such prices; how is it possible to make books becoming so expensive in the age of computer technology?

How could I miss this book? I suddenly discovered that L.H. Feldman is publishing a large study on Philo's portrayal of Moses. However, as far as I can gather, the book is not yet published. Hopefully it might be available in November at the SBL, I might hope: Louis H. Feldman,
Philo's Portrayal of Moses in the Context of Ancient Judaism
The University of Notre Dame Press, Cloth Edition, 568 Pages, 2007.
We might again quote from the publishers:
"Philo's Portrayal of Moses in the Context of Ancient Judaism presents the most comprehensive study of Philo's De Vita Mosis that exists in any language. Feldman, well known for his work on Josephus and ancient Judaism, here paves new ground using rabbinic material with philological precision to illuminate important parallels and differences between Philo's writing on Moses and rabbinic literature."

Louis H. Feldman is the Abraham Wouk Family Professor of Classics and Literature, Yeshiva University. He is the author and editor of over sixteen books, including Josephus's Interpretation of the Bible and most recently Judaism and Hellenism Reconsidered.

“This book represents the first full-length treatment of Philo's portrait of Moses in the De Vita Moysis. The work is erudite and careful. As is characteristic of Professor Feldman's work as a whole, the strongest quality of this book is its comprehensive nature and encyclopedic learning. It will appeal to a significant number of scholars and students from a wide range of disciplines, including Second Temple Judaism, Rabbinic Judaism, New Testament, and the Early Church.” —Gregory E. Sterling, associate professor of theology, University of Notre Dame.

Read more about the book here.

Every one who have read more than just a little in Philo, will probably have discovered his many sayings and invectives against the 'Egyptians'. Now there is a study to be published about Philo's view of the 'Egyptians':Sarah J.K. Pearce,
The Land of the Body. Studies in Philo's Representation of Egypt
(Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 208)
Mohr Siebeck,2007. XXVIII, 365 pages. ISBN 978-3-16-149250-1 cloth € 109.00
The publisher's description of the book runs thus:
"This book presents the first extended study of the representation of Egypt in the writings of Philo of Alexandria. Philo is a crucial witness, not only to the experiences of the Jews of Alexandria, but to the world of early Roman Egypt in general. As historians of Roman Alexandria and Egypt are well aware, we have access to very few voices from inside the country in this era; Philo is the best we have. As a commentator on Jewish Scripture, Philo is also one of the most valuable sources for the interpretation of Egypt in the Pentateuch. He not only writes very extensively on this subject, but he does so in ways that are remarkable for their originality when compared with the surviving literature of ancient Judaism. In this book, Sarah Pearce tries to understand Philo in relation to the wider context in which he lived and worked. Key areas for investigation include: defining the 'Egyptian' in Philo's world; Philo's treatment of the Egypt of the Pentateuch as a symbol of 'the land of the body'; Philo's emphasis on Egyptian inhospitableness; and his treatment of Egyptian religion, focusing on Nile veneration and animal worship."

The Eisenbrauns publishers bookstore also provide a Table of Contents of the book:


Sarah J.K. Pearce, born 1965; 1988 Bachelor of Divinity (University of London); 1995 DPhil (Oriental Studies, University of Oxford); Ian Karten Senior Lecturer in Jewish History, The Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations, University of Southampton.

This is a welcome addition to those studies who focus on how Philo conceptualized aspects and issues of his social worldpast and present. I hope to get hold of the book (hey, publisher, are you listening..... :-)

Using some simple search procedures, I was able to detect the following sessions including one or more lectures on Philo at the upcoming SBL Annual Meeting in San Diego. If you know of some papers I have missed, please use the comments field (kommentarer) below.

Hellenisticum Novi Testamenti
11/18/2007. 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: Edward A - GH

Theme: Literary and Historical Contexts of Early Christian Anthropology

Matthew Goff, Florida State University
"Spiritual" and "Fleshly" Types of Humankind in 4QInstruction, Philo and Paul (20 min) Discussion (10 min)

Abstract: 4QInstruction is a sapiential text in Hebrew that was written during the second century BCE and published in 1999. The emergence of this composition provides a new perspective for comparing Diaspora Jewish texts, and Hellenistic literature in general, to the Hebrew wisdom literature of the late Second Temple period. My paper will examine the anthropology of 4QInstruction and compare it to that of Philo's On the Creation of the World and 1 Corinthians. All three texts make a distinction between "fleshly" and "spiritual" kinds of people. Moreover, these three compositions ground their understanding of humankind in an interpretation of Gen 1-3. These and other works include variants of an early Jewish exegetical tradition attested in both Palestine and the wider Hellenistic world.

Jutta Leonhardt-Balzer, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität
A Case of Psychological Dualism: Philo's Interpretation of the Instruction of the Two Spirits in QEx I 23 (20 min)
Discussion (10 min)

Abstract: The Instruction of the Two Spirits (1QS III,13-IV,26) is one of the best-known dualistic texts from Qumran, combining cosmic, ethical and psychological dualism. However, A. Lange and others have shown that it did not originate in the Qumran community, but represents a tradition taken up from outside. In his Quaestiones, Philo presents a wide variety of traditions, not all of which he agrees with. In QEx I 23, he takes up the tradition of the two spirits and interprets it in an emphatically psychological way. This paper argues that Philo is acquainted with the Instruction of the Two Spirits, but takes it up in a way that emphasizes the already existing psychological dualism and allows him to tone down the cosmic aspects which do not fit into his own view.

