Philo of Alexandria - Books and Journals

2000
20001. R. A. Argall, ‘A Hellenistic-Jewish Source on the Essenes in
Philo, Every Good Man is Free 75–91, and Josephus, Antiquities 18.18–
22,’ in R. A. Argall, B. A. Bow and R. A. Werline (edd.), For a Later
Generation: the Transformation of Tradition in Israel, Early Judaism, and
Early Christianity (Harrisburg Pa. 2000) 13–24.
Argall pursues the suggestion of Morton Smith that a common Hellenistic
Jewish source about the Essenes underlies Prob. 75–91 and Ant. 18.18–22
rather than that Josephus drew upon Philo. He also posits that this source and
Pliny may both make use of a core of older material found in the work of
Marcus Agrippa. Although R. Bergmeier had proposed an outline of such a
source based upon additional passages from Philo and Josephus, Argall suggests
that the focus should be limited to the two passages mentioned in the
title of his article. This allows him to argue that the Hellenistic source encompassed
the additional topic of sacrifice, which Philo and Josephus each mention
and address in their own ways. Argall provides a list of topoi covered in
the hypothetical common source, including the older material used also by
Pliny. He notes that Philo and Josephus discuss these topoi in the same order;
that their common source had inserted a moralizing commentary, e.g., about
the injustice of slavery; and that this list of topics is shorter than Bergmeier’s
because Argall includes only those topics mentioned in both Prob. andAnt.
(EB)
20002. G.-H.Baudry,Lepéché dit original, Théologie historique 113
(Paris 2000), esp. 115–135.
This work, which undertakes to reexamine the problem of original sin with
reference to the history of ideas, represents a complete and very well documented
study. It contains a chapter devoted to Philonic views on the subject,
a first version of which appeared earlier in 1993 (see RRS 9308, p. 183). Philo’s
views depend on the manner in which he understands the revealed doctrine of
the creation of the world and of humankind. In first presenting these themes, the
author highlights the dualistic emphasis of Philo’s anthropology. This dualism,
even though it is mitigated by a monotheistic faith in creation, nevertheless does
remains a dualism, situating the origin of evil in the sensible, corporeal and terrestrial
world. A pessimistic view of humankind is the result. Human beings are
born marked by a ‘congenital stain’. They are driven to wickedness by a dominant
evil tendency within their make-up. (JR)
20003. P. J. Bekken, ‘Abraham og Ånden. Paulus’ anvendelse av Genesis
15:6 i Galaterbrevet 3:6 belyst ut fra jødisk materiale’ [Norwegian:
Abraham and the Spirit. Paul’s application of Genesis 15:6 in Gala-