Philo's Portrayal of Moses in the Context of Ancient Judaism

Louis H. Feldman

Description

Philo's Portrayal of Moses in the Context of Ancient Judaism presents the most comprehensive study of Philo's De Vita Mosis that exists in any language. Feldman, well known for his work on Josephus and ancient Judaism, here paves new ground using rabbinic material with philological precision to illuminate important parallels and differences between Philo's writing on Moses and rabbinic literature. One way in which Hellenistic culture marginalized Judaism was by exposing the apparent defects in Moses' life and character. Philo's De Vita Mosis is a counterattack to these charges and is a vital piece of his attempt to reconcile Judaism and Hellenism. Feldman rigorously examines the text and shows how Philo presents a narrative of Moses's life similar to that of a mythical divine and heroic figure, glorifying his birth, education, and virtues. Feldman demonstrates that Philo is careful to explain in a scientific way those portions of the Bible, particularly miracles, that appear incredible to his skeptical Hellenistic readers. Through Feldman's careful analysis, Moses emerges as unique among ancient lawgivers.

Philo's Portrayal of Moses in the Context of Ancient Judaism mirrors the organization of Philo's biography of Moses, which is in two books, the first, in the style of Plutarch, proceeding chronologically, and the second, in the style of Suetonius, arranged topically. Following an introductory chapter, Feldman's study discusses the life of Moses chronologically in the second chapter and examines his virtues topically in the third. Feldman compares the particular features of Philo's portrait of Moses with the way in which Moses is viewed both by Jewish sources in antiquity (including Pseudo-Philo; Josephus; Graeco-Jewish historians, poets, and philosophers; and in the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Samaritan tradition, Dead Sea Scrolls, and rabbinic tradition) and by non-Jewish sources, notably the Greek and Roman writers who mention him.

Sujets

• Biblical Studies
• Comparative Literature
• Philosophie et théologie
• Second Temple Judaism
• Pseudo-Philo
• Pseudepigraph
• General officer
• Plutarch
• Old Testament
• Josephus
• Judaism
• Hellenistic civilization
• Apocrypha
• Religion
• General
• History
• Flavius Josèphe

Informations

• Publié par: University of Notre Dame Press
• Date de parution: 15 décembre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780268159528
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Philo s Portrayal of Moses in the Context of Ancient Judaism
Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity Series
Gergory E. Sterling, Series Editor
VOLUME 15
The University of Notre Dame Press gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Jack and Joan Conroy of Naples, Florida, in the publication of titles in this series .
LOUIS H. FELDMAN
Philo s Portrayal of Moses in the Context of Ancient Judaism
University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
www.undpress.nd.edu
All Rights Reserved
Copyright 2007 by University of Notre Dame
Published in the United States of America
Designed by Wendy McMillen, type set in 10.6/13.5 Garamond MT
Printed on 55 Nature s Natural recycled paper in the U.S.A. by Sheridan Books, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Feldman, Louis H.
Philo s portrayal of Moses in the context of ancient Judaism / Louis H. Feldman.
p. cm. - (Christianity and Judaism in antiquity series ; v. 15)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN -13: 978-0-268-02900-5 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN -13: 978-0-268-15951-1 (paper : alk. paper)
1. Moses (Biblical leader) 2. Philo, of Alexandria. 3. Pseudo-Philo. 4. Josephus, Flavius. 5. Rabbinical literature-History and criticism. 6. Greek literature, Hellenistic-Jewish authors-History and criticism. 7. Dead Sea scrolls. 8. Christian literature, Early-History and criticism. I. Title.
BS 580. M 6 F 43 2007
222 .1092-dc22
2007017368
eISBN 9780268159528
This book is printed on recycled paper .
This e-Book was converted from the original source file by a third-party vendor. Readers who notice any formatting, textual, or readability issues are encouraged to contact the publisher at [e-mail] .
Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity Series (CJAS)
The Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity Program at the University of Notre Dame came into existence during the afterglow of the Second Vatican Council. The doctoral program combines the distinct academic disciplines of the Hebrew Bible, Judaism, the New Testament, and the Early Church in an effort to explore the religion of the ancient Hebrews, the diverse forms of Second Temple Judaism, and its offspring into religions of Rabbinic Judaism and the multiple incarnations of early Christianity. While the scope of the program thus extends from the late Bronze and Early Iron Ages to the late antique world, the fulcrum lies in the Second Temple and Early Christian periods. Each religion is explored in its own right, although the program cultivates a History-of-Religions approach that examines their reciprocally illuminating interrelationships and their place in the larger context of the ancient world.
During the 1970s a monograph series was launched to reflect and promote the orientation of the program. Initially known as Studies in Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity, the series was published under the auspices of the Center of the Study of Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity. Six volumes appeared from 1975 to 1986. In 1988 the series name became Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity as the editorship passed to Charles Kannengiesser, who oversaw the release of nine volumes. Professor Kannengiesser s departure from Notre Dame necessitated the appointment of a new editor. At the same time, the historic connection between the series and the CJA doctoral program was strengthened by the appointment of all CJA faculty to the editorial board. Throughout these institutional permutations, the purpose of the series has continued to be the promotion of research into the origins of Judaism and Christianity with the hope that a better grasp of the common ancestry and relationship of the two world s religions will illuminate not only the ancient world but the modern world as well.
Gregory Sterling, Series Editor
To our grandchildren: Yossie, Yair, Shalom, Yehuda, Shmulie, Ari, Shoshanah, Elana, Eliana, Zevi, and Abby, in the fervent hope that they will continue to learn and to love and to transmit our Torah tradition.

