Philo of Alexandria - Books and Journals

208 part two
parents, who are both Levites, and dramatizes the story of the abandonment of
Moses by his parents. Retelling the narrative, he refers several times to the role
of divine providence in the rescue of Moses. A typical motif in the biography of
a hero is his exceptional physical and intellectual development, his beauty, and
his self-restraint. This motif occurs in Philo as well, who narrates that Moses was
educated by teachers from Greece and Egypt, and that he quickly surpassed his
teachers’ intellect. It is noteworthy that he is educated in the same subjects as
the philosopher-king in Plato’s Republic. In contrast to Josephus, Philo recounts
the story of the killing of an Egyptian overseer by Moses, giving justification for
Moses’ deed, but he does not speak about the two Israelites fighting. (ACG)
20235. L.H.Feldman,‘ThePlagueoftheFirst-bornEgyptiansin
Rabbinic Tradition, Philo, Pseudo-Philo, and Josephus,’ Revue biblique
109 (2002) 315–346.
Feldman addresses the question how the Rabbis, Philo, Ps.Philo, and Josephus
cope with the fact that God, in slaying the first-born in Egypt, kills innocent
people and animals. Philo underscores that God kills the first-born only, and not
the whole nation. Moreover, the children embodied the vices of their parents. He
avoids the problem of the justification of punishing innocent children for the sins
of their fathers. With regard to the Flood and the destruction of Sodom, Philo
remarks that the people performed so many wicked deeds that they deserved
punishment. In discussing the war with the Amalekites he passes over the
command to annihilate them. (ACG)
20236. L. H. Feldman, ‘The Portrayal of Phinehas by Philo, Pseudo-
Philo, and Josephus,’ Jewish Quarterly Review 92 (2002) 315–345.
Philo discusses Phinehas in eight treatises. Acknowledging that the multitude
would consider Phinehas a murderer for killing Zimri and Cozbi the Midianite,
Philo—in contrast—praises Phinehas for his zeal. He also considers as
well-deserved the reward of peace bestowed on Phinehas by God. In committing
murder Phinehas kept others from apostasizing. On the symbolic level, ‘Zimri
and Cozbi represent passion and mere appearance, while Phinehas represents
sincerity, truth, reason, and intelligence’ (p. 323). Ps.Philo greatly expands the
role of Phinehas, whose activities extend from the Exodus to the time of the
Judges. Josephus’ treatment of Phinehas, however, is influenced by contemporary
factors and his own situation. A priest who sympathized with Rome and
disdained the Zealots of his day, Josephus does not call Phinehas a zealot and
does not mention the reward he received for taking the initiative to do violence.
Instead Josephus depicts him as a hero who took the law into his own hands to
halt Zimri—a figure possibly reminiscent of Josephus’ own contemporaries—
who intermarried and flouted Moses’ authority. (EB)
20237. L.H.Feldman,‘ThePortrayalofSihonandOginPhilo,
Pseudo-Philo and Josephus,’ Journal of Jewish Studies 53 (2002) 264–272.