S18-18 Hellenistic Judaism
11/18/2007. 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: Edward D - GH

Theme: Philosophy and Wisdom in Hellenistic Judaism

4^th and 5^th lecture:

Erin Roberts, Brown University
Philo, Wealth, and Stoic Ethics (20 min)

Abstract: The question of whether Philo of Alexandria expresses a consistent ethical view of wealth has been a matter of dispute. Arguments against a consistent view proceed either by drawing attention to the discrepancy between Philo's own personal wealth and passages from his writings that portray wealth as something which should be avoided, or by highlighting the contradictory ways that Philo depicts wealth in his writings (sometimes disparaging it, other times praising it). Arguments for a consistent view maintain that what really matters to Philo is the will of the possessor of wealth or the measure of one's desire for riches; by turning the focus inward, these arguments ameliorate the two sorts of inconsistency mentioned above. The purpose of this paper is to reframe the discussion so that our evaluation of Philo's ethical consistency turns upon the question of whether Philo has a doctrine akin to that of the Stoic adiaphora, and, if so, whether he considers wealth to be contained therein. My argument aligns with those who claim that Philo's view of wealth is consistent, but I think that we have sufficient evidence to take the argument further. With attention to two Stoic paradoxes--"virtue is the only good" and "the sage alone is rich"--I explain how Philo portrays desire to be dangerous to virtue and consider how he proposes that one may overcome or control desire. I maintain that Philo views desire not so much as being dangerous to virtue as being indicative of the absence of virtue and that Philo supports the extirpation of passions from the human soul. Finally, I argue in favor of Philonic consistency because the literature points us toward the conclusion that Philo does have a doctrine of adiaphora which can be seen to underlie his views about economic wealth.

Philippa Townsend, Princeton University
Being Jewish Under Rome: Philo on Greeks and Egyptians (20 min)
Discussion (25 min)

Abstract: Most scholarship on Philo makes a sharp distinction between his attitudes towards Greeks and Egyptians. However, this paper argues that in Against Flaccus and Embassy to Gaius, Philo quite deliberately elides the distinction between Egyptians and Greeks in Alexandria, consistently referring to the Greek citizens of Alexandria as "Egyptians," with all the attendant connotations of extreme barbarism which that term consistently has in his work. While these texts have often been taken to show that the tension in Alexandria was between Jews and the native Egyptians, this reading suggests that Philo's complaint was actually with the Alexandrian Greeks. Further, this paper argues that the conflation of Greeks and Egyptians in these texts should be understood within a broader context in which Philo was concerned to undermine Greek cultural prestige in the eyes of the Romans. Drawing on evidence from On the Contemplative Life, among other texts, I will argue that in his depiction of Greeks, Philo plays on xenophobic anxieties within Roman society about the degenerative effect of Greek moral laxity, while at the same time attempting to bolster the status of Jews as moral exemplars within the Empire. This paper argues, then, that Philo's depiction of both Greeks and Egyptians can only be understood within the context of a conversation with Rome.

S18-66 Hellenistic Judaism
Joint Session With: Josephus, Hellenistic Judaism
11/18/2007. 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Room: Point Loma - MM

Theme: Josephus

Tessa Rajak, University of Reading, Presiding
Fabian Eugene Udoh, University of Notre Dame
Joseph as a Prototype of the Enslaved: Philo (De Iosepho) and Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews 2.39-90) (20 min)

Abstract: John Byron, in his 2003 study, Slavery Metaphors in Early Judaism and Pauline Christianity, entitles his section on the representation of Joseph in both Philo (De Iosepho) and Josephus (A.J. 2.39-90): “Joseph as a Paradigmatic Enslaved Figure.” He concludes his brief study by noting that “Joseph, as a paradigmatic enslaved figure, represents the pattern of Humiliation-Obedience-Examination.” While one will readily agree that, in both Philo and Josephus, Joseph is a prototype of the enslaved, Byron’s work as a whole betrays negligible contact with the ideology and practice of slavery in the Greco-Roman world. This contact is certainly lacking in his analysis of the figure of Joseph. Byron, consequently, fails to show how Josephus and Philo might be said to see in the slave-Joseph “a prototype of the enslaved.” In this paper, I will examine the notions of slavery that underlie the presentation of Joseph by both Philo and Josephus. I will draw from the extensive literature of slavery (though there is no “slave literature”) by Greco-Roman authors in order to explore the ways in which Philo and Josephus assimilated, and perhaps flouted, the various modes by which the free negotiated and legitimized the social structure of slavery and the meaning it generated. In so doing, I shall seek to uncover in what manner, and to what end, the slave-Joseph is an exemplary slave. This paper will further the on-going discussion of slavery in first-century Judaism and early Christianity, particularly in the New Testament.

The preliminary Program Book of teh SBL Annual Meeting is now available on the sbl-site.org, and I am trying to get an overview of what sessions I would like to attend. The following is a presentation of the primary Philo sessions in the Philo group:

S18-128

Philo of Alexandria
11/18/2007. 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: Emma C - GH

Theme: Philo in Context

Hindy Najman, University of Toronto, Presiding
Julia Annas, University of Arizona
Philo and Plato's Laws (35 min)

Abstract: Philo is familiar with Plato's Laws, and some of his language in his works on the Decalogue and the Special Laws reflects this. More importantly, his project in these works can reasonably be seen as similar to Plato's attempt, in the Laws, to show how a system of laws can be presented in a persuasive framework which brings out the ethical aims of the laws and the virtues encouraged in those who live according to them. Law is thus presented in a eudaimonistic framework.

Robert A. Kraft, University of Pennsylvania
Looking for Philo's Abraham in all the Wrong Places (35 min)

Abstract: Philo's information about Abraham is mostly built on the Genesis traditions, but occasionally also takes the reader outside that body of material. What other Abrahamic literature or traditions might have been extant in the mid first century, apart from what is also found in Josephus? This presentation is intended as part of the "new M.R.James" (Lost Apocrypha of the OT) project, and surveys the various possibilities that have been suggested over the years (with Philo as a focal point).

