David T. Runia

Ambrose of Milan

Amborse was born into a noble orthodox Christian family in 339, and he received a thorough education in rhetoric and law, which prepared him for a career in government. Ambrose received baptism, and within a week he was consecrated bishop of Milan, the office which he holds until his death in 397. Although the fact that Ambrose had made use of Philo Christianus was known as early as the 16th century, attention was first drawn to it by the converted Jew Sixtus of Siena in 1566. The full extent of his exploitation did not become evident until the discovery and publication of the Armenian translation of the Quaestiones. A piece of real Quellenforschung was undertaken by Lewy. It had long been noted that in De Abrahamo 2.1-48 Ambrose records material that has a distinct Philonic flavour, but cannot been found in the extant Philo. This chapter analyses Ambroses Philonic borrowings.Keywords: Ambrose; De Abrahamo; Milan; Philo Christianus; Quellenforschung

Philo's De Aeternitate Mundi : the Problem of Its Interpretation

While On the Eternity of the World is customarily printed in the collections of the writings of Philo and is often ascribed to him, only a minority of scholars regard it as authentically his. The principal basis for denying the work to Philo runs as follows. In many of his writings, Philo has dealt with Gods creation of the world. God is omnipotent over the universe, even to the point of being able to destroy it, should he wish. However, if the world is destructible, it cannot be eternal; to believe in the eternity of the world, then, is in effect to deny Gods ultimate power over it. Precisely because the treatise affirms the eternity of the world, the majority of scholars deny the treatise to Philo... All in all, the treatise, genuine or not, is relatively unimportant.

Atheists in Aëtius text, translation and comments on De Placitis 1.7.1-10

There was a very long tradition of criticism of religion and religious traditions by philosophers in the ancient world, beginning with Xenophanes. This chapter focuses on a small segment of this tradition of ancient atheism as it is preserved in later reports. It concentrates on a text in the doxographer Aetius, in which a number of these atheists are mentioned. A closer look of the text, however, reveals numerous difficulties, relating to (1) the philosophical doctrines described, (2) the argument that the author wishes to present, and (3) the sources drawn upon for his material. The passage of Aetius that is examined in the chapter is Compendium de placitis 1.7.110. The translation given is the first to be made into English. The commentary that follows the text and translation seeks to guide the reader along in his or her reading of this difficult text.Keywords: Aetius; atheists; Compendium de placitis

Clement of Alexandria and the philonic doctrine of the divine power(s)

The present paper offers a comprehensive examination of how Clement appropriates the Philonic doctrine of the divine powers. It first examines the biblical basis of the doctrine, in which Pauline influence is superimposed on Genesis. It then successively treats the subject in the areas of theology, cosmology and the doctrine of creation, including the creation of humanity. For Clement experience of the divine power (usually in the singular) leads to knowledge of God (to the extent possible) and intimacy with him through the Son. Clements Philonic heritage has enabled him to develop a positive and above all a dynamic theology.

Philo of Alexandria

This volume, prepared with the collaboration of the International Philo Bibliography Project, is the third in a series of annotated bibliographies on the Jewish exegete and philosopher Philo of Alexandria. It contains a listing of all scholarly writings on Philo for the period 1997 to 2006.

Aëtius, or what's in a name?

A little over ten years ago Jaap Mansfeld and the author published the first of a number of projected volumes on the doxographer Aetius. In the cited volume the source-critical Aetius-hypothesis was subjected to a thorough examination for the first time since its definitive formulation by Hermann Diels in his Doxographi Graeci published in 1879. Scholars accepted the demonstration that the hypothesis was in need of a thorough revision, but at the same time were agreeably surprised how well it had stood up. This chapter briefly responds to two review articles of their first work, in which some salient points were raised concerning the name and identity of its protagonist. One such review article was by Jan Bremmer who made some interesting observations on the names of Aetius, Arius Didymus, and the possible role that Alexandria may have played in the transmission of doxographical material.Keywords: Aetius; Alexandria; Arius Didymus; doxographer; Hermann Diels; Jaap Mansfeld

Philo in Byzantium: An Exploration

This article gives the first comprehensive overview of the fate of the writings and thought of the Jewish exegete and philosopher Philo of Alexandria in the Byzantine period from 500 to 1500 CE. It sets out the evidence, based primarily on named references in a wide range of Byzantine sources, for the questions (1) who read Philo and wrote about him; (2) what part of his legacy did they utilise; (3) why did they refer to him; (4) and what was their attitude to him as a Jewish author.

Philo of Alexandria: On Cultivation

From antiquity to the present day Philo of Alexandria has been famous for his allegorical treatises on Genesis. This is the first translation and commentary on an allegorical work in the Philo of Alexandria Commentary Series.

Part Two: Noah Begins As a Cultivator

From antiquity to the present day Philo of Alexandria has been famous for his allegorical treatises on Genesis. This is the first translation and commentary on an allegorical work in the Philo of Alexandria Commentary Series.

Translation: Philo of Alexandria on Cultivation

From antiquity to the present day Philo of Alexandria has been famous for his allegorical treatises on Genesis. This is the first translation and commentary on an allegorical work in the Philo of Alexandria Commentary Series.