Philo of Alexandria - Books and Journals

critical studies 2004 291
parallel findings in the corpus of the two Alexandrian authors. Origen’s Homilies
on Numbers offer numerous interesting possibilities for this kind of research,
highlighting analogies and points of contact, above all in the field of interpretatio
nominum, arithmological exegesis and literary forms. (HMK; based on author’s
summary)
20417. F. Calabi, ‘Les sacrifices et leur signification symbolique chez
Philon d’Alexandrie,’ in E. Bons (ed.), «Car c’est l’amour qui me plaît,
non le sacrifice . . .» Recherches sur Osée 6:6 et son interprétation juive
et chrétienne, Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism 88
(Leiden 2004) 97–117.
The paper gives a general presentation of how Philo treats sacrifices. On the
one hand he emphasizes their importance in literal terms as elements of cultic
observance in accordance with Levitical norms. On the other he interprets them
allegorically as symbols. They are endowed with meaning which exceeds the
simple acts involved: they have reference to the monad, to the cosmos, to the
excellence of moderation. Sacrifices can thus refer to divine greatness, to the
perfection of his creation, and to excellence which human beings should acquire.
They thus constitute signs, messages and linguistic elements, expressing a reality
in a non-verbal language and concealing a meaning that is different to what
appears on the surface. Allegorical interpretation of sacrifices enables them to
be seen as tools both for understanding truth and for obtaining knowledge of
reality. (DTR)
20418. F. Calabi, ‘Ordine delle città e ordine del mondo nel De
Decalogo di Filone alessandrino,’ in A. M. Mazzanti and F. Calabi
(edd.), La rivelazione in Filone di Alessandria: natura, legge, storia. Atti
del VII convegno di studi del Gruppo Italiano di Ricerca su Origene e
la traditione alessandrina (Bologna 29–30 settembre 2003), Bibliotecadi
Adamantius 2 (Villa Verruchio 2004) 139–158.
This article, concentrating on the treatise Decal., maintains that for Philo
theDecalogueisnotsomuchasetofethicalrules,butratheranontological
and political foundation, as well as a self-revelation of God. The individual
is set in a broader context which transcends his individuality. Obviously, the
commandments are formulated in the second person singular in order that
each person should feel directly and personally involved, but the message is
directed at the people as a whole: the transmission of the law makes sense in
the sphere of interaction between human beings, between human beings and
God, and between human law and natural law. It is no coincidence that this
communication was made by God directly to all the people together and that
it happened in the desert far away from the city, in the midst of miracles. The
revelation of the law thus appears to be much more a self-revelation of God
and a political foundation than the construction of a set of individual ethics,