Why Study Philo Today? A Hundred Years of Philonic Scholarship in Retrospect and Prospect
Reading Philo: A Handbook to Philo of Alexandria, Torrey Seland (ed.), Eerdmans, 2014 (ISBN 978–0–8028-7069-8), xvi + 345 pp., pb $45 Philo of Alexandria, Jean Daniélou, translated by James G. Colbert, James Clark, 2014 (ISBN 978–0–227-17449-4), xvii + 184 pp., pb £23 Abstract The relation of philos...
| Published in: | Reviews in religion and theology |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Review |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
2017
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| In: |
Reviews in religion and theology
Year: 2017, Volume: 24, Issue: 1, Pages: 6-15 |
| Further subjects: | B
Book review
B ressourcement theology B biblical philosophy B Onto-theology B Hermeneutics B handmaiden formula B Philo |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Reading Philo: A Handbook to Philo of Alexandria, Torrey Seland (ed.), Eerdmans, 2014 (ISBN 978–0–8028-7069-8), xvi + 345 pp., pb $45 Philo of Alexandria, Jean Daniélou, translated by James G. Colbert, James Clark, 2014 (ISBN 978–0–227-17449-4), xvii + 184 pp., pb £23 Abstract The relation of philosophy to theology is notoriously ambiguous. Reading Philo of Alexandria is a case in point. Understanding the dynamics of philosophy and theology in the Philonic corpus is a key to understanding Philo's thought. And yet, few scholars agree as to how to read Philo on this point. In this article, I highlight some of the hermeneutical challenges posed by the Philonic corpus, based on two recent publications. The first book, a recently edited volume, documents the current trends in the discussion, introducing the reader to the 21st century scholarship. The second book, the first translation into English of an older monograph, echoes earlier trends, reaching back to the beginning of the previous century. Both publications complement each other, together covering a hundred years of Philonic scholarship. They thus offer a sound guide to the perplexed, even though they ultimately suggest alternative ways of reading Philo. In what follows, I argue that the perennial challenge of every Philo reader is to decipher Philo's enigmatic strategy in combining the Greek philosophical tradition with the Jewish scriptural tradition. To delve into this mystery, I submit, is the reason why Philo will continue to fascinate scholars for generations to come. |
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| ISSN: | 1467-9418 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Reviews in religion and theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/rirt.12809 |