Allen Kerkeslager, Saint Joseph's University
Rome as an Alternative to Alexandria in the Early Transmission of Philo's Works and Philonism (35 min)

Abstract: The most popular reconstruction of the early history of Philo's works and ideas is that they were directly transmitted from Philo through Jewish communities in Alexandria to the earliest Christian communities in Alexandria. In this view these Christian communities survived the devastating revolt of 116-117 and transmitted various forms of Philonism during the second century, including forms associated with "Gnosticism." This reconstruction is assumed in extrapolations from second-century Christianity in Alexandria back to first-century Judaism and Christianity in Alexandria. Despite its tantalizing simplicity, this reconstruction has become increasingly untenable. First, recent research on the revolt in 116-117 has shown that its suppression was much more devastating than once supposed. Jewish and Christian communities in Egypt could not have survived to pass on Philo's works or ideas. Second, much of the purported evidence for Philonism in second-century Christian documents from Egypt can be better explained as a recent development in Egyptian Christianity. Extrapolation of first-century Jewish or Christian communities from these documents is anachronistic. Third, the use of Philo in Egypt in the late second century appears with a flood of Christian and Jewish literature imported into Egypt. Philo's works had circulated widely enough before the revolt in 116-117 that their appearance in Egypt after this point might also be due to transmission from another region. This paper will suggest that the survival of Philo's works and ideas up to the middle of the second century is due largely to their transmission in Rome, not Alexandria. Philo sent copies of his works to Herodians and other elites in Rome. Philo's works and ideas were transmitted from Rome in the second century by Gentile Christian travelers and missionaries, some of whom reintroduced them to Alexandria.

C. T. Robert Hayward, University of Durham
Philo, Jerome, and Jewish Exegesis of Genesis 49:14-15 (35 min)
Discussion (10 min)

Abstract: The paper will seek to identify ancient materials in the exegesis of the these verses as represnted by LXX, the Aramaic Targumim, and the Midrashim, comparing and contrasting them with the particular observations offered by Philo on the one hand, and with the remarks made by Jerome in his Hebrew Questions on Genesis and the translation he offered in his Vulgate.

S19-120

Philo of Alexandria
11/19/2007. 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: Oxford - GH

Theme: Interpreting Philo’s De Abrahamo

Annewies van den Hoek, Harvard University, Presiding
John Dillon, Trinity College, Dublin
A Sample Commentary on Philo De Abrahamo 119–132 (25 min)

Abstract: A sample commentary of De Abrahamo 119-132 will be presented. In this section Philo enters upon an allegorization of the incident described in Genesis 18, where Abraham is approached by, and entertains, a trio of strangers, who are in fact the Lord, under an alternately monadic and triadic guise. This leads Philo to an exposition of the relation between God himself and his two chief Powers, the Creative and the Administrative (represented by theos and kyrios respectively) which is of great interest, both as to its possible sources and to its philosophical significance. The issue of three levels of approach to God, linked to the triad of manifestations of the divinity, is also of much interest, and requires discussion.

Erich Gruen, University of California-Berkeley, Respondent (15 min)
Ellen Birnbaum, Cambridge, MA, Respondent (15 min)

David T. Runia, University of Melbourne

The Place of De Abrahamo in Philo’s Oeuvre (25 min)

Abstract: Philo’s treatise De Abrahamo is called a bios and it describes the life of the first Patriarch. But at the same time it is part of a much larger work, known as the Exposition of the Law. The paper first explores the link between De opificio mundi (the opening treatise) and De Abrahamo (the next treatise). It then examines how the themes in the treatise reflect the larger agenda that Philo had before him when composing his lengthy Commentary on the Law.

James R. Royse, San Francisco State University
The Text of Philo’s De Abrahamo (25 min)

Abstract: The treatise De Abrahamo is well-attested within the manuscript tradition of Philo, and is also included within the ancient Armenian translation of Philo’s works, which often confirms the readings of the better Greek manuscripts. In this paper I examine the place of De Abrahamo within the Philonic corpus, looking at both the Greek manuscripts and the Armenian version. Special attention will be given to the several places where Cohn judges that the Armenian alone has preserved the authentic text.

Discussion (15 min)
Other (30 min)

The Philo Index: A Complete Greek Word Index to the Writings of Philo of Alexandria is still available. A recent check on the Amazon.co.uk shows that they now also have added the possibility of looking into the book, and even search it. They also have some used copies for sale; prices from 7 pounds....
And you haven't bought it yet???

My Resource Pages for Biblical Studies has been on the Internet for some years now; but over the last couple of years it has been harder and harder to be able to find time to keep them updated.

At the present time several issues tell me to - not really closing them down - but after a major update of the links to come, I will probably not be able to spend time on them any more. The work is simply too time-consuming, and the pages structures and coding are much too old-fashioned.

I have been involved in a little discussion - some time ago- on the role of what was then called megasites, and I then called for some sort of collaborations, and maybe even some sort of organizational associations. But at that time people liked to go on for themselves. Now it look like fellows as Mark Goodacre are feeling the burden of work too. One the one hand he is a much more competent person than myself to deal with modern webpages (mine are like fossils), but he also seems more open for some sort of collaboration with other interested and able scholars. His experimenting and ideas about how he will carry out his work are interesting, and I wish him every good wish.

For my own part, I will keep on doing some Philo-blogging on this blog; I am also considering establishing a similar blog on 1 Peter in January. But my Resource Pages for Biblical Studies will be rather static; that is - not being regularly updated.

I December 21 I blogged here about an article by Harold Remus, "Moses and the thaumaturges: Philo's De Vita Mosis as a rescue Operation," in Laval Theologique et Philosophiique 52 (1996): 665-680, and said, that "Alas, this article is not available in Norway."

Today I received it as a pdf file from Prof. Dr. G.H. van Kooten, Professor of New Testament & Early Christianity, Faculty of Theology & Religious Studies, University of Groningen, who had used the article himself for one of his own studies.

What a pleasant surprise! It made my day! Thank you very much. I appreciate very much such interest and helpful attitude. This is internet at its best!

