Philo of Alexandria

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The writings of Philo of Alexandria (c. 20 BCE -- c. 50 CE), a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who sought to harmonize Jewish Scripture with Greek philosophy. His allegorical interpretations of the Torah remain influential to this day.

Moses and Creation

Philo The Midrash of Philo 4:1

Seems a little... roundabout, doesn't it? That’s exactly the kind of thing that got the Rabbis thinking, and us too! What’s really going on behind those words? Why not just say, "H...

CreationHeavenMoses

Philo on Scripture

Philo The Midrash of Philo 4:2

When Genesis says, "when they were created," it's almost teasing us. It's like saying, "Yeah, things were created, but when exactly? We're not really pinning it down." Think about ...

Tale of Rashi

Philo The Midrash of Philo 5:1

The verse in question is Genesis 2:5: "And God made every green herb of the field, before it was upon the earth, and every grass before it had sprung up." Seems a bit… backwards, r...

Philosophical Midrash

Philo The Midrash of Philo 5:2

Philo, a Jewish philosopher living in Alexandria around the time of Jesus, certainly did. And in his writings, particularly in what we now call The Midrash of Philo, he offers a fa...

Before Heaven and Earth

Philo The Midrash of Philo 6:1

And in the Midrash of Philo, we find a truly intriguing answer. Genesis 2:6 poses a bit of a puzzle, doesn't it? "A fountain went up from the earth, and watered all the face of the...

Creation

Philo on Scripture

Philo The Midrash of Philo 6:2

This is precisely the puzzle posed in The Midrash of Philo. It's a beautiful, thought-provoking exploration of the early chapters of Genesis, attributed to Philo of Alexandria, a J...

Blueprint of Creation and Adam

Philo The Midrash of Philo 7:1

We all know the story – God breathes life into Adam. But what kind of life? What kind of being was this first human? It's a question that has haunted thinkers for millennia. And it...

Creation

Acts of Creation of Adam

Philo The Midrash of Philo 7:2

It’s a question that has fascinated thinkers for millennia, and one place we find a really intriguing take is in the writings of Philo of Alexandria. Philo, a Jewish philosopher wh...

CreationSoul

Acts of Creation

Philo The Midrash of Philo 7:8

(Genesis 2:7). It’s such a simple phrase, yet it's pregnant with meaning. The Midrash, that rich tapestry of Jewish storytelling and interpretation, wrestles with this very questio...

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