Download or read book The Writings of Philo of Alexandria written by Philo of Philo of Alexandria and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-09-22 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philo of Alexandria), also called Philo Judaeus, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. Philo used philosophical allegory to harmonize Jewish scripture, mainly the Torah, with Greek philosophy. His method followed the practices of both Jewish exegesis and Stoic philosophy. His allegorical exegesis was important for several Christian Church Fathers, but he has barely any reception history within Rabbinic Judaism. He believed that literal interpretations of the Hebrew Bible would stifle humanity's perception of a God too complex and marvelous to be understood in literal human terms. Some scholars hold that his concept of the Logos as God's creative principle influenced early Christology. Other scholars deny direct influence but say that Philo and Early Christianity borrow from a common source. The only event in Philo's life that can be decisively dated is his participation in the embassy to Rome in 40 CE. He represented the Alexandrian Jews in a delegation to Roman Emperor Caligula following civil strife between the Alexandrian Jewish and Greek communities. The story of this event, and a few other biographical details, are found in Josephus and in Philo's own works, especially in Legatio ad Gaium (Embassy to Gaius) of which only two of the original five volumes survive. Odin's Library Classics is dedicated to bringing the world the best of humankind's literature from throughout the ages. Carefully selected, each work is unabridged from classic works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama.

Download or read book The Works of Philo Volume 3 of 4 written by Charles Duke Philo and published by Digireads.com Publishing. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philo, known also as Philo of Alexandria, Philo Judaeus, and Philo the Jew, among other names, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria from 20 BC to 50 CE. Philo's works are most known for being allegorical interpretations of the Scriptures, fusing Jewish thought to Stoic philosophy. Although not widely accepted in his time, his vast collection of works had a powerful influence on early Christian theology and especially on later Christian writers like Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Saint Jerome and Athenagorus. Despite being a devout Jew, some saw in Philo a cryptic Christian. This is the third of four volumes of "The Works of Philo," and contains many of his cosmogenic, historical and political works like "On the Life of Moses," "On Monarchy," "On Justice," "On Rewards and Punishments," and "To Prove that Every Man who is Virtuous is Also Free."

Download or read book Selected Writings written by Philo and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2004-01-01 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A contemporary of Jesus Christ, Philo of Alexandria ranks among the greatest of Jewish and Greek thinkers. He was not only the first theologian but also the first psychologist of faith, the first mystic among monotheists, and the first systematizer of biblical allegory. Chosen by a distinguished scholar of Jewish-Hellenistic culture, these selections illuminate Philo's crucial role in assimilating Greek philosophy to biblical religion and accommodating Jewish belief to the requirements of Greek thought. An introductory essay is followed by meditations on God and the world, God and man, and man and the world. Additional subjects include the knowledge of God; the mystic way; the soul and her God; man's humility, hope, faith, and joy; vices and virtues; and Israel and the nations.

Download or read book The Complete Works of Philo written by Philo and published by . This book was released on 2017-03-28 with total page 555 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Complete Works of Philo contains all surviving treatises: On Theology: On Monarchy The Unchangeableness of GodThe Law: On Curses The Decalogue On the Special Laws On Rewards and PunishmentsBiographies: Abraham On Joseph The Life of MosesCurrent Events: On the Contemplative Life Embassy to Gaius Against FlaccusBiblical Interpretation Allegorical Interpretation On the Cherubim On the Confusion of Languages On Dreams On Fugitives On Giants Who is the Heir of Divine Things? Meeting for the Sake of Seeking Instruction On the Migration of Abraham On the Change of Scripture Names Noah's Work as a Planter Posterity of Cain Questions and Answers in Genesis (complete) Sacrifices of Abel and Cain Tilling the Earth The Worse Attacks the BetterMoral Philosophy: On Drunkenness Every Good Man is Free On Nobility On Sobriety On Three VirtuesNatural Philosophy: On the Creation of the World On the Incorruptibility of the WorldPhilo of Alexandria (/ˈfaɪloʊ/; Greek: Φίλων, Philōn; Hebrew: ידידיה הכהן‎‎, Yedidia (Jedediah) HaCohen; c. 25 BCE - c. 50 CE), also called Philo Judaeus, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt.Philo used philosophical allegory to attempt to fuse and harmonize Greek philosophy with Jewish philosophy. His method followed the practices of both Jewish exegesis and Stoic philosophy. His allegorical exegesis was important for several Christian Church Fathers, but he has barely any reception history within Rabbinic Judaism. He believed that literal interpretations of the Hebrew Bible would stifle humanity's view and perception of a God too complex and marvelous to be understood in literal human terms.Some scholars hold that his concept of the Logos as God's creative principle influenced early Christology. Other scholars, however, deny direct influence but say both Philo and Early Christianity borrow from a common source.The few biographical details known about Philo are found in his own works, especially in Legatio ad Gaium (Embassy to Gaius) of which only two of the original five volumes survive, and in Josephus. The only event in his life that can be decisively dated is his participation in the embassy to Rome in 40 CE. He represented the Alexandrian Jews before Roman Emperor Caligula because of civil strife between the Alexandrian Jewish and Greek communities.