Congratulations to Ronald Cox who has his great study on Creation and Salvation published this summer:Ronald Cox,
By the Same Word. Creation and Salvation in Hellenistic Judaism and Early Christianity.
July 2007. 23 x 15.5 cm. Approx. X, 380 pages. Cloth. Euro [D] 98.00 / sFr 157.00 / for USA, Canada, Mexico US$ 132.30. ISBN 978-3-11-019342-8
The publishers description of the volume runs like this:

"Middle Platonism explained how a transcendent principle could relate to the material world by positing an intermediary, modeled after the Stoic active cause, that mediated the supreme principle’s influence to the world while preserving its transcendence. Having similar concerns as Middle Platonism, Hellenistic Jewish sapientialism, early Christianity, and Gnosticism appropriated this intermediary doctrine as a means for understanding their relationship to God and to the cosmos. However, these traditions vary in their adaptation of this teaching due to their distinctive understanding of creation and humanity’s place therein. The Jewish writings of Philo of Alexandria and Wisdom of Solomon espouse a holistic ontology, combining a Platonic appreciation for noetic reality with an ultimately positive view of creation and its place in human fulfillment. The early Christians texts of 1 Cor 8:6, Col 1:15-20, Heb 1:2-3, and the prologue of John provide an eschatological twist to this ontology when the intermediary figure finds final expression in Jesus Christ. Contrarily, Poimandres (CH 1) and the Apocryphon of John, both associated with the traditional rubric “Gnosticism”, draw from Platonism to describe how creation is antithetical to human nature and its transcendent source."

If you are interested in this volume, you should consider its List of contents, available on the publishers webpage.

Walter de Gruyter announces a new book on Moses in Biblical and extra-Biblical traditions to be published these days: Moses in Biblical and Extra-Biblical Traditions
Ed. by Axel Graupner & Michael Wolter
(Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 372)
2007. 277 pages. Cloth. Euro [D] 88.00 / sFr 141.00 / for USA, Canada, Mexico US$ 123.00. ISBN 978-3-11-019460-9 The announcement says furthermore: "The papers in this volume revolve around the history of the influence exerted by the person of Moses and the traditions associated with him. They deal not only with the function of the figure of Moses in the Pentateuch, the salvation in the Red Sea and the final day of Moses’ life, but also with the way Moses was received in the Deuteronomic history, the Psalms, the Book of Jeremiah, the Septuagint, in Qumran, early Jewish extra-biblical literature, the New Testament and the Early Church."

It turns out that the volume also contain a couple of articles on Philo:

Pierluigi Lanfranchi, 'Reminiscences of Ezekiel's Exagoge in Philo's De Vita Mosis,' pp. 143-150;
and
Hywel Clifford, 'Moses as Philosopher-Sage in Philo.' pp. 151-168.

I have not seen the volume yet, just its announcement, so I have no further information than this bibliographic note.

The Philo blogger is still on vacation, and will be away even till August 1.
In the meantime you can have a look at another site with some Philo stuff:

http://www.deeperstudy.com/link/philo_index.html

SBL's Bookreview services (www.bookreviews.org) announces some new reviews being published on their web site. Among these is a review of Fuller, Michael E.
The Restoration of Israel: Israel’s Re-gathering and the Fate of the Nations in Early Jewish Literature and Luke-Acts (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche 138; Berlin: de Gruyter, 2006. Pp. xi + 332. Cloth. €91.59.ISBN 3110188961.
The reviewer is M. Eugene Boring, says in his introduction: "This informative study is a slightly revised version of the author’s 2005 Ph.D. dissertation
at the University of Durham, directed by Loren T. Stuckenbruck. The volume is a timely contribution to the current discussion of the theme of exile and restoration in early Jewish literature, regarded both in its own right and as context and background for themes of New Testament theology. E. P. Sanders, for example, has emphasized the importance of Israel’s ideas of restoration in studying first-century Jewish eschatology, the Pauline writings, and especially the historical Jesus, and N. T. Wright has declared the early Jewish understanding of exilic theology to be the mother of early Christian origins—in opposition to Ernst Käsemann’s dictum that apocalyptic played this central role. Although Fuller does not make his dissertation a direct challenge to Wright’s thesis, he claims that Wright has overstated the prevalence of the exilic model of restoration in the period of Second Temple Judaism and does not do justice to the diversity and complexity of this motif (10–11). Fuller divides the exile/restoration model of early Judaism’s selfunderstanding into three main motifs—Israel’s regathering, the defeat of the nations, and a new temple—devoting a chapter to each of the first two topics, but dealing with the
motif of a new temple only incidentally."

Concerning Philo, who is dealt with in chapter One, part 6 (The Return as Spiritual Journey; Philo of Alexandria:The UNiversal Pilgrimage to God, pp. 82-102), Boring says: "The chapter concludes with a discussion of Philo as representative of that Diaspora Judaism that did not find the Diaspora as such oppressive and did not anticipate a literal return of Israel to the land. Philo mostly ignores biblical references to restoration. When he does attend to them, he mostly spiritualizes them. Whatever lingering expectation of a literal return may be present in Philo’s writings is subjugated to this spiritual or allegorical aspect."

Philo usually keeps both to a spiritual and literal interpretations, and one might wonder if Fuller here underplays the literal view of Philo's view on the return of Israel; cf. here at least the famous statment in Praem 162-172. I wonder how Fuller interprets this passage.

You can find a link to the List of contents on this page.

The 25th SBL International Meeting will be held this summer in Vienna, Juli 22-26. Due to some other events, I will not be able to attend, but is nevertheless interested in how Philo will be present(ed) at the meeting.

There will be no session exclusively devoted to the works of Philo, but as often is the case, he will be present(ed) in several papers. Here are the papers that - according to my search of their abstracts - Philo will be present(ed):

Elena Narinskaya, Durham University
A Dialogue of Ideas through the Centuries: Ephrem and Philo in Their Approaches to Various Aspects of Life
There are self-evident differences between the Church Father of the fourth century, St. Ephrem the Syrian, and the Jewish scholar of the first century, Philo of Alexandria. They belonged to different historical periods, they lived in different countries, and they confessed different religious traditions. However, one can identify similar presentations in the writings of the two authors and their comparable ideological perception. The paper will compare writings of the two authors on the various aspects of life including, De Vita Contemplativa, the life of
virtue, the life of nature.. The paper will emphasise the similarities of the two authosrs’ approaches to life and to highlight their shared ideas, which will be presented and sorted out thematically. The presentation will deal with two basic questions: 1) Are there more then just striking similarities between the presentations of the two authors? 2) Are we to give more credit to the interactions between Christian and Jewish Scholarship?


