Philo of Alexandria - Books and Journals

398 part two
contrary, he is a figure who is adapted, explicated, discussed and transmitted.
In his treatise Ios., Philo makes use of and adapts literary language. He applies
a certain number of literary forms which were current in the Greek world of
his time: biography, encomium, the novel. He also wants to interpret his life. His
interpretation takes the form of an exegetical explication on two levels, the literal
and the allegorical. Through various manipulations, the personage of Joseph is
transformed in order to serve as an expression of contemporary political ideals.
(JR)
20670.P.K.Pohjala,Similarities of Redaction of the Gospel according
to Matthew with Texts of Philo Alexandrinus (Liskeard, Cornwall 2006).
This monograph-length study argues that several texts and details in the
Gospel of Matthew closely resemble discussions in the writings of Philo. On
the basis of detailed examination of texts it is concluded that Matthew was
acquainted with Philo’s writings when redactionally formulating 5:13–16, 6:19–
24 and 12:43–45, and also when writing his own material 20:1–16. In order
to focus the study, the examination is restricted to these four texts. The first
chapter introduces the topic, discusses secondary literature and explains the
method used, which is described (p. 18) as ‘explicit empiristic reading of extant
material’. The second chapter looks at the historical background. The extensive
Hellenization of Palestine and lively cultural connections with Alexandria meant
that it is quite plausible that the Gospel author should have knowledge of Philo’s
writings. Ch. 3 examines Matt 5:13–16. It is argued that its redaction is grounded
in a specific tradition of prayers of thanksgiving listing individual parts of
creation such as are found in Philo, particularly in Spec. 1.Ch.4presentsSacr.
11–49 as the clear Philonic parallel for Matt 20:1–16 and in particular its main
theme of reward for labour. Various aspects of this text are discussed, including
Matthew’s use of numerals. Ch. 5 turns to 12:43–45 and its theme of the entry of
vice in the place vacated by good, for which an astonishing number of Philonic
parallels can be given. Chapter six examines Philonic parallels for Matt 6:19–24
and in particular the use of the Greek term ς for the keenness of vision and
the mind. The final two chapters present the conclusions of the study and a fulllength
summary. There is no general bibliography, but extensive lists of literature
are presented at the end of each chapter. (DTR)
20671. J.PollardandH.Reid,The Rise and Fall of Alexandria:
Birthplace of the Modern Mind (New York 2006), esp. 192–200.
Although Athens and Rome were the leading cities in the classical world,
Alexandria, a city with ‘a unique soul’ (p. xv) greatly deserves recognition for
its impressive contributions, preserved in writing, to many fields of knowledge.
Declaring Alexandria to be ‘the greatest mental crucible the world has
ever known’ (p. xix), the authors bring the ancient city to life in their vivid
account of people, events, and ideas from the founding of the city in 331
b.c.e. to the Muslim conquest in 646 c.e. Philo’s writings offer a flavor of the
city and its political turbulence under Rome. Philo himself was devoted to