The Jewish Plato

Gregory E. Sterling

doi:10.1628/978-3-16-163554-0

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Gregory E. Sterling

The Jewish Plato

Volume 1: The Life and Writings of Philo of Alexandria

2026. 790 pages.

forthcoming in October 2026

Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament (WUNT I)

DOI 10.1628/978-3-16-163554-0

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Summary

Philo of Alexandria shaped the exegetical traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Hellenistic philosophy alike. In 36 essays spanning three decades of research, Gregory E. Sterling provides the most comprehensive account of Philo's life, writings, and lasting influence to date.

In Volume 1 of this three-volume set on Philo of Alexandria and the impact of his thought, Gregory E. Sterling explores the life and writings of Philo, alongside Josephus one of the two most important witnesses to Greek-speaking Judaism in the Second Temple period. Philo's writings fall into five groups: the Questions and Answers on Genesis and Exodus, the Allegorical Commentary, the Exposition of the Law, apologetic treatises, and philosophical treatises. The author argues that exegetical traditions are embedded within the commentary series that not only reflect earlier Jewish interpreters, but traditions that influenced Jewish authors like Josephus, early Christians, and even Platonic philosophers. Drawing on three and a half decades of research on Philo, the 36 essays in this volume address the full range of Philo's significance. The author sets out a description of Alexandria based on Strabo, provides a comprehensive collection of the evidence for the Jewish community in the city, and contrasts it with the Jewish community of Jerusalem. He further offers an overview of the role of philosophy in the Alexandrian Jewish community and reconstructs Philo's life against the background of his family. He then explores Philo's relationship to Second Temple Judaism more broadly and argues that while his philosophical exegesis was the work of a privileged individual, his works show evidence that he knew other Jewish texts and that other Jews like Josephus knew his. Furthermore, the author argues that Philo operated a private school of exegesis in his home and analyzes the place of the Life of Moses in his corpus. Finally, he offers one of the most comprehensive analyses of Philo's fragmentary Hypothetica.

Table of contents:

Part One: Introduction
1. "Why Philo Matters."
2. "Introduction."

Part Two: Alexandria and the Alexandrian Jewish Community
3. "'The Largest and Most Important Part' of Egypt: Alexandria according to Strabo."
4. "'Thus are Israel': Jewish Self-Definition in Alexandria."
5. ""Judaism between Jerusalem and Alexandria."
6. "'The Jewish Philosophy': The Presence of Hellenistic Philosophy in Jewish Exegesis in the Second Temple Period."

Part Three: Philo and His Family
7. "'Pre-eminent in Family and Wealth': Gaius Julius Alexander and the Alexandrian Jewish Community."
8. "Tiberius Julius Alexander."
9. "Philo of Alexandria."

Part Four: Philo and Judaism
10. "Magister or Maverick?: Philo and Alexandrian Judaism."
11. "Recherché or Representative? What is the Relationship between Philo's Treatises and Greek-Speaking Judaism?"
12. "Philosophy as the Handmaid of Wisdom: Philosophy in the Exegetical Traditions of Alexandrian Jews."
13. "Different Traditions or Emphases: The Image of God in Philo's De opificio mundi."
14. "Was there a Common Ethic in Second Temple Judaism?"
15. "From the Thick Marshes of the Nile to the Throne of God: Moses in Ezekiel the Tragedian and Philo of Alexandria."
16. "'A Man of the Highest Repute': Did Josephus Know the Writings of Philo?"

Part Five: Philo's School of Sacred Laws
17. "'The School of Sacred Laws': The Social Setting of Philo's Treatises."
18. "Philo's School: The Social Setting of Ancient Commentaries."
19. "The School of Moses in Alexandria: An Attempt to Reconstruct the School of Philo."
20. "Philo's Library and the Libraries of Philosophical Schools."

Part Six: The Corpus Philonicum
21. The Corpus Philonicum
22. "Philo's Quaestiones: Prolegomena or Afterthought?"
23. "Quaestiones in the Allegorical Commentary of Philo of Alexandria."
24. "'Prolific in Expression and Broad in Thought: Internal References to Philo's Allegorical Commentary and Exposition of the Law."
25. "The Structure of Philo's Allegorical Commentary."
26. "The Complexities of Philo's Corpus: The Unity of De gigantibus and Quod Deus immutabilis sit."
27. "Psychagogy in Pedagogy: Abraham as a Model for Virtue in Philo of Alexandria's De Abrahamo."
28. "In utramque partem: The Literary Shape of a Philonic Dialogue."

Part Seven: The Life of Moses
29. "Philo of Alexandria's Life of Moses: An Introduction to the Exposition of the Law."
30. "A Human sui generis: Philo of Alexandria's De vita Mosis."
31. "Thunderous Silence: The Omission of the Sinai Pericope in Philo of Alexandria."
32. "It is Elemental: Miracle Stories in Philo's Life of Moses."

Part Eight: The Hypothetica
33. "In Fragments: The Authenticity of the Hypothetica."
34. "Philo and the Logic of Apologetics: An Analysis of the Hypothetica."
35. "Universalizing the Particular: Natural Law in Second Temple Jewish Ethics."
36. "The Most Admired Jewish Group in Antiquity: Philo on the Essenes."