Hindy Najman, University of Toronto
The Authority and Transformation of Mosaic Law in Philo and the Dead Sea Scrolls
I will consider the variety of ways in which Mosaic Law is invoked, appropriated and reconceived in both the writings of Philo of Alexandria and some of the scrolls discovered at Qumran. The authority of the Mosaic Torah is essential to comprehending communal self-definition. Similarities and differences will be considered.
In addition, the paper will address the transformation of Mosaic Torah within the context of its appropriation.

24-10
Nicola Hayward, McGill University
Women’s Commensality and Women’s Empowerment in Greco-Roman Banquet Settings
This paper focuses on women’s commensality in relation to the sensual setting of the banquet. Themes to be engaged include how meals function in the sensual setting of the banquet, the implication for women and male reactions. There is a connection between sexual activity, the belly and the appetites. This is reflected in Philo’s
and Clement of Alexandria’s anxiety about the body. Given this connection between food and sexual appetites, women’s presence at public meals added an element of danger to the context, since women were identified with licentious carnality. The dominant discourse in antiquity presented women who participated in banquets as
sexually promiscuous. This discourse, facilitated by negative perceptions of the female body and the sexualized nature of banquets, elicited criticisms of women from Greco-Roman writers who saw a respectable woman’s participation in them as being unchaste. This discourse has always considered the topic from the male’s perspective.
Recently the theme of meal settings has generated significant interest from scholars, with particular focus on understanding early Christian meal practice, including the importance of dining for males. Previous studies, which focus on women’s commensality, tend to concentrate on private/public distinction, yet the sensual
setting of the banquet and its implication for women, from a woman’s perspective, remains unexplored. I argue that women’s participation in public meals continued to received harsh criticism from the male elite, partly because women were moving from private to public space, but also because women’s commensality provided an environment that empowered women. My contribution considers what forms such empowerment might have taken from the perspectives of the female courtesan and “respectable women.” I will locate my research between Kathleen Corely who articulates female commensality in relation to public/private roles, and Joan Burton
who argues for the loosening of gender and class restrictions in the Hellenistic period.

Markus Tiwald, University of Vienna
Paul: Apostle of Christ and Jew
The interpretation of the “Tora” – and all that was included in this very complex expression – was the central topic in early Judaism and was handled in a wide range of different theological concepts. The diversity of these concepts can be highlighted by the differing theology in the scriptures of Qumran, Jewish pseudepigrapha and
the writings of Philo and Josephus. According to these results it can be shown, that the theology of the apostle Paul has to be understood as an inner-Jewish dialogue about the right fulfillment and interpretation of scripture – but not as an “abrogation of the Tora”, as often suggested by some exegetes. Paul was Jew – and he remained Jew also in his Christian times. As a Christian he did not abrogate the Tora, but adopted the position of a liberal Tora-interpretation that was already present in early Judaism.

Ljubica Jovanovic, Vanderbilt University
‘Open His Mouth and His Ears to Hear and Speak with His Tongue in the Revealed
Language’: Jubilees 12:25-27
The Hellenistic identification of patriarch Joseph with a scientist of ancient optics who interprets dream images and light reflected on shiny surfaces could explain otherwise problematic biblical reference to his magical use of the silver cup (Gen 44:5.15). It is a major reason for a renewed interest in Joseph of the Hellenistic era and for the outburst of the texts that elaborate on this scientific image, such as historical writings of Josephus, the philosophical writings of Philo, and the ancient play: Ethiopic Joseph. This Joseph as an ancient scientist of optics gains an access to esoteric knowledge, religious experience, and scientific understanding through sight.
Jubilees holds that vision is deceptive and therefore cannot be relied on as a source of divine revelation: sight leads people into sin. Thus, Jubilees gives an alternative depiction of Joseph, rejecting his image as a Hellenistic scientist and systematically suppressing any indication that dreams and visions could be symbolic by expunging all references to them, from Joseph’s youthful dreams to God’s apparition in the form of burning bush. Jubilees further censors any mention of divination by rendering, “I can practise divination?’ (Gen 44:15), with, “A man
takes pleasure in his cup as I do in this cup? (Jub. 43:10). Science and augury are not paths to divine knowledge but “errors of the earth” and impurity (Jub. 11:16-17). For Jubilees, truth lies not in the vision, but in the voice. Its revelations are speeches devoid of imagery or descriptions (e.g. 1:1-27; 32:17. 21-26). Vision leads to magic and to Hellenistic syncretism, which Jubilees rejects. And Joseph is a good Jew, and not a magician. Jubilees’ worldview promotes hearing, not vision, as the only portal to divine communication.

In the Philo of Alexandria Seminar of the Nov. 1995 annual meeting of Society of Biblical Literature Katie Evans had a paper on Alexander the Alabarch; Roman and Jew. The full text of the paper was later published in SBL Seminar Papers, 1995, p. 576-594.

However, she also made a webpage on Alexander; this has now been moved as a subpage to her homepage. See also here. She also states that she plans a page on Philo of Alexandria, on Alexanders Egypt, and on Alexanders Palestine. But so far, none of these are avialable.

So still, you have to direct you browser here, to find more info about Philo. :-)

In 1994 Abraham Terian published an interesting article with the title'Had the Works of Philo Been Newly Discovered', Biblical Archaeologist 57.2 (1994):86-97.In this article he presented Philo to his readers, focusing especially the study of Philo was influenced by the findings in Qumran, and the Nag Hammadi in Egypt. One might wonder what might have happened if the works of Philo had been found after Qumran and Nag Hammadi?
Terian presents and discuss some of the research on Philo, and the nature of the works of Philo, dealing also especially with the Armenian texts, as Terian is an expert on just the Armenian texts of Philo. Terian ends his article with the call: "Nearly half a century after the discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Codices, it is perhaps time to rediscover Philo."