Download or read book The Works of Philo Jud us Vol 1 written by C. D. Yonge and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2015-06-17 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Works of Philo Judæus, Vol. 1: The Contemporary of Josephus, Translated From the Greek The author of the following Treatises was, as the title by which he is generally known imports, of Jewish extraction, and a descendant of the sacerdotal tribe of Levi. He is spoken of by Josephus as one of the most eminent of his contemporary countrymen, and as the principal of the embassy which was sent to Caligula to solicit him to recall the command which he had issued for the erection of his statue in the temple at Jerusalem. The embassy was unsuccessful, though the death of the emperor saved the sacred edifice from the meditated profanation; but we see that Philo suffered no diminution of his credit from its unsuccessful result, since, at a subsequent period, his son, Tiberius Alexander, married Berenice, the daughter of King Agrippa. The date of his birth and that of his death are alike uncertain; he speaks of himself as an old man when the embassy to Rome took place; and the treatise in which he gives an account of it was apparently written in the reign of Claudius, who succeeded Caligula A.D. 41, and reigned nearly fourteen years. His chief residence was at Alexandria, which at that period was, next to Athens, the most celebrated seat of philosophy in the world, and which had long been a favourite abode of the learned Jews. On one occasion he mentions having visited Jerusalem; and this is all we know of his personal history. In his religious opinions he appears to have been a Pharisee, to the principles of which sect some portion of his fondness for allegorical interpretation may perhaps be owing. It was, however, rather to his philosophical labours that his celebrity among his contemporaries and his notoriety at the present day are mainly owing. He was so devoted a follower of the great founder of the Academic school, that it appears to have been a saying among the ancients that, "either Plato Philonises, or philo platonises." About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Download or read book The Message of Philo Judaeus of Alexandria written by Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie and published by Theclassics.Us. This book was released on 2013-09 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1909 edition. Excerpt: ... life is to live in obedience to, and worship of God--to proceed cheerfully from death to immortality. We thus reach the abode of immortality.25 Therefore26 God exhorts man to run to the highest Logos of God which is the fountain of wisdom, in order that by drinking of that stream he may find everlasting life instead of death. It is also imparted by Eucharistic drinking which see. 4. JUDGMENT. While we do not hear anything very clear about any one special day of judgment, Philo is sure of absolute justice, so that a bad man will not lose reward for a single good action done among many evil ones, or a good man fail to be punished for a single bad action among many good ones.27 5 SIN J DEGREESq REPENTANCE. The usual Greek word for sin is hamartano, meaning "to miss the mark," as an arrow. Hence it is interesting to notice Philo's expression of a "reason which is aimed at truth like an arrow."28 The word for repentance means literally "to change one's mind;" and Philo gives it almost disproportionate space in his system. His order of excellence is29 1, perfection; 2, repentance, and next lower, 3, lover of God and lover of virtue; and again30 next below, as Moses was below Enoch, hope. So, philosophically, he prizes what is worse as being valuable if used for improvement;31 it earns indulgence for oneself, it promotes reconciliation, and averts divine anger32 (ib). Again, next to perfection is placed, when one has erred, repentance33 and symbolically is indicated by the number 36534 as typified by the solar orbit, alternation of agitation and resultant virtue; and as the sun hides the stars, to oblivion of past offences. It earned Noah35 preservation at time of general destruction, and,36 in the great abundance of kind mercy of the beneficent...

