Philo of Alexandria - Books and Journals

critical studies 2003 263
and as God. For Philo there is a transcendent God who stands over nature
and creation, and so nature can act as a bridge through which humanity can
come to know God because it bears God’s ethical imprint. Hence there is
for Philo a intimate relationship between law and nature. Philo’s distinctive
contribution lies in his accounts of wise men who actually fulfilled the law
of nature, his overlapping of the unwritten law with the law of nature, and
in his assertion that certain people are themselves unwritten laws. Reviews:
A. Yadin, SPhA 16 (2004) 295–297; C. Termini, Adamant 12 (2006) 545–550.
(KAF)
20378. J. P. Martín, ‘De la Septuaginta a Bizancio: transiciones en la
historia de una lengua,’ Circe 8 (2003) 189–202, esp. 191–193, 197.
The article deals with different cultural and political roles which the Greek
language has played during its long history. An assumption of the Library of
Alexandria was that the Greek language could represent the universal culture.
Within this historical framework the version of the Bibel or Septuagint represented
for Philo and other Alexandrian Jews the universal diffusion of a particular
‘text’: the Law of Moses. When the Greco-Roman culture converted to Christianity
and wanted to spread this text as a part of its Christian faith, it found that
some of the surrounding nations lacked a written language. The Greek alphabet
and morphology, then, acted as a basis for producing new writing methods
and linguistic developments. Philo’s texts acquired a new role in this political
context, especially in the Armenian language. (JPM)
20379. J. P. Martín, ‘Filone di Alessandria e la letteratura cristiana
antica,’ Adamantius 9 (2003) 188–192.
An exposition of and commentary on D. T. Runia’s study, Filone di Alessandria
nella prima letteratura cristiana (see above 9967), Italian version of the original
English book (RRS 9373). The translation is complete and accurate. It contains
in addition a useful Appendix which amplifies the original, namely the text
and Italian translation of Testimonia de Philone from the first century to 1000
c.e.With respect to the original book, it suggests an addition to the contents,
namely the text In Sanctum Pascha of Ps.Hippolytus. The article welcomes the
translation, which will extend the reading circle of this fundamental work.
(JPM)
20380. J.P.Martín,‘Proyectodeunatraduccdiónalcastellanode
Filón de Alejandría,’ Revista Biblica 65 (2003) 235–239.
The article represents the first proposal for a Spanish translation of the
Complete Works of Philo of Alexandria, a project which is now in course. The
proposal was made by scholars from universities in Spain, Argentina, Chile and
Mexico, and was accepted by the Madilene publishing house of Trotta. (JPM)