This article was published 13 years ago; what has happened to Philo studies in these years? It is my impression that Philo studies have had a much greater place in recent publications; it has, for instance, been much more natural to include Philo when decribing the possible background of some New Testament topics; and Philo has been much more studied for his own part and as a representative of the Diaspora Judaism of the time of Jesus and Paul. One of those contributing to this resurge is Gregory E. Sterling.

Gregory E. Sterling has two articles out that in particular focus on the value of Philo for New Testament research. Those interested in this topic, should have a closer look at these articles: '"Philo has not been used half enough": The Significance of Philo of Alexandria for the Study of the New Testament,' Perspectives in Religious Studies 30.3 (2003): 251-269.
Sterling here states frankly that "I think that the Philonic corpus is the single most important body of material from Second Temple Judaism for our understanding of the development of Christianity in the first and second centuries. . . . I am convinced, that the Philonic corpus helps us to understand the dynamics of early Christianity more adequately than any other corpus." (p. 252.

The rest of the article is a presentation of various aspects of Philo's life and works as reflected in his work and as focused in recent research. Another article takes this a little further. Hence the abovementioned article and the one mentioned below together represent relevant introduction to the value of Philo for further New Testament studies.
'The Place of Philo of Alexandria in the Study of Christian Origins' in R. Deines & K-W. Niebuhr (eds.), Philo und das Neue Testament. Wechelseitige Wahrnehmungen (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 171; Mohr Siebeck; Tubingen 2004), pp. 21-52.

For those of you struggling with Greek fonts, and the various diacritical marks, in Microsoft Word), here are some suggestions that may help you. I usually do not have these problems myself, as I use NotaBene), but those using Word more regularly may know the problem:

1. Go to this webpage: http://titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de/unicode/tituut.asp and download the Titus font. Further descriptions are given on the page on how to download and install the font.

2. Then go to this page: http://titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de/unicode/tituutk.asp and download the UniqTitus (Unicode keyboard entry tool for MS-Word). You will find further information onn how to download and innstall this item in Word on the webpage and / or in the files downloaded (on installing). Read carefully.

Having done this, you will have access to a lot of diacritics and additional characters for both Roman letters, Greek and Coptic. Have a look at the webpages, and give it a try. I did, and it worked very well.

Then I return to NotaBene, my favorite wordprocessor!

Having daily access to a library with rather limited resources for subscribing to various journals, it is a pleasure to be able to search and often even make printouts from the search engine FirstSearch.
Last week I stumbled over an issue of Perspectives in Religious Studies containing several articles on Philo. It looks like a whole issue was devoted to Philo. The issue concerned is this: Perspectives in Religious Studies 30.3 (2003), and the articles on Philo are these (all printable from First Search):

G. E. Sterling, “‘Philo Has not Been Used Half Enough’: The Significance of Philo of Alexandria for the Study of the New Testament,” Perspectives in Religious Studies 30 (2003) 251–69.
M. Martin, “Philo’s Use of Synkrisis: An Examination of Philonic Composition in the Light of the Progymnasmata,” Perspectives in Religious Studies 30 (2003) 271–97.
D. S. Dodson, “Philo’s De Somniis in the context of ancient dream theories and classifications,” Perspectives in Religious Studies 30 (2003) 299–312.
J. E. Ellis, “Philo’s view of Homosexual activity,” Perspectives in Religious Studies 30 (2003) 313–23.
J. Whitlark, “Enabling 'xaris': Transformation of the convention of Reciprocity by Philo and in Ephesians,” Perspectives in Religious Studies 30 (2003) 325–57.
A. E. Arterbury, “Abraham’s Hospitality Among Jewish and Early Christian Writers: A Tradition History of Gen 18:1–16 and Its Relevance for the Study of the New Testament,” Perspectives in Religious Studies 30 (2003) 359–76.
I point out to those having further interest in these articles that all of them articles have also been presented in the last issue of The Studia Philonica Annual, in its Bibliogrsaphy Section, pp. 143-187.

THE SEVENTH FESTIVAL
Decalogue 160:
(160) And also the day on which is offered the sheaf of corn, as an offering of gratitude for the fertility and productiveness of the plain, as exhibited in the fulness of the ears of corn. And the day of pentecost, which is numbered from this day by seven portions of seven days, in which it is the custom to offer up loaves, which are truly called the loaves of the first fruits, since, in fact, they are the first fruits of the productions and crops of eatable grain, which God has given to mankind, as the most tractable of all his creatures.

Spec. Leg 2,176ff:
The solemn assembly on the occasion of the festival of the sheaf having such great privileges, is the prelude to another festival of still greater importance; for from this day the fiftieth day is reckoned, making up the sacred number of seven sevens, with the addition of a unit as a seal to the whole; and this festival, being that of the first fruits of the corn, has derived its name of pentecost from the number of fifty, (pentēkostos). And on it it is the custom to offer up two leavened loaves made of wheat, as a first fruit of the best kind of food made of corn; either because, before the fruit of the year is converted to the use of man, the first produce of the new crop, the first gathered corn that appears is offered as a first fruit, in order that by an insignificant emblem the people may display their grateful disposition;
(177) We must disclose another reason. Its nature is wondrous and highly prized for numerous reasons including the fact that it consists of the most elemental and oldest of the things which are encased in substances, as the mathematicians tell us, the rightangled triangle. For its sides, which exist in lengths of three and four and five, combine to make up the sum twelve, the pattern of the zodiac cycle, the doubling of the most fecund number six which is the beginning of perfection since it is the sum of the same numbers of which it is also the product. To the second power, it seems, they produce fifty, through the addition of 3 x 3 and 4 x 4 and 5 x 5. The result is that it is necessary to say that to the same degree that fifty is better than twelve, the second power is better than the first power. (178) If the image of the lesser is the most beautiful sphere of those which are in heaven, the zodiac, then of what would the better, the number fifty, be a pattern than a completely better nature? This is not the occasion to speak about this. It is sufficient for the present that the difference has been noted so that a principal point is not considered to be subordinate.
(179)The feast which takes place on the basis of the number fifty has received the name “the feast of the first produce” since during the feast it is customary to offer two leavened loaves made from wheat as the first fruit of grain, the best food. It is named “the feast of the first produce” either because before the annual crop has proceeded to human use, the first produce of the new grain and the first fruit which has appeared are offered as first fruit. (180) For it is just and religiously correct that those who have received the greatest gift from God, the abundance of the most necessary as well as most beneficial and even the sweetest food, should not enjoy it or have any use of it at all before they offer the first fruits to the Supplier. They are giving him nothing since all things and possessions and gifts are his, but through a small symbol demonstrate a thankful and God-loving character to the one who needs no favors but showers continuous and ever-flowing favors. (181) Or else because the fruit of wheat is most especially the first and most excellent of all productions.

