Philo of Alexandria - Books and Journals

critical studies 1999 105
9918. Y. Cohen-Yashar, ‘‘I am that I am’ (Exodus 3, 14) as a Basis for a
Philosophical Ontology according to Philo Alexandrinus,’ in Proceedings
of the Twelfth World Congress of Jewish Studies: Division A—The Bible and
its World (Jerusalem 1999) 185–194.
The author addresses a problem, which occurred in the translation of Philo’s
writings into Hebrew, namely the rendition of the expression ‘I am who I
am’. After reviewing the different meanings of the verb ‘to be’ in Greek and
Hebrew, he shows that, parallel to Maimonides, Philo has chosen the ontological
meaning, stressing that God is essentially unknowable to man. (MRN)
9919.W.Cotter,Miracles in Greco-Roman Antiquity (London–New
York 1999), esp. 93–95 and passim.
Focusing upon the first century c.e. as ‘a chronological center’, this source
book collects miracle tales from the Greco-Roman world, especially to provide
a context within which to understand miracle stories about Jesus. The book
is organized into four parts: ‘Gods and heroes who heal’; ‘Exorcists and exorcisms’;
‘Gods and heroes who control nature’; ‘Magic and miracles’; to which
are added two appendices entitled ‘Diseases and doctors’ and ‘Jesus, Torah and
miracles’. Philo is cited on pp. 35, 40 and 148, with reference to his description
of Augustus as healer of pestilences and calmer of storms (Legat. 144–
145); and on pp. 93–95, with reference to his view of δαίμνες (Gig. 12–16).
(EB)
9920. H.Dijkhuis,Kaïns kinderen: over Kaïn en de oorsprong van
het kwaad [Dutch: Cain’s Children: on Cain and the Origin of Evil]
(Amsterdam 1999), esp. 21–56.
In this study on the interpretations of the story of Cain and Abel by philosophers
through history, the first chapter deals with Philo’s exegesis. Dijkhuis offers
an overview of Philo’s interpretation. Cain is generated by Eve, symbol of sense
perception, and Adam, who symbolizes the mind. The name Cain means possession
and he thinks that all things are his own possession, not regarding God
as creator. He is placed opposite to Abel, who refers all things to God. Protagoras,
who thinks that man is the measure of all things, is an offspring of
Cain’s madness. Because Cain regards himself as his own possession he is also
a self-lover, whereas Abel is a lover of God. The characterization of Cain as
self-loving Philo is inspired by Plato (Laws 731d–e). Cain challenges Abel for
a dispute in order to master him with sophistical tricks. He kills his brother
but Philo explains that in reality Cain kills himself: he loses the virtuous life;
Abel continues to live the happy life in God. Cain builds a city, that means
he constructs his own world view. Philo’s interpretation influenced Christian
thought: both Ambrose and Augustine follow Philo’s exegesis of the two brothers.
(ACG)