Download or read book Delphi Complete Works of Philo of Alexandria Illustrated written by Philo Judaeus of Alexandria and published by Delphi Classics. This book was released on 2017-03-20 with total page 4685 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philo of Alexandria was a Greek-speaking Jewish philosopher, who is now recognised as the most important representative of Hellenistic Judaism. His writings provide a concise view of the development of Judaism in the Diaspora. His essays seek to synthesise revealed faith and philosophic reason, and Philo is also regarded by Christians as a forerunner of Christian theology. Delphi’s Ancient Classics series provides eReaders with the wisdom of the Classical world, with both English translations and the original Greek texts. This comprehensive eBook presents Philo’s complete extant works, with relevant illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Illustrated with images relating to Philo's life and works * Features the complete extant works of Philo, in both English translation and the original Greek * Includes Charles Duke Yonge’s translations of Philo’s works * Excellent formatting of the texts * Easily locate the texts you want to read with individual contents tables * Includes Philo's rare fragments * Features two bonus biographies, including Bentwich’s seminal study on Philo – discover the author’s ancient world * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to explore our range of Ancient Classics titles or buy the entire series as a Super Set CONTENTS: The Translations PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION OF YONGE’S TRANSLATION ON THE CREATION ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION, I ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION, II ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION, III ON THE CHERUBIM ON THE BIRTH OF ABEL WORSE IS WONT TO ATTACK BETTER ON THE POSTERITY OF CAIN AND HIS EXILE ON THE GIANTS ON THE UNCHANGABLENESS OF GOD ON HUSBANDRY CONCERNING NOAH’S WORK AS A PLANTER ON DRUNKENNESS ON SOBRIETY ON THE CONFUSION OF TONGUES ON THE MIGRATION OF ABRAHAM WHO IS THE HEIR OF DIVINE THINGS? ON MATING ON FLIGHT AND FINDING ON THE CHANGE OF NAMES ON DREAMS ON ABRAHAM ON JOSEPH ON THE LIFE OF MOSES, I ON THE LIFE OF MOSES, II THE DECALOGUE THE SPECIAL LAWS, I THE SPECIAL LAWS, II THE SPECIAL LAWS, III THE SPECIAL LAWS, IV ON THE VIRTUES ON REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS EVERY GOOD MAN IS FREE ON THE CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE ON THE ETERNITY OF THE WORLD FLACCUS HYPOTHETICA: APOLOGY FOR THE JEWS ON PROVIDENCE: FRAGMENT I ON PROVIDENCE: FRAGMENT II ON THE EMBASSY TO GAIUS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON GENESIS, I QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON GENESIS, II QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON GENESIS, III APPENDIX 1: CONCERNING THE WORLD APPENDIX 2: FRAGMENTS The Greek Texts LIST OF GREEK TEXTS The Biographies PHILO-JUDÆUS OF ALEXANDRIA by Norman Bentwich PHILO JUDÆUS by Emile Bréhier Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles

