The Philosophy of Philo
Philo of Alexandria, also known as Philo Judaeus, was a Jewish philosopher and religious leader who lived in Alexandria, Egypt. He was born around 25 BCE and is thought to have died around 50 CE. He was an important figure in early Christianity and is considered to be the most important Jewish philosopher of antiquity. Philos style of thought has come to be known as ‘philosophical allegory. He believed in a type of mono-theistic God and was part of the group of thinkers that produced the first version of the Bible. He was also deeply influenced by Platonic, Stoic and Middle Platonist thought. Philo was concerned primarily with exhibiting the logical internal unity of Jewish scripture and attempting to reconcile it to the philosophical systems of his time.
The core of Philos philosophical system lays in his idea of the Logos, an intermediary between God and the world. The Logos, according to Philo, is the divine word and thought of God, and is also an agent of creation. It is through the Logos that all things were created, and it is through the Logos that we have access to the divine. The Logos, for Philo, was the connecting point between the physical world and the spiritual world.
Philo also believed in the idea of resurrection and the immortality of the soul. He believed that death was an illusion, and that the soul could be reborn through reincarnation or in a state of union with God. Philo taught a type of moralistic, asceticism, and urged people to practice a life of prayer, contemplation and charity in order to become closer to God.
Philos legacy has influenced both Christianity and Judaism and is still studied today. He is regarded as one of the fathers of Christian theology, and his ideas on the Logos and resurrection were later adopted into Christian doctrine. His understandings of monotheism were influential in the development of Judaism throughout the world. Philos complex philosophy has made it difficult to pin down his exact beliefs, but his profound influence remains apparent. He is a major figure in the history of philosophy, and his writings are still studied today.
