Philo of Alexandria: On the Life of Abraham
Introduction, Translation, and Commentary
Series: - Philo of Alexandria Commentary Series, Volume: 6
On the Life of Abraham displays Philo’s philosophical, exegetical, and literary genius at its best. Philo begins by introducing the biblical figures Enos, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as unwritten laws. Then, interweaving literal, ethical, and allegorical interpretations, Philo presents the life and achievements of Abraham, founder of the Jewish nation, in the form of a Greco-Roman bios, or biography. Ellen Birnbaum and John Dillon explain why and how this work is important within the context of Philo’s own oeuvre, early Jewish and Christian exegesis, and ancient philosophy. They also offer a new English translation and detailed analyses, in which they elucidate the meaning of Philo’s thought, including his perplexing notion that Israel’s ancestors were laws in themselves.
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Ellen Birnbaum, Ph.D. (1992, Columbia University), is author of The Place of Judaism in Philo’s Thought: Israel, Jews, and Proselytes (Scholars Press, 1996) and several other studies of Philo and the ancient Alexandrian Jewish community.
John Dillon is Regius Professor of Greek (Emeritus) at Trinity College Dublin. His chief publications are in the area of the Platonic tradition, but he has also published extensively on Philo, and in the field of Patristics.
John Dillon is Regius Professor of Greek (Emeritus) at Trinity College Dublin. His chief publications are in the area of the Platonic tradition, but he has also published extensively on Philo, and in the field of Patristics.
General Introduction to the Philo of Alexandria Commentary Series
Gregory E. Sterling
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
1 The Place of the Treatise in Philo’s Works
2 The Place of the Treatise in Philo’s Life
3 Genre, Aims, and Audience
4 Structure, Content, and Exegetical Approaches
5 Use and Interpretation of the Bible
6 Major Themes
7 Intellectual and Cultural Influences
8 Previous Scholarship
9 Shared and Distinctive Features and Their Implications
10 Nachleben
11 The Text of the Treatise
12 Some Notes on the Method Used in the Translation and Commentary
Part One: Introduction, §§ 1–59
Part Two: The Life of Abraham, §§ 60–276
Notes to the Text and Translation
Title of the Work
Part One: Introduction, §§ 1–59
A Prologue, §§ 1–6
B The First Triad, §§ 7–47
C The Second Triad
Part Two: The Life of Abraham
A The Piety of Abraham
B The Humanity of Abraham, §§ 208–261
C Conclusion, §§ 262–276
Bibliography
Index
Gregory E. Sterling
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
1 The Place of the Treatise in Philo’s Works
2 The Place of the Treatise in Philo’s Life
3 Genre, Aims, and Audience
4 Structure, Content, and Exegetical Approaches
5 Use and Interpretation of the Bible
6 Major Themes
7 Intellectual and Cultural Influences
8 Previous Scholarship
9 Shared and Distinctive Features and Their Implications
10 Nachleben
11 The Text of the Treatise
12 Some Notes on the Method Used in the Translation and Commentary
Translation: Philo of Alexandria, De Abrahamo
Part One: Introduction, §§ 1–59
Part Two: The Life of Abraham, §§ 60–276
Notes to the Text and Translation
Commentary
Title of the Work
Part One: Introduction, §§ 1–59
A Prologue, §§ 1–6
B The First Triad, §§ 7–47
C The Second Triad
Part Two: The Life of Abraham
A The Piety of Abraham
B The Humanity of Abraham, §§ 208–261
C Conclusion, §§ 262–276
Bibliography
Index
Students and scholars of Philo, biblical literature, ancient Judaism, classics, ancient philosophy, and early Christianity.