Philo

Philo of Alexandria (c. 15 BCE–50 CE) was a contemporary of Paul and a leading representative of Hellenistic Judaism. Although there are continuing debates over how well he represents mainstream Jewish thought, he saw himself as faithful to the Torah and Jewish tradition. He regarded his faith, rooted in the revelation of the God of Israel, as all-encompassing and therefore capable of finding common ground with truth in Greek philosophy. Spiritual reinterpretation of Abraham, Moses, and other figures in the Hebrew Bible is fundamental to his approach, and he sees biblical study as inseparable from communion with God, who illumines the reader. He was especially impressed with the Theraputae, a quasi-monastic Egyptian Jewish community where such study was at the heart of life. Philo is also profoundly aware of God’s presence, providence, and guidance in human events of all kinds, not just in scripture.