Philo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Philo
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Imaginative illustration of Philo made in 1584 by the French portrait artist André Thevet
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| Born | c. 20 BCE |
| Died | c. 50 CE (age c. 75) |
| Era | Ancient philosophy |
| Region | Jewish philosophy |
| School | Middle Platonism |
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Main interests
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Religious philosophy |
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Influences
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Influenced
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Philo of Alexandria (born around 20 BCE, died around 50 CE), also known as Philo Judaeus, was an important Jewish philosopher. He lived in Alexandria, a big city in Roman Egypt.
Philo was known for trying to connect Jewish teachings, especially from the Torah, with Greek philosophy. He used a method called allegory. This means he would find deeper, symbolic meanings in stories, not just the literal ones. Sometimes, he believed stories were real events. Other times, he saw them as symbols.
His ideas helped shape later Jewish and Christian thought. However, some Jewish leaders at the time didn't always agree with his methods. This was partly because he sometimes criticized their views.
One of the most important events in Philo's life was a trip to Rome in 40 CE. He went there to speak for the Jewish community in Alexandria. They were having problems with the Greek community in the city.
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Philo's Life and Family
We don't know the exact dates of Philo's birth and death. But he described himself as "old" during his trip to Rome in 40 CE. Historians think he was born between 20 and 10 BCE. He likely died after 41 CE, as he mentioned an event during Emperor Claudius's rule.
Philo came from a very important and wealthy family. His family had connections to powerful groups. These included priests in Judea, the Hasmonean dynasty, and the Herodian dynasty. They also knew the Julio-Claudian dynasty in Rome.
Philo had two brothers, Alexander the Alabarch and Lysimachus. Alexander was a very rich and influential person. Through Alexander, Philo had two nephews. One of them, Marcus Julius Alexander, married a princess named Berenice.
Philo and his brothers received an excellent education. They learned about Greek culture, Roman culture, and even some Egyptian culture. Most importantly, they studied Judaism and Greek philosophy deeply. Philo visited the Second Temple in Jerusalem at least once.
Philo's Trip to Rome
In his writing called Embassy to Gaius, Philo describes his important trip to Emperor Gaius Caligula. He was carrying a request from the Jews of Alexandria. They wanted the emperor to protect their rights. Philo explained how the Alexandrian Greeks had caused trouble and violence against the Jews.
Philo lived in a time when there was a lot of tension between different groups in Alexandria. The Roman Empire was also trying to control Jewish nationalism. Philo wrote that there were over a million Jews in Egypt. He also described how a Roman governor, Aulus Avilius Flaccus, treated the Jews badly. This happened when the Jews refused to worship Caligula as a god.
Philo saw Caligula's plan to put a statue of himself in the Second Temple as a huge insult. He believed the Jews would fight to protect their religious laws and customs. Philo was chosen for this mission because he was seen as very wise due to his age and knowledge.
The historian Josephus also wrote about Philo's mission. Josephus said Philo was chosen because he was skilled in philosophy. He also mentioned that Philo and the Jewish community refused to worship the emperor as a god.
Philo's Writings
Many of Philo's writings have survived. Some are in Greek, some in Armenian, and a few in Latin. We don't know the exact dates when he wrote them.
Most of his surviving work is about the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. These writings fall into three main types:
- Quaestiones (Inquiries): These are short explanations of the Torah, verse by verse. We have parts about the books of Genesis and Exodus.
- Allegorical Commentary: These are longer explanations that look for deeper, symbolic meanings in the stories. They mostly focus on the Book of Genesis.
- Exposition of the Law: These writings explain the laws and topics in the Torah in a more straightforward way. Philo probably wrote them for both Jews and non-Jews.
Philo also wrote other kinds of works:
- Defenses of Judaism: These include books like On the Life of Moses.
- Historical Works: These describe events happening in Alexandria and the Roman Empire, such as Ad Flaccum and De legatione ad Gaium.
- Philosophical Works: These include titles like Every Good Man Is Free.
Philo's Philosophy
Philo tried to combine the ideas of the Greek philosopher Plato with the teachings of Moses. His ideas about right and wrong were also influenced by Pythagoreanism and Stoicism.
Understanding Scripture
Philo believed the Hebrew Bible was the source of all truth, not just religious truth. He thought its words were holy and came from God. He especially saw Moses as a key person through whom God revealed truth.
Philo also thought that many ideas from Greek philosophers were already present in the Bible. For example, he believed the Bible contained ideas similar to those of Heraclitus and Zeno of Citium.
Philo's allegorical way of reading the Bible helped him understand difficult stories. He saw characters in the Bible as parts of human beings. For example, he thought Adam represented the mind and Eve represented the senses. He saw Noah as a symbol of someone trying to be good.
Understanding God
Philo believed in a God who is beyond our world. This God doesn't have a physical body or human emotions. God exists outside of time and space. Philo thought God doesn't need to step into the world to change things because God already includes and controls everything.
Philo's idea of God was very abstract. He believed we can only be sure God exists, but we can't really describe God using human words.
Understanding Humans
Philo seemed to think humans have three main parts: the mind, the soul, and the body. This was a common idea in Greek philosophy. Sometimes, he used the words "mind" and "spirit" to mean the same thing.
The Logos (Divine Reason)
Philo wrote that God created and rules the world through helpers or mediators. The most important of these is the Logos. The Logos is like God's chief helper. It is not created like humans, but it is also not uncreated like God. It's somewhere in the middle. The Logos is like God's mind or a perfect image of God.
Philo was probably the first philosopher to say that Plato's "Ideas" (perfect forms of things) were actually God's thoughts. These thoughts make up the Logos. They were like blueprints God used to create the world. The Logos also holds everything together in the world. It acts as a messenger from God to the world and helps put human minds in order.
The Meaning of Numbers
Philo often talked about the importance of numbers, especially religious numbers like six, seven, and ten. He was influenced by the ideas of Pythagoras, who believed numbers had special meanings.
Philo's Knowledge of Languages
Philo was much better at Greek than at Hebrew. He mainly read the Jewish Scriptures from the Septuagint. This was a Greek translation of the Hebrew texts.
Philo's writings show some knowledge of Hebrew names and their meanings. He would sometimes give several possible meanings for a Hebrew name. However, his works don't show a deep understanding of Hebrew grammar. He usually followed the Greek Septuagint translation more closely than the original Hebrew version.
The Name of God
In Philo's writings, he often used the Greek word Kyrios (meaning "Lord") when referring to God. Scholars believe that when Philo quoted from the Bible, he likely used the original Hebrew name for God (the Tetragrammaton). But when he was explaining things in his own words, he would use Kyrios.
In Spanish: Filón de Alejandría para niños
