Pseudo-Philo: Rewriting the Bible Frederick J. Murphy This is a literary and theological study of the Biblical Antiquities of Pseudo-Philo--a long, well-written reinterpretation of the Hebrew Bible written by a Palestinian Jew of the first century C.E. The second word for "love" we need to examine is phileo, which means "to have a special interest in someone or something, frequently with focus on close association; have affection for, like, consider someone a friend." (c. 20-10 B.C.E.–c. The Greek language has terms for four kinds of love. — the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. [25(agapáō) focuses on value-driven(an decision-based) love – which of course does not … Separate from Philo, possibly following Ex3:14 'ho on', possible following Greek philosophers' (Melissus of Samos etc.) To the point that some call Philo the “Cro-Magnon Man of Gnosticism” by his linking together biblical exegesis with platonic demiurgism. Philo was Greek-speaking, as were many Jews living in Egypt at that time. In one sense, however, it is clearly rooted in Platonic philosophy, especially in Plato’s separation of God from the demiurge, with the demiurge creating the world in co-operation with the young gods and leaving the maintenance of the world to the world-soul. He was often called Philo of Alexandria, but he was also known as Philo Judaeus because of his Jewish background. Philo believed that Judaism was the only true religion, and he sought to lead Gentiles to God by making Judaism acceptable to them. To better understand phileo love, it must be defined as one part of these four terms. Among the things he particularly disliked, being a devout disciple of Plato, was the notion that God might have a physical body. 143; Legat. Scripture, he says, adapts itself to human conceptions; and for pedagogic reasons God is occasionally represented as a man. A Jewish writer and philosopher who lived in Alexandria, Egypt. Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. Philo's deployment of allegory to harmonize Jewish scripture, mainly the Torah, with Greek philosophy was the first documented of its kind, and thereby often misunderstood. It was not my intention to take two whole days off of... Why is our society so dysfunctional? Fourth, Philo anticipates the Sophia mother by his emphasis on God as the Father of the universe and Wisdom as its Mother (Leg. Therefore, the tendency of the King James translators to ignore this distinction and to translate these two very different words both as love is an absolute proof of the failure of the King James Bible in translation. 72-76; Fug. Stoic Influence. The Romans, withtheir universal ambitions, had replaced … The idea is that the distinction between the two words for love in Greek is always consistent and clearly distinctive. of the Heb., but the second word is a technical term in Stoicism. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Christians and Conspiracy Theories – An ...", My Deep Disappointment with Franklin Graham, John Swinton on Spirituality and Mental Challenges. Barrett (Gospel According to St. John, 155) was partly right when he said that Philo “must be reckoned among the witness to an early form of gnosis, which developed into gnosticism as primitive Christianity was added to the syncretism of Hellenism with Judaism and other oriental movements.”, Please also opt me in for Exclusive Offers from Patheos’s Partners, Pastoral Epistles Commentary by Chris Hutson, "Well if Augustus was only a god insofar as social conventions accepted him as one ...", "On another blog I came across an excellent quote from CS Lewis, taken (I believe) ...", "Greetings from Tennessee. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Blue Letter Bible offers several daily devotional readings in order to help you refocus on Christ and the Gospel of His peace and righteousness. 175; Abr. Theconsensus is that he lived between the end of the first century BCEand the middle of the first century CE, during a period of acuteagitation and interethnic tensions in Alexandria. . ... Strong's Number G5384 matches the Greek φίλος (philos), which occurs 29 times in 27 verses in the Greek concordance of the KJV. 10; Her. (c. 20-10 B.C.E.–c. Consisting of a retelling of the Hebrew Bible from Genesis to the end of 1 Samuel, Biblical Antiquities embellishes and often departs from the narrative as we know it today in small and large details. Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! 2.49; Pot. In Alexandria, the refined intellectual and teacher Clement met his master Pantaenus, who introduced him to Christianity as the highest form of philosophy. Moreover, Philo’s teaching on the Logos (or, the Word) contributed to the development of the non-Biblical teaching of the Trinity. Although this Greek term does not appear in the Bible, Eros, or erotic love, is portrayed in the Old Testament book, … Colossians 2:7-8 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. 503]; Zeno, according to "Quod Omnis Probus Liber," § 8 [ii. For example, philia describes the benevolent, kindly love practiced by early Quakers. 50 C.E.) Philia (pronounced FILL-ee-uh) conveys a strong feeling of attraction, with its antonym or opposite being phobia. Many critics of Philo assumed his allegorical perspective, would lend credibility to the notion of legend over historicity. 133-43, 156; Cher. The thing is that Plato’s demiurge is good, not wicked or ignorant as per Gnostic schemes. Yet, we see features in Philo that do, perhaps, pave the way for Gnostic cosmology, theology, and demiurgism in his account of the Logos. In Psalm 51:12, for example, the Eng. 126-27), who demiurges through the Logos (Sacr. 50 C.E.) The same holds good also as regards God's anthropopathicattributes. 5384phílos– a friend; someone dearlyloved (prized) in a personal, intimate way; a trusted confidant, held dear in a close bond of personal affection. 1. It is impossible to give precise dates for Philo’s birth. Also, send me the Evangelical Newsletter. The Greek word philophron, which translates directly to the English “courtesy,” is used only once in the Bible. The definitions, origins, and features of Gnosticism are deeply contested. A member of the Jewish Diaspora, he was raised with a Jewish and Greek education, giving him an impressive status in a non-Jewish city like Alexandria. TERMS OF USE All 3.207). Philo depicts God as the supreme demiurge (Opif. Phileo word is a Greek word, that word means love among the brothers or you can say, brotherly love. In Philo's words, the literal meaning is the body of the Bible, but the allegorical one is its soul; both must be kept in due consideration (On the Migration of Abraham 16.92-3). 12, where Moses, torn by his emotions… The two latter Greek terms for love are not mentioned in the Bible, although we do see them expressed in certain stories. 3rd 4th 5th C. Nice post, Mike. . Eros is the physical, sensual love between a husband and wife but can happen between the unmarried. Outdo one another in showing honor” as “philadelphia” for which the “city of brotherly love” in Pennsylvania is called. Philo depicts God as the supreme demiurge (Opif. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon transliterates the word love in Romans 12:10 “Love one another with brotherly affection. Third, Philo begins to distance God from the creation of humanity because of the corruption of humanity, we see that when Philo says that although God made heaven, nonetheless, he needed the assistance of inferior subordinates to create something as inferior as humans (Opif. Leg. It would probably be helpful if phileo were never translated "love" in the New Testament, because it refers to a strong liking or a strong friendship. Glossary, Philo of Alexandria—Mixing Scripture With Speculation. Yes, I want the Patheos Evangelical Newsletter as well, Identity Politics vs. Transactional Politics. Eros love in the Bible . At the same time, he claimed that God “has no distinctive qualities” and that God “is incomprehensible,” so calling him by a personal name is impossible. Newsletter as well, Identity Politics vs. Transactional Politics of the Logos (.! Jews living in Egypt at that time religion and spirituality faith will grow strong in the Bible, although do. 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