Do not read your children but your builders.
- Berakot 64a
Contents
Preface
Abbreviations
I. General Considerations
1. The Importance of Moses in Classical Antiquity
2. The Antiquity of Moses
3. Philo s Audience in De Vita Mosis
4. Philo s Life of Moses as an Aretalogy and as an Encomium
5. Philo s Method as a Biographer of Moses
6. Philo s Knowledge of Oral Tradition
7. Philo as Midrashist
II. The Life of Moses
1. Moses Genealogy
2. Moses Birth
3. Moses Upbringing
4. Moses Handsomeness
5. Moses Attitude toward Wealth
6. Moses Career as Leader of the Israelites
a. Moses before His Departure for Midian
b. Moses in Midian
c. The Burning Bush
d. Moses Return to Egypt
e. The Plagues
f. The Israelites Departure from Egypt
g. Moses Leadership during the Exodus: The Miraculous Crossing of the Sea of Reeds
h. Moses Leadership in the Wilderness
i. War with the Amalekites
j. The Omission of Jethro s Visit
k. The Revelation at Sinai
l. The Golden Calf
m. The Case of the Blasphemer
n. The Second Passover
o. The Spies
p. The Revolt of Korah
q. The War with the Edomites
r. The War with Sihon
s. Balaam
t. The Incident with the Midianite Women and Phinehas
u. The Choice of a Successor: Joshua
v. The Battle against Midian
w. The Proposal of Reuben and Gad
x. The Daughters of Zelophehad
y. The Death of Moses
(1) The Extraordinary Deaths of Extraordinary Persons
(2) Attacks on Biblical Accounts as Myths
(3) The Account of Moses Death according to the Assumption of Moses
(4) Philo s Description of Moses Last Days
(5) Pseudo-Philo s Account of Moses Death
(6) Josephus Account of Moses Death
(7) The Rabbinic Account of Moses Death
(8) The Samaritan Description of Moses Death
III. The Virtues of Moses
1. In General
2. Wisdom
3. Courage
4. Temperance
5. Justice
6. Piety
7. Moses as Lawgiver
8. Moses as King
9. Moses as Sufferer
10. Moses as Priest and Theologian
11. Moses as Prophet
12. The Reference to a Prophet like Moses
13. Moses as Mediator
14. Moses as Philosopher and Inventor
15. Moses as Performer of Miracles
16. Moses as Magician
17. Moses as Messiah and the Return of Moses
18. The Divinity of Moses
(a) The Term G-d as Applied to Humans in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods
(b) The Attitude of the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha to the Divinity of Moses
(c) The Deification of Moses according to (Generally Regarded) Graeco-Jewish Writers
(d) The Alleged Deification of Moses in the Dead Sea Scrolls
(e) The Association of Moses with Divinity in the New Testament
(f) Philo s View of the Alleged Divinity of Moses
(g) The Alleged Deification of Moses in Pseudo-Philo
(h) Josephus View of Moses Alleged Divinity
(i) The Divinity of Moses in the Rabbinic Tradition
(j) The Alleged Divinity of Moses in the Samaritan Tradition
IV. Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index of Ancient Texts
Jewish Scriptures
Apocrypha
Pseudepigrapha
Dead Sea Scrolls
New Testament
Church Fathers
Samaritan Writings
Philo
Pseudo-Philo
Josephus
Other (Alleged) Graeco-Jewish Writers
Rabbinic and Allied Literature
Classical Greek Authors
Classical Latin Authors
Papyri
Index of Names and Subjects
Index of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew Words
Index of Modern Scholars
Preface
There is no figure in the Bible who is both greater and more enigmatic than Moses. How do we square his greatness as a Jewish political and religious leader with the fact that he was brought up in the palace of the Egyptian pharaoh, that we hear nothing of his Israelite education, that he was guilty of the murder of an Egyptian, even if that Egyptian was cruel, that he married a non-Israelite woman, Zipporah, whose father, Jethro, was a pagan priest, that he failed to circumcise his son so that G-d was on the verge of killing him, that we hear almost nothing about his children, that he apparently divorced his wife and married an Ethiopian woman, that he was chosen by G-d to be the chief negotiator with the Pharaoh and to lead and inspire the Israelite people even though he was eighty years old and suffered from a speech impediment, that he lost his temper and smashed the G-d-given tablets of the Law when he found the Israelites worshipping a golden calf, that he who spent forty days in communion with G-d and who conveyed the entire Torah to the Israelites did not know how to rule in the cases of the blasphemer or of those who had been unable to make the paschal offering at the appointed time because of ritual defilement and who sought a second opportunity to do so or of the complaint of the daughters of Zelophehad with regard to their inheritance, and that he disobeyed G-d and consequently was forbidden to enter the Promised Land? Indeed, we may well ask why G-d chose as the vehicle of His revelation a shepherd rather than a trained philosopher or theologian. We may also ask how to explain that Moses was in charge of the priestly establishment and yet was not high priest.
The only attempt at a comprehensive account of Moses in the context of ancient Judaism is the dissertation by Lierman (2002), which focuses on the New Testament. The only comprehensive acco