Philo of Alexandria - Books and Journals

336 part two
according to a principle of genera and species. The Decalogue thus becomes
the basis for cataloging all of the Torah’s precepts and the foundation of Philo’s
reorganizing and reworking of the legal material of the Pentateuch in Decal.
and Spec. Philo’s taxonomic method is compared with Josephus and Philo’s
taxonomic categories are shown to demonstrate affinities to Cicero. Philo can
be considered the first author in Jewish literature of the Hellenistic-Roman age
who gave preeminence to the Decalogue. (KAF)
204130. F.Thome,Historia contra Mythos. Die Schriftauslegung Diodors
von Tarsus und Theodors von Mopsuestia im Widerstreit zu Kaiser
Julians und Salustius’ allegorischem Mythenverständnis, Hereditas. Studien
zur Alten Kirchengeschichte 24 (Bonn 2004), esp. 142–148.
This study examines the question of whether the allegorical interpretations of
emperor Julian exerted a negative influence on the anti-allegorical exegesis of the
Antiochene exegetes Diodore of Tarsus and Theodore of Mopsuestia. A translation
is given of Theodore’s preface to Ps 118. This preface is directed against
allegorical interpreters and is partly devoted to Philo and Origen. Theodore
claims that Philo was the first to use the pagan method of allegorical reading in
the interpretation of scripture. Thome concludes that the allegorical interpretation
of Julian probably encounters resistance in Diodore and encourages him to
emphasize the historical meaning in his exegesis of scripture. Theodore follows
his master Diodore. (ACG)
204131.M.A.Tolbert,‘PhiloandPaul:theCircumcisionDebatesin
Early Judaism,’ in F. Crüsemann (ed.), Dem Tod nicht glauben. Sozialgeschichte
der Bibel. Festschrift für Luise Schottroff zum 70. Geburtstag
(Gütersloh 2004) 394–407.
After having briefly sketched the origins of the Jewish circumcision practice,
Tolbert deals with Philo and Paul. Drawing primarily on QG 3.47–50 and Migr.
89–93, she presents the various arguments of Philo for the observance of circumcision
(to prevent disease, to increase fertility, and the function of excision
of the pleasures). But as circumcision is only for men, Philo maintains its importance
as a gender boundary, and furthermore, that its symbolic and literal meanings
should not be played out against each other. Paul, on the other hand, unlike
Philo, makes no attempt to keep the spiritual and the literal together, but sees the
two as being at war with each other. Furthermore, the symbolic view espoused by
Paul not only eliminates the insider/outsider boundary functions of circumcision
but also eliminates the gender boundary Philo preserves. Finally, Tolbert
has some suggestions as to how and where Paul arrived at his view, namely
among the Jews of Damascus. (TS)
204132. L. Troiani, ‘Natura e storia politica in Filone d’Alessandria,’
in A. M. Mazzanti and F. Calabi (edd.), La rivelazione in Filone di