Philo of Alexandria - Books and Journals

384 part two
instruction is that their inner convictions contradict their spoken declarations.
They befittingly preach on matters of ethics, but they fail to implement those very
splendid concepts. Here Philo raises an idea which might be original. Authentic
philosophy must foster full accord between thinking, will and deed. The contrast
between speech and deed (λγς–ργν) is common and acceptable within
Greek literature, though the concept of will (λευσις, υλεματα) appears
to be derived from the biblical idea of divine will and of human free will. In
adopting philosophical concepts as ancillary to his exposition of the Torah, Philo
is not prepared to accept the technical aspects of philosophy, mainly dialectic,
since then one begins to appear as a recipient of a science through which truth
becomes attainable, when in fact truth has been exclusively encapsulated within
Mosaic Law. Be that as it may, logic has its place and can, within limits, even be to
human advantage. It should be remembered that one can easily err within it, and
mislead by using it, and it is capable of upsetting the understanding of nature,
as it may impair the understanding of ethics. It is therefore preferable to avoid
dialectic (except for argumentation with the Sophists). The work ends with a
biographical hypothesis, according to which it is possible that Philo himself was
harshly castigated in his youth in a debate with one of those very Sophists, or had
witnessed the defeat of a person whom he respected. (MRN; based on author’s
summary)
20627. F. Frazier, ‘Le principe d’égalité chez Philon d’Alexandrie,’
Ktèma 31 (2006) 291–308.
The 74 occurrences of the term στης which one encounters in Philo’s œuvre
demonstrates the quantitative but also the qualitative importance that Philo
accords to the principle of equality, which occupies a place at all the levels of
reality. In order to evaluate the specific elements of his thought on the concept,
the author examines in succession the Greek background which Philo inherited,
the two passages in his writings that are directly focused on isotês (Her. 133–206,
Spec. 4.231–238), his utlilization of two concepts linked to equality, democracy
and isonomia, and the practical problems associated with its application to
society. From the viewpoint of the creator, equality is the principle of unity and
balance. Within the cosmos it is associated with the democratic model. It enters
not so much in political reflection as in the interpretation of the succession of
empires, where it establishes an equilibrium throughout the ages, and also in
reflection on social relations, where it recalls the original unity of humanity. This
is the reason that the concept is dear to the Therapeutae and the Essenes, who
are keen to live as closely as possible to the law of nature. (JR)
20628. K. Fuglseth, ‘The Reception of Aristotelian Features in Philo
and the Authorship Problem of Philo’s De Aeternitate Mundi,’ in D.
Brakke, A.-C. Jacobsen and J. Ulrich (edd.), Beyond Reception. Mutual
Influences between Antique Religion, Judaism, and Early Christianity,
Early Christianity in the Context of Antiquity 1 (Frankfurt 2006) 57–67.