The Jewish Plato

Zusatztext

In Volume 1 of this three-volume set on Philo of Alexandria and the impact of his thought, Gregory E. Sterling explores the life and writings of Philo, alongside Josephus one of the two most important witnesses to Greek-speaking Judaism in the Second Temple period. Philo's writings fall into five groups: the Questions and Answers on Genesis and Exodus, the Allegorical Commentary, the Exposition of the Law, apologetic treatises, and philosophical treatises. The author argues that exegetical traditions are embedded within the commentary series that not only reflect earlier Jewish interpreters, but traditions that influenced Jewish authors like Josephus, early Christians, and even Platonic philosophers. Drawing on three and a half decades of research on Philo, the 36 essays in this volume address the full range of Philo's significance. The author sets out a description of Alexandria based on Strabo, provides a comprehensive collection of the evidence for the Jewish community in the city, and contrasts it with the Jewish community of Jerusalem. He further offers an overview of the role of philosophy in the Alexandrian Jewish community and reconstructs Philo's life against the background of his family. He then explores Philo's relationship to Second Temple Judaism more broadly and argues that while his philosophical exegesis was the work of a privileged individual, his works show evidence that he knew other Jewish texts and that other Jews like Josephus knew his. Furthermore, the author argues that Philo operated a private school of exegesis in his home and analyzes the place of the Life of Moses in his corpus. Finally, he offers one of the most comprehensive analyses of Philo's fragmentary Hypothetica .

Autorenportrait

Geboren 1954; 1990 Promotion an der Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA; Rev. Henry L. Slack Dean und Lillian Claus Professor für Neues Testament an der Yale Divinity School sowie Distinguished Fellow an der Hebräischen Universität Jerusalem.

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