I found an older article by Donald A. Hagner on the vision of God in Philo and John, now available on the Internet. I mention it here, as some would like to read it, and it will be included in the next update of my Philo page.Donald A. Hagner, 'The Vision of God in Philo and John:A Comparative Study,' Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 14.2 (1971): 81-93.

Mentoring a study on 1 Cor 8-10, I had to review some studies dealing with these passages. In several of these, but not in all, Philo and his works are dealt with as part of the Jewish background to Paul's attitudes. A recent study, however, made me think a little about how we go on when we use Philo in this way, and how we teach our students to use Philo.

In the particular study I am here thinking about, Philo is dealt with as part of the "Background to Paul's attitudes to Idol food in Early Judaism." But Philo is dealt with primarily only on 5 pages, being characterized as "a Jew who fully assimilated Hellenistic culture and yet remained loyal enough to his Jewish heritage to risk his life in pleading the cause of Alexandrian Judaism before Gaius Caligula." I have my reservations about characterizing Philo as "a Jew who fully assimilated Hellenistic culture", but that depends upon how I/you define assimilation, and is not my issue here.

My main point here, however, is the fact that the author deals only with a few passages from Philo in this 'background' section; accordingly he provides a very limited view of Philo's views and attitudes concerning the issues focused in the letter of Paul. One gets the impression that the author, in fact, do not know Philo's works as well as he should. This impression of the authors lack of knowledge and use of Philo in the background section is confirmed in a disturbingly way when one proceeds and reads the main sections of this study. For Philo is never dealt with again in that study!

This raises some questions of methods both related to research procedures and presentation:
- when should we draw upon Philo as part of the Jewish background to a particular chosen topic?
- when Philo is not found worthy of further discussion in the main part of a study, why should there then be any need to focus on his views in a 'background' section? When he is not found relevant, why care about him?
- or is it sufficient reason to deal with him in an introductory section, only to demonstrate that he is not relevant? I would hardly think so.

The Society of Biblical Literatur regularly has a sale of some/many/most of their books, and in this spring sale there are also several Philo related books on sale. Unfortunately for those of you who are not members of SBL, you can just skip this post; but for the others, here are some books that ought to be on your book shelves (prices in dollars):Runia, On the Creation of the Cosmos (Commentary on De Opificia) goes for 20,97
van der Horst, Philo's Flaccus (Commentary), 17,97
Borgen, An Exegete for His Time, 21,57
Studia Philonica XVIII(2006), 29,97
Studia Philonica XVI (2004), 29,37
Studia Philonica XVII (2005), 23,97

In addition, you would perhaps be interested in
Holladay, Fragments from Hellenistic Jewish Authors Vol. 1, 17,97
Holladay, Fragments from Hellenistic Jewish Authors Vol. 2, 17,97
Holladay, Fragments from Hellenistic Jewish Authors Vol. 3, 23,97
Holladay, Fragments from Hellenistic Jewish Authors Vol. 4, 29,97

They also have some special offers, only 7 (=seven) dols pr book:
Dillon & Winston, Two Treatises of Philo of Alexandria: A Commentary on De Gigantibus and Quod Deus sit immutabilis.
Grabbe, Etymology in Early Jewish Interpretation; The Hebrew Names in Philo.
Mendelson, Philo's Jewish Identity
The Studia Philonica Annual; Studies in Hellenistic Judaism
Vol. V, 1993
Vol. VI, 1994
Vol. VII, 1995
Vol. VIII, 1996
Vol. IX, 1997
Vol. X, 1998
Vol. XI, 1999
Vol. XII, 2000
Vol. XIII, 2001
Vol. XIV, 2002
Vol. XV, 2003
Orders must be placed by June 15, 2007.

I have earlier (cf. the arhcive) been writing on the Philo blog about the project at the University of Aarhus on "Jews, Christians as Pagens in Antiquity; Criticism and Apologetics".


I myself presented a paper on the subject Philo's relationship to the Temple in Jerusalem in an apologetic perspective at one of their seminars (Filons forhold til tempelet i Jerusalem i eit apologetisk perspektiv). This paper and several other interesting papers are now published in A. Klostergaard Petersen, J. Hyldal and K. Fuglseth (Eds.): Perspektiver på jødisk apologetik (Perspectives on Jewish Apologetics).

Parts of the books is printed in pdf-format.

The books have the following chapters (all in Danish, translated by me):
1. Anders Klostergaard Petersen: Jewish apologetics, the history of the scholarly debate and historical development
2. Anders Klostergaard Petersen: Apologetics in Aristeas
3. Anders Klostergaard Petersen: Artepanos - an early Jewish apologetic writer
4. Anders Klostergaard Petersen. The books of the Maccabeans in an apologetic perspective
5. Per Bilde: Philo as a polemic and apologetic writer
6. Jesper Hyldal: Between a new and an old culture
7. Henrik Tronier: Boundaries of apology
8. Anders Klostergaard Petersen: Philo as an apologetic writer, a reading of De migratione Abrahami
9. Kåre Fuglseth (op. cit.)
10. Per Bilde: Contra Apionem, a key to the authorship of Josephus?


