Philo of Alexandria - Books and Journals

critical studies 2003 237
rankontrovers. Beiträge zu den Textfunden vom Toten Meer, Einblicke.
Ergebnisse—Berichte—Reflexionen aus Tagungen der Katholischen
Akademie Schwerte 6 (Paderborn 2003) 11–22.
In this article Bergmeier summarizes his study from 1993, Die Essener-
Berichte des Flavius Josephus (on which see RRS 9309). He distinguishes between
Josephus’ own comments and those of his sources. The author argues that these
comments are similar to those of Philo and Pliny. The differences between the
accounts are explained through the dissimilarity of the three sources in the
background: a Stoic-orientated one (‘doxographische Drei-Schulen-Quelle’), a
Hellenistic-Jewish Essene-Source (see Prob. 75–91 and Hypoth. 1–18) and a
Pythagorean Essene-Source. There is no connection with the texts from Qumran.
Nevertheless the traditional reports of the Essenes have historical value of
theirown.Reviews:M.Henze,SPhA 16 (2004) 304–306. (GS)
20311. K. Berthelot, Philanthropia judaica: le débat autour de la
‘misanthropie’desloisjuivesdansl’antiquité, Supplements to the Journal
for the Study of Judaism 76 (Leiden 2003).
This significant study in the context of Philonic and Jewish studies consists
of three parts. In the first part, entitled ‘The discourses of ancient authors
on Jewish misanthropy,’ there is a first chapter which traces the history of the
word ιλάνρωπς and its derivatives in Greek literature. A second chapter
is devoted to the history of the accusation of μισανρωπία brought against
the Jews in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. In the second part entitled
‘Reactions and responses,’ the third chapter sets out ‘the first echoes’ which
are found in the Hellenistic-Jewish literature, especially from Alexandria, in
response to these accusations. The next chapter is particularly important because
it brings together the texts in Philo of Alexandria in defence of Jewish ιλαν-
ρωπία. After first setting out the ‘context of the Philonic discourse,’ the author
examines how the ιλανρωπία of the Law is manifested in the case of the
‘living laws,’ i.e. the Patriarchs, and presents the example of Moses as well
as the universal scope of the ιλανρωπία of the Law as set out in Virt.
Finally she draws attention to the apology for Judaism which is developed in
Hypoth. The third part, which is chapter five, is dedicated to Josephus, who
in contrast to Philo almost never described the Law as ‘humane.’ He hesitates
to use the term in relation to Judaism, but instead uses it in giving
favourable descriptions of main political, military and religious figures, whether
they are Jews or non-Jews. In Contra Apionem, however,healtershisgeneral
practice and speaks about the ιλανρωπία of Judaism, drawing his inspiration
from Philo’s Hypoth. Reviews:F.Avemarie,ThLZ 130 (2005) 924–926;
P. Cordier, Anabases 2 (2005) 261–263; A. Paul, RecSR 94 (2006) 215–221.
(JR)
20312. E. Birnbaum, ‘Allegorical Interpretation and Jewish Identity
among Alexandrian Jewish Writers,’ in D. E. Aune, T. Seland and