Philo of Alexandria - Books and Journals

critical studies 2001 167
This dissertation formed the basis of a monograph with the same title; see
below 20437.
20123.P.vonGemünden,‘LafiguredeJacobdansl’époquehellénistico-romaine:
l’exemple de Philon d’Alexandrie,’ in J.-D. Macchi and T.
Römer (edd.), Jacob commentaire à plusieurs voix de Gen 25–36: Mélanges
offerts à Albert de Pury (Paris 2001) 358–370.
Even though one finds a fairly critical view of Jacob in the prophetic context,
the Jewish authors of the Hellenistic-Roman epoch testify to his idealization.
This applies particularly to the most important witness, Philo of Alexandria, who
sees in the patriarch the model of progression by πρις and σκησις, i.e.the
ascetic par excellence. It is his practical engagement in life that makes him show
progress. His reward is expressed symbolically by the change of name which the
athlete Jacob receives: Israel, which for Philo means ‘he who sees God’, whereas
Jacob is the name for study and progress. Beside this reward, Philo also cites
an additional prize, ‘numbing of the hip’, which symbolizes the paralysis of the
impetuosity of the passions. (JR)
20124.D.Goodblatt[ ], ‘-
‘ [‘The Union of Priesthood and Kingship in Second Temple
Judea’], Cathedra 102 (2001) 7–28, 209 [English summary].
The author claims that the commonly perceived opposition in Judaism of
the Second Temple period to the union of the offices of priesthood and kingship
deserves careful reexamination. In response to a scholarly consensus that
interprets widespread enmity to the Hasmonean dynasty as a result of principled
opposition to the possibility of the linking of the roles of king and priest,
Goodblatt argues that such expressions are consistently ad hominem and should
not be treated as an expression of ideological incompatibility. In the course of
the argument, Philo’s standpoint is reviewed (pp. 20–21): the brief examination
of five key passages leads the author to the conclusion that Philo is positively
inclined in principle to the possibility of the union of kingship and priesthood,
while his reservations are always on the level of either practical difficulty or historical
circumstance. (DS)
20125. V. Guignard, ‘L’interprétation de l’année jubilaire chez Philon,’
in L.-J. Bord and D. Hamidovic (edd.), Jubilé . . . Jubilés. Actes du
colloque tenu à Angers les 1er, 2 et 3 mars 2000 (Paris 2001) 101–105.
The article deals only with texts from the Exposition of the Law. Philo
justifies the Jubilee year from an ethical point of view, but also emphasizes the
connections which he sees between the Jubilee year and the contemplation of
the universe. One also finds in this context the allegorical interpretation which
he habitually proposes for the number fifty, symbol of the soul which, freed from
itscorporealbonds,canturnitselftowardscontemplation.(RR)