In the same series you will also find (all in Danish):
René Falkenberg og Anders-Christian Jacobsen (Eds.): Perspektiver på Origenes’ Contra Celsum (Perspectives on Origenes' Contra Ceslum)
Aage Pilgaard (Eds.): Apologetik i Det Nye Testamente (Apologetics in the New Testament).
Jakob Engberg, Anders-Christian Jacobsen og Jörg Ulrich (Eds.): Til forsvar for kristendommen – Tidlige kristne apologeter. (Defending Christianity - early Christian Apogetics).

Just wanted to tell you all that I went to see Prof. em. Peder Borgen today while I am in Oslo in these days.

Peder is going to San Diego at the SBL-meeting this year to present a paper summing up all his Johannine research and commenting on those scholars who have been discussing with him the last 50 years or so. Really interesting article, and of course Philo plays an essential role.

There is a session at the SBL-conference where several senior scholars are going to present their Johannine studies in the previous century (!), and for each senior, there is a junior, or a younger professor to the comment on their paper. I have not yet decided for myself whether I am going to the meeting or not, but I might, because it seems like an interesting way of presenting their research and the scholarly debate connected to it.

Kåre

I do not, of course, expect any of my readers to have forgotten the art of reading a book, but if anyone knows someone who have problems with that kind of sophisticated art, let them have a look at this educating and funny video:

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2007/introducing-the-book-p1.php

It is supposed to be of great help...

Have a nice weekend!

In June 26-28, there will be a great Philo conference in Brussels, Belgium. Its main focus is "Philon d'Alexandrie : un penseur à l'intersection des cultures gréco-romaine, orientale, et chrétienne."

The conference is organized and held at Intitut de Sociologie at the Université Libre de Bruxelles by its Centre interdisciplinaire d'étude des religions et de la laïcité - CIERL. In its presentation of the conference, it says -inter alia- Ni seulement grec, ni seulement juif, Philon appartenait à un monde éminemment multiculturel et, à ce titre, il est, plus que beaucoup d'autres, infiniment proche de la réalité que nous vivons. C'est pourquoi notre colloque international s'assigne pour tâche l'étude de l'œuvre de Philon dans la totalité de ses aspects, ce qu'exprime le thème que nous avons choisi: " Philon d'Alexandrie : un penseur à l'intersection des cultures gréco-romaine, orientale, juive, et chrétienne ". Il apparaît, en effet, aujourd'hui, après un siècle de recherche, que seule une approche plurielle de son œuvre permet de cerner de façon adéquate une pensée qui puisa aux sources des différentes traditions de l'Antiquité pour parfois les nourrir à son tour.

The conference consists of 24 papers, all focusing on Philo. It would have been nice to be there, but as 18 of the papers will be held in French - only 6 in English - my low ability of understanding spoken French woul be an impediment as a listener.

The conference also features many prominent Philo scholars. Here is a review of the various sessions:

Mardi 26 Juin
Entre Jérusalem et Rome

10h00 : Ouverture : Le Recteur et Jean-Philippe Schreiber

Introduction : Sabrina Inowlocki et Baudouin Decharneux

10h45 : Conférence inaugurale par David Runia sur le thème " Why Philo Is an Important Thinker ? "

Pause

11h30 : Michèle Broze, " L'Egypte de Philon d'Alexandrie: approche d'un discours ambigu ".

12h00: Martin Goodman, " Philo in Rome "

Pause déjeuner

14h30 : Mireille Hadas-Lebel, " Philon et l'apologétique juive ".

15h00 : Joanna Weinberg, " Philon et le judaïsme de la Renaissance "

Pause

15h45 : Thomas Gergely, " Philon et la Halakha".

16h15 : Katell Berthelot, " Grecs, Barbares et Juifs dans l'œuvre de Philon ".

16h45 : Ellen Birnbaum, " Who celebrated on Pharos with the Jews? Conflicting Philonic currents and their implications".

17h15 : Discussion.

Mercredi 27 Juin
Entre Athènes et Alexandrie

9h30 : Lambros Couloubaritsis, " Le statut de l'allégorie chez Philon d'Alexandrie ".

10h00 : Olivier Munnich, " La fugacité de la vie humaine: étude d'un motif traditionnel (De Josepho, § 127-130)".

10h30 : Francesca Alesse, " Prohairesis in Philo of Alexandria ".

Pause

11h15 : Francesca Calabi, " God's Rest in Philo ".

11h45 : Maren Niehoff, " Recherche Homérique et l'Exégèse d'Ecriture en Alexandrie ".

12h15 : discussion.

Pause déjeuner.

14h00 : Carlos Lévy : " La notion de signe chez Philon d'Alexandrie ".

14h30 : José Zamora, " L'âme du sage chez Philon d'Alexandrie, De Cherubim, 98-112 ".

15h15 : Folker Siegert, "Philon et la philologie alexandrine. Aux origines du fondamentalisme chrétien." .

Pause.

15h45 : Lucia Saudelli, " Les fragments d'Héraclite et ses implications dans le corpus philonicum ".

16h15 : Sharon Weisser, " La figure du prokôpton chez Philon ou la proximité de la sagesse ".

16h45 : dicussion.

Jeudi 28 Juin
Le Temps des relectures

9h00 : Gilbert Van Belle, " Philon et le Nouveau Testament ".

9h30 : Monique Alexandre, " Philon et sa transmission chez les Pères ".

10h00 : Sabrina Inowlocki, " La réception chrétienne de Philon comme apologiste ".

Pause

11h15 : Fabien Nobilio, " L'Esprit et le temps. Comparaison entre Philon d'Alexandrie et l'évangile de Jean "

10h45 : Peter Tomson, " Le Temple céleste : pensée platonisante et orientation apocalyptique dans l'Épître aux Hébreux ".

11h45 : Albert Geljon, " Philo's Influence on Didymus the Blind "

12h45 : Discussion

13h00 : Conclusions

13h30 : Excursion

I have received a pamphlet presenting the conference and the various topics; there are some disagreements between the web page presentation and the brochure, hence I have here given the topics as stated in the latter.

For all of us who is not able to attend the conference, I hope the papers will be published as soon as possible.