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The views of Philo of Alexandria on wealth have been a source of controversy between those who argue that Philo was at times critical of wealth and those who contend that these criticisms were not of wealth but of the dangers posed by wealth. This article evaluates Philo's position first by examining the evidence for his own wealth and then by considering two sets of texts from the Exposition of the Law: one set that interprets the biblical prohibitions against interest on loans (Spec. 2.74-78; Virt. 82-87) and another that evaluates the use of wealth (Spec. 2.16-23). The former set of texts are evaluated against the realia of Jewish loan practices in Egypt, while the second set is evaluated against Philo's own family situation. The conclusion is that Philo was not critical of wealth per se, but of the misuse of wealth and the neglect of the poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay considers Philo of Alexandria's metaphor in which he used the dual nature of embodied existence (body and soul) to argue that both literal and allegorical readings are legitimate. It examines the metaphor in the framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CTM) developed by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson that argues that experience is the key to meaning. A metaphor occurs when we apply a pattern that we have observed in one setting (gestalt) to another. In this case, Philo has drawn on a Platonic/Stoic understanding of being human and applied it to contested hermeneutics within the Alexandrian Jewish community in an effort to maintain a sense of unity among two groups. The metaphorical experience is the recognition that Scripture is polyvalent in the same way that being human is. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most surprising omissions in Philo's retelling of Moses's life in his De vita Moysis is the Sinai pericope. The Alexandrian omitted Exod 17:14-Num 20:13 with the exception of the spy story (Num 13:1-14:45). There appear to be three reasons for the omission. First, Philo recognized the doublet of the story of the water from the rock (Exod 17:1-7//Num 20:1-13). This provided a narrative rationale for the omission. Second, he routinely omitted place names from his narrative, an ars narrandi that helped to universalize the text. Third, the omission enabled him to avoid the association of Sinai with the covenant. Philo retold the story of Moses, but turned Moses outward into the larger world rather than inward to his own community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author examines some statements of Paul of Tarsus, the Apostle to the Gentiles, against the background of Jewish exegetical traditions attested in Philo of Alexandria. Topics discussed include four sets of statements that are universalizing in nature, Paul's criticism of Jews and views about the Gentiles, and a comparison between the arguments of Philo and Paul regarding the Gentiles and natural law, the law of nature and the law of Moses, conscience and circumcision.

Suggests that Philo of Alexandria had a private school in his home or personally owned structure for advanced students, similar to schools of higher education run by individuals throughout the Greco-Roman world. Consensus that Philo worked within an exegetical tradition; Types of statements in which Philo situates exegesis in a social setting; Relationship to other Jewish literature.

Focuses on Jesus as an alleged exorcist by analyzing certain passages in the Bible. Matthew 17:14-20; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43a; Elimination of redaction; Elimination of secondary or tertiary tradition.

The article examines the presentation of the early Christian community contained in the New Testament Book of Acts, analyzing the three summaries of church history found in the passages of 2:41-47, 4:32-35, and 5:12-16. Topics addressed include the literary construction of the summaries, possible literary models followed by the book's author, and the influence of contemporary religious-philosophical schools of thought.