Philo of Alexandria - Books and Journals

56 part two
questions the author first outlines the use of such prepositional phrases in Greek
philosophy. Philo is a witness for their use in Middle Platonist thought (see
pp. 228–231). The variety of usage in the New Testament reflects a variety of
schemes in Greek philosophy, with a basic divide between Stoic and Platonist
formulations. Special attention is paid to the Christological hymn in Col 1:15–
20, which contains a number of such phrases. It is suggested that this material
entered the Jewish synagogue liturgy as a result of the attempt to present
the doctrine in terms of philosophical categories and wisdom speculation.
Philo’s use of such prepositional phrases for his doctrine of the Logos may
have served as a basis for the development of several competing christologies in
Alexandrian theology. Hellenistic Judaism thus played an important mediating
role for Christian theology. (DTR)
9783. A. Terian, ‘Back to Creation: the Beginning of Philo’s Third
GrandCommentary,’inD.T.RuniaandG.E.Sterling(edd.),Wisdom
and Logos: Studies in Jewish Thought in Honor of David Winston [= The
Studia Philonica Annual 9 (1997)], Brown Judaic Studies 312 (Atlanta
1997) 19–36.
Nikiprowetzky’s sweeping statement that Philo’s Allegorical Commentary
and the Exposition of the Law are basically one grand commentary is an incentive
to look once again at the relation between Opif.andLeg.andtheproperplace
of Opif. in the Philonic corpus. Moreover the question of the proper chronology
or sequence of Philo’s various writings remains a fundamental issue that must be
addressed before the chronology of thematic aspects of his thought can be established.
Terian begins his detailed investigation with an examination of the evidence
in Eusebius and the manuscript tradition. None of this material supports
the placement of Opif. at the beginning of the Allegorical Commentary. In fact in
the manuscripts Opif. is always followed by one of the works of the Exposition.
Next the internal evidence is taken into account, and esp. the cross-references
to Opif. inAbr., Praem. andMos. In the final part of the article Terian widens
his focus somewhat and considers the aspect of development in Philo’s writings.
He regards it as probable that there was a progression from midrashic type commentaries
to thematic expositions. But none of these considerations give us any
freedom in the placement of Opif. It is locked in position as the opening treatise
of the Exposition of the Law. (DTR)
9784. C. Thoma, ‘Philo von Alexandrien: Inspirator für Deutungen
von Christentum und Judentum,’ Edith-Stein-Jahrbuch 3 (1997) 37–49.
Philo is one of the Jewish contemporaries of Jesus who at least indirectly paved
the way for Christianity. After sketching his life and personality Thoma finds a
theological trace of Philo in Luke 1: Mary, full of grace, recalls Enoch in Abr. 17–
19 or Hannah in Ebr. 144–146. Though Luke thus does not want to describe the
spiritualization of the individual, but the invasion of the messianic salvation into
the present, he could have consulted the writings of Philo. Philo’s speculations on