Download or read book The Works of Philo Jud us Vol 2 written by C. D. Yonge and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2018-02-14 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Works of Philo Judaeus, Vol. 2: The Contemporary of Josephus VII. Let us now again in its turn consider what is the united body of evils voluntarily incurred. Our soul being capable of being divided into three divisions, one division is said to have fallen to the lot of the mind and of reason, the second to passion, and the third to appetite; and each sepa rate one of these has its own peculiar evils, and also they have all common and mutual diseases. Since the mind reaps the harvest which folly, and cowardice, and intemperance, and in justice sow; and passion brings forth frantic and insane strife and conflict, and all the other numerous evils with which it is pregnant; and appetite disseminates in every direction the impetuous and fickle loves of youth which descend upon every object, animate or inanimate, which it chances to meet with. For then, as if in any vessel, the sailors, and the passengers, and the pilots, had all, under the influence of insanity, agreed to destroy it, those who have joined in the plot against it are none the less involved in the same destruction. For the heaviest of all evils, and almost the only one that is incurable, is the unanimous energy of all the parts of the soul agreeing to commit sin, not one of the parts being able to act with soundness (just as is the case in an evil affecting the whole people), so as to heal those that are sick but even the physicians being diseased as well as their patients, whom the pestilential disease has overwhelmed and weighs down under a confessed calamity. Of this great evil, that great deluge described by the law giver is an image; for the torrents from heaven continually pouring down cataracts of wickedness itself with impetuous violence. And springs from the ground (by which I mean the body) continually bursting up and pouring forth streams of every passion in great numbers and vast size, which. Uniting and being mingled in the same stream with the other waters, are thrown into confusion, and overthrow the whole region of the soul which has received them with incessant eddies and Whirlpools. F or, says Moses, the Lord God. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Download or read book On the Embassy to Gaius written by Philo of Philo of Alexandria and published by . This book was released on 2017-09-22 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philo of Alexandria), also called Philo Judaeus, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. Philo used philosophical allegory to harmonize Jewish scripture, mainly the Torah, with Greek philosophy. His method followed the practices of both Jewish exegesis and Stoic philosophy. His allegorical exegesis was important for several Christian Church Fathers, but he has barely any reception history within Rabbinic Judaism. He believed that literal interpretations of the Hebrew Bible would stifle humanity's perception of a God too complex and marvelous to be understood in literal human terms. Some scholars hold that his concept of the Logos as God's creative principle influenced early Christology. Other scholars deny direct influence but say that Philo and Early Christianity borrow from a common source. The only event in Philo's life that can be decisively dated is his participation in the embassy to Rome in 40 CE. He represented the Alexandrian Jews in a delegation to Roman Emperor Caligula following civil strife between the Alexandrian Jewish and Greek communities. The story of this event, and a few other biographical details, are found in Josephus and in Philo's own works, especially in Legatio ad Gaium (Embassy to Gaius) of which only two of the original five volumes survive. Odin's Library Classics is dedicated to bringing the world the best of humankind's literature from throughout the ages. Carefully selected, each work is unabridged from classic works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama.

Download or read book The Works of Philo Jud us Vol 2 written by C. D. Yonge and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2015-06-24 with total page 522 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Works of Philo Judæus, Vol. 2: The Contemporary of Josephus I. As to the preceding topics, what has been already said will be sufficient. We must next proceed to consider, and that in no slight or cursory manner, the philosophical account which Moses gives us of the confusion of languages; for he speaks in the following manner: "And all the earth had one pronunciation, and there was one language among all men. And it came to pass, as they were moving from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and dwelt there. And one man said to his neighbour, Come, let us make bricks, and let us burn them with fire; and they had bricks for stone, and asphalt for mortar. And they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose head shall reach to heaven; and let us make for ourselves a name, before we are scattered over the face of all the earth. And the Lord came down to see the city, and the tower, which the sons of men had builded. And the Lord said, Behold, all mankind is one race, and there is but one language among them all; and they have begun to do this thing, and now there will not fail unto them anything of all the things which they desire to do. Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that each may not understand the voice of his neighbour. And the Lord scattered them from thence over the face of all the earth, and they desisted from building the city, and the tower. On this account, the name of it was called Confusion, because there the Lord confused the languages of all the earth, and from thence the Lord scattered them over the face of all the earth." About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Download or read book Philo Judaeus Or the Jewish Alexandrian Philosophy in Its Development and Completion written by Associate Professor James Drummond and published by Theclassics.Us. This book was released on 2013-09 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1888 edition. Excerpt: ...who suffered at the hands of their enemies (including apostates from the Jewish law), the requirements of the passage appear to be satisfied; and even Gratz, who thinks that he detects a few Christian interpolations, does not place the account of the righteous man under suspicion. In the absence, then, of undeniably Christian colouring or of clear allusion to Christian events, we may accept the prevailing opinion that the work is of purely Jewish authorship. Still less convincing is Mr. Sharpe's statement that the author "wrote after the conquest of Judaea by Vespasian, as he says that God's people were crushed by their enemies." In proof of this statement there is merely a reference to xv. 14. Here, however, there is no mention of a conquest, but only a general allusion to all the enemies that oppressed the Israelites; and in the long historical retrospect which is thus opened there is nothing to show that the Romans are included. Gratz is equally confident that the persecution under Caligula, and the claims to divine honours advanced by that imperial fool, come under the writer's hostile criticism. The worship paid to the statues of kings is undoubtedly described;f but it does not follow that the deification of the Roman Caesars was already known. The deification of the Ptolemies preceded that of the Caesars, J and the writer could Gesch. der Jud., III. p. 442-3. t xiv. 16-20. J It is sufficient to refer to the inscription on the Eosetta stone, in which the gods Soteres, the gods Adelphi, the gods Euergetae, the gods Philopatores, are mentioned, and an order is given that the statue of the god Ptolemy Epiphanes shall be worshipped in every temple in Egypt, and be carried out in the processions with those of the gods of the...

