Philo of Alexandria. Jean Danielou

to Philo: on the one hand, the Essene explanation of the two spirits and their action upon the soul; on the other, a dualistic philosophical explanation proceeding from Egyptian philosophical schools. Once again, it seems here that Philo has retained a moral trait of Essene teaching but has divorced it from its eschatological context and replaced that context with a cosmological explanation.

      The Philosophers of Alexandria

      Philo interpreted the Bible with the categories of Greek philosophy. Thus, our problem is to find out what this philosophy is. This is not accomplished easily. Pohlenz devoted a chapter to Philo in his book on Stoicism. Wolfson views Philo as a Platonist. Wendland ties him to Aristotle. Festugière is satisfied to speak about eclecticism. In that, Philo is certainly the reflection of the period of the early Empire to which he belongs. Schools tended to be confused with each other following a trend that began in the previous century. Posidonius had opened classical Stoicism to Platonic influences. Antiochus of Ascalon had integrated Stoic and Aristotelian elements into Platonism. These diverse influences persist into Philo’s period.