In the treatise On the Change of Names (part of his magnum opus, the Allegorical Commentary), Philo of Alexandria brings his figurative exegesis of the Abraham cycle to its fruition. Taking a cue from Platonist interpreters of Homer's Odyssey, Philo reads Moses's story of Abraham as an account of the soul's progress and perfection. Responding to contemporary critics, who mocked Genesis 17 as uninspired, Philo finds instead a hidden philosophical reflection on the ineffability of the transcendent God, the transformation of souls which recognize their mortal nothingness, the possibility of human faith enabled by peerless faithfulness of God, and the fruit of moral perfection: joy divine, prefigured in the birth of Isaac.
An ancient Roman history text, translated by Charles Yonge, and written by the Greek philosopher Philo of Alexandria. The Embassy to Gaius was a meeting between Gaius Caligula, the then Roman Emperor, and a large contingent of Jews. They wished to overturn Gaius' plans to have a huge statue of Zeus installed in the temple. Gaius' hatred of the Jews is legendary. This book is important because it helps to understand the relations between Jews and Romans in the first century A.D.
The topic tackled in this book is Philo's account of the complex, double-sided nature of God's acting - the two-sided coin of God as transcendent yet immanent, unknowable yet revealed, immobile yet creating - and also the two sides of acting in humans - who, in an attempt to imitate God, both contemplate and produce. In both contexts, divine and human, Philo considers that it would not be proper to give precedence to either side - the result would be barren. God's acting and man's acting are at the same time both speculative and practical, and it is precisely out of this co-presence that the order of the world unfolds. Philo considers this two-sided condition as a source of complexity and fertility. Francesca Calabi argues that, far from being an irresolvable contradiction, Philo's two-fold vision is the key to understanding his works. It constitutes a richness that rejects reduction to apparently incompatible forms and aspects.
In this new English translation and commentary of Philo’s On the Life of Abraham Ellen Birnbaum and John Dillon show how and why this unique biography displays Philo’s philosophical, exegetical, and literary genius at its best.
Philo of Alexandria (died c. 50 CE) is famous for his complex and spiritually rich allegorical treatises on the Greek Bible. This volume continues the series on the interpretation of Noah, focussing on his planting of a vineyard in Gen 9:20.
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