Download or read book Flaccus written by Philo of Philo of Alexandria and published by . This book was released on 2017-09-22 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philo of Alexandria), also called Philo Judaeus, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. Philo used philosophical allegory to harmonize Jewish scripture, mainly the Torah, with Greek philosophy. His method followed the practices of both Jewish exegesis and Stoic philosophy. His allegorical exegesis was important for several Christian Church Fathers, but he has barely any reception history within Rabbinic Judaism. He believed that literal interpretations of the Hebrew Bible would stifle humanity's perception of a God too complex and marvelous to be understood in literal human terms. Some scholars hold that his concept of the Logos as God's creative principle influenced early Christology. Other scholars deny direct influence but say that Philo and Early Christianity borrow from a common source. The only event in Philo's life that can be decisively dated is his participation in the embassy to Rome in 40 CE. He represented the Alexandrian Jews in a delegation to Roman Emperor Caligula following civil strife between the Alexandrian Jewish and Greek communities. The story of this event, and a few other biographical details, are found in Josephus and in Philo's own works, especially in Legatio ad Gaium (Embassy to Gaius) of which only two of the original five volumes survive. Odin's Library Classics is dedicated to bringing the world the best of humankind's literature from throughout the ages. Carefully selected, each work is unabridged from classic works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama.

Download or read book The Essential Philo written by Judaeus Philo and published by Schocken. This book was released on 1971 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Biblical Antiquities of Philo written by Philo and published by Cosimo, Inc.. This book was released on 2007-06-01 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1917. This is a Bible history, reaching, in its present imperfect form, from Adam to the death of Saul, to which the name of the great Jewish philosopher of the first century, Philo, has been attached to it. Contents: General; History of the Book; Authorities for the Text; Title and Attribution to Philo; Original Language; Date; Form; Purpose and Teaching; Unity. Contents; Relation to Other Literature; Extent of the Complete Book: the Lost Conclusion Discussed; Conclusion; and Synopsis.

