7 - The belly in Philo's writings

Summary

Introduction

The Alexandrinian Jew, Philo, was a contemporary of Paul. His abundant writings give us access to a significant part of Hellenistic Judaism. Samuel Sandmel says that ‘often Philo has been of interest to scholars not for himself but for the light he sheds on presumably more significant matters’. This is also true for this presentation of Philo, but it is still a tribute to the significance Philo's writings have for a proper understanding of the world in which Paul wrote. Philo's writings represent a blending of Platonic philosophy, Stoic ethics and Scriptural interpretation. Although modern reviewers would speak of a synthesis of various traditions, some even competing, Philo himself considered his writings as bringing out in full the true meaning of Scripture. His work was primarily of an exegetical nature. The means by which he fuses various traditions and biblical texts as scriptural interpretation is his well-known allegorical method. The aim of this method is to trace the deeper meaning of the text, which very often turns out to be a philosophical truth. This is very much the case in the question of how Philo perceived the belly. Philo is confident he can trace the hidden meaning since he considers the Scriptures to be inspired prophecy, containing universal truths about life. The following presentation will contain many examples of Philo's allegorical method.

Views on Philo's significance for New Testament studies, and the Pauline Epistles in particular, are diverse.