Philo of Alexandria: On the Contemplative Life

Introduction, Translation and Commentary
Erscheinungsjahr 2020
ISBN: 978-90-04-43814-9
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 7, 430 Seiten, Format (B × H): 160 mm x 241 mm, Gewicht: 816 g

Reihe: Philo of Alexandria Commentary Series

On the Contemplative Life is known for its depiction of a philosophical group of Jewish men and women known as the ‘Therapeutae’. Yet the reasons for their depiction have been little understood. In the first commentary on the treatise in English for over 100 years, the social, cultural and political background of the times in which Philo lived are shown to be crucial in understanding Philo’s purposes. As Alexandrian Jews were vilified and attacked, Philo went to Rome to present the case for his community, faced with intense opposition. Side-stepping direct confrontation, Philo here cleverly presents the Therapeutae as the pinnacle of excellence, most especially in their communal meal, while ridiculing his accusers in a stinging parody of a festive banquet.

Autoren/Hrsg.

E Taylor, Joan

M Hay, David

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christentum/Christliche Theologie Allgemein

Inhaltsverzeichnis

General Introduction to the Philo of Alexandria Commentary Series

Gregory E. Sterling

Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

List of Figures

Introduction

1 Philo and the Context of the Treatise

2 Genre and the Question of Actuality

3 The Treatise within the Philonic Corpus

4 Structure: The Two Ways

5 Text, Translations and Commentaries

6 Nachleben: The Christian Use of De Vita Contemplativa

7 The Name of the “Therapeutae”

8 Identity: Ascetic Jewish Allegorists in Alexandria

Translation and Textual Notes: Philo of Alexandria, De Vita Contemplativa

Translation

Textual Notes

Commentary

The Title

Chapter 1: §§ 1–11 Introduction

Chapter 2: §§ 12–39 The Good Example

Chapter 3: §§ 40–63 The Wrong Symposia

Chapter 4: §§ 64–89 The Right Symposia

Chapter 5: § 90 Conclusion

Bibliography

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Joan E. Taylor, Ph. D. (1990), is Professor of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism at King’s College London. Among many books and articles, she is author of The Essenes, the Scrolls and the Dead Sea (OUP, 2013).

David M. Hay, Ph. D. (1965), was Joseph E. McCabe Professor of Religion at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He authored and edited many works, especially on Paul and Philo, and was a founding member of the Studia Philonica Annual.