Download or read book Supplement written by Philo (of Alexandria) and published by . This book was released on 1953 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The philosopher Philo, born about 20 BCE to a prominent Jewish family in Alexandria, was trained in Greek as well as Jewish learning. In attempting to reconcile biblical teachings with Greek philosophy he developed ideas that had wide influence on Christian and Jewish religious thought. The philosopher Philo was born about 20 BCE to a prominent Jewish family in Alexandria, the chief home of the Jewish Diaspora as well as the chief center of Hellenistic culture; he was trained in Greek as well as Jewish learning. In attempting to reconcile biblical teachings with Greek philosophy he developed ideas that had wide influence on Christian and Jewish religious thought. The Loeb Classical Library edition of the works of Philo is in ten volumes and two supplements, distributed as follows. Volume I: Creation; Interpretation of Genesis II and III. II: On the Cherubim; The Sacrifices of Abel and Cain; The Worse Attacks the Better; The Posterity and Exile of Cain; On the Giants. III: The Unchangeableness of God; On Husbandry; Noah's Work as a Planter; On Drunkenness; On Sobriety. IV: The Confusion of Tongues; The Migration of Abraham; The Heir of Divine Things; On the Preliminary Studies. V: On Flight and Finding; Change of Names; On Dreams. VI: Abraham; Joseph; Moses. VII: The Decalogue; On Special Laws Books I-III. VIII: On Special Laws Book IV; On the Virtues; Rewards and Punishments. IX: Every Good Man Is Free; The Contemplative Life; The Eternity of the World; Against Flaccus; Apology for the Jews; On Providence. X: On the Embassy to Gaius; indexes. Supplement I: Questions on Genesis. II: Questions on Exodus; index to supplements.

Download or read book Philo Judaeus written by Norman Bentwich and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2013-01-18 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Jewish philosopher, and contemporary of Jesus, Philo Judaeus, says:“...for when he most Knew Himself, then did he most despair of himself, in order that he might attain to an exact knowledge of Him Who in reality Is.”[1]Philo, in another work, writes;“But explore yourselves only..., you will gain forthwith a sure Knowledge of God and His works.”[2]Philo was an Alexandrian Jew of wide learning who wished to take the best of Greek philosophy and marry it to Hebrew thought. His work was to influence the early Christians as they sought for a metaphysical basis for their own faith. An Introduction to Philo Judaeus In the Torah God revealed himself to be the source of a great stream of Being, as the Sun is of light, and made it clear that true Judaism is fulfilled only when men recognize the nature of this deity, and ascend into ever higher participation in the Being of God thus radiated from the supreme and ultimately inaccessible One. In the process Philo assimilates the religious notions of paganism about him, particularly of the later forms of Platonism and Pythagoreanism. These taught the supreme and immaterial deity, but absorbed much of the emotion and form of the Mystery Religions when presenting the possibility of access to God, the Mystic ascent.[3] The book by Walther Volker [Fortschritt und Vollendung bei Philo von Alexandrien, 1938], so sharply attacked this point of view that we can no longer assume without defending our major premises in methodology. Volker writing from the position of extremely conservative Protestantism, asserts that to use the term 'mystic' of Philo at all, as historians of religion have been freely doing, is to beg the essential question. He believes that, in his own words, 'there exists no true mysticism apart from the en Cristoi and the sacrament,' and that the attempt 'to make Philo responsible for the beginnings of Christian mysticism' is motivated by the desire to discredit Christian mysticism at its very outset by its pretended extra-Christian origin. These hard words, directed against me more than any one else, not only misrepresent my motives, but my position. I have never dreamed of making Philo the origin of Christian mysticism, or any other mysticism. He seems to me to reflect a mystic movement in Judaism which as a whole acted with great influence on early Christianity. To limit mysticism to the experience “in Christ” is simply to rob us of the term by which we have long expressed a certain type of religious experience found all over the world.[4] When divinity is put up in heaven, or on Olympus, and we feel for him as a child who bows in love and respect before a father, inspired by his majesty and eager to obey his commands, our religion is not mystical. But when, driven by an inner sense of lack, insufficiency, we cry out for a divinity or higher reality who or which will come into us, take away our dross, unite us to himself or itself, then we are mystics. The experience is one of classical ecstasy only occasionally for anyone, and never for most. Often it is a quiet sense of union, with few high points of emotion.

Download or read book Philo of Alexandria On the Contemplative Life written by Joan E. Taylor and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2020-11-09 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: De Vita Contemplativa is known for its depiction of a philosophical group of Jewish men and women known as the ‘Therapeutae’. This commentary sets the treatise in its historical context and explores Philo’s aims in depicting them as he did.