Philo of Alexandria: A Sourcebook

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Nlida Naveros Crdova carefully draws from a variety of texts within the Philonic corpus to provide a complete sourcebook for an introduction to Philo. After a general introduction, she consolidates the major topics and themes commonly studied in Philo into seven chapters: Philo's theology, his doctrine of creation, his anthropology, his doctrine of ethics, his metaphorical interpretation of biblical characters, his exposition of the Jewish Law and the Decalogue, and Jewish worship and major observances. For each chapter, Naveros Crdova provides a brief introduction and overview of the topics in their cultural and religious contexts highlighting Philo's philosophical thought and the significance of his biblical interpretation. The sourcebook consists mostly of fresh translations with few authorial comments with an attempt to introduce and present Philonic texts to the introductory reader to give broad exposure to the nature of Philo's literal and allegorical biblical interpretations. From start to finish, the book emphasizes the unity of the ethical character of Philo's thought considered the basic spectrum of his biblical exegesis.

Reviews

In the last decades, we have seen several introductions to Philo of Alexandria being published, but no volume introducing the reader to Philo by a relevant selection of his texts has been available. Hence this volume is especially needed. I welcome and salute the idea, the efforts of collecting and translating these texts, and the result of presenting this introduction to Philos texts and their central topics and themes. -- Torrey Seland, professor emeritus, Vid Specialized University, Stavanger, Norway

Author Bio

Nlida Naveros Crdova, CDP, is assistant professor of biblical studies and director of graduate programs in theology and ministry at Spring Hill College, Mobile, Alabama.