The Works of Philo: Complete and Unabridged

For those religiously-minded or simply with an interest in history during the Roman era, this is a fine scholarly edition of the works of Philo. Philo was a philosopher who lived in first century Alexandria and served as one of the leading members of the Jewish community in that city. He was so important that he was chosen as the lead emissary for a delegation to visit the emperor Caligula; the incident was of such importance that Philo wrote about it in one of the more widely known sections of his work. Outside of this and his brief allusion to a trip to Jerusalem, virtually nothing is known of his personal life. His fame, therefore, exists because of his commentaries on the Old Testament and the glimpse into Jewish and Hellenistic thought around the same time as Christianity became an important force in the ancient world.The only other near-complete English translation of Philo's work comes the Loeb Classical Library. However, that multi-volume series is rather expensive and only covers his Greek writings; absent are his works preserved only in Armenian translations. Those latter materials are included in this volume. This particular translation was by an Englishman named C.D. Yonge in the nineteenth century, but the language remains fresh and relatively easy to understand, so far as theological writings go. The print is relatively small and closely packed, so it might be a good idea to have reading glasses in hand. However, I still highly recommend this one-volume resource. It is uncommon to get a book so valuable so cheaply.

Enjoyed this book immensely. Very informative.

Loved this deeper look into Biblical times. Wish the print was a little larger but the information was great. Try it you'll like it!

So easy to understand. Such a wonderful find

I think all (except one work (on Animals?)) of Philo's work is in this book.Philo is an unfortunate exegete he simply forces, and I mean forces, his Platonic beliefs onto the text contorting his interpretations around the Pentateuch with meanings that are neither implicit or implicated by the Torah.However occasionally (very occasionally) Philo does seem to bear some interesting thoughts toward the text, while I would not wish to appear like one who denigrates the idea of 'allegorical' exegesis or the Alexandrian variety herein this particular application of that kind of exegesis has serious problems with it.Having said that whatever one thinks of Philo this is an important collection and one will find interesting parallels between Philo and the New Testament (parallels that aren't simply due to the obvious relationship between the Old and New Testament). That is not to say of course that the NT also has wild interpretations of the OT, its interpretations are valid, both share at points a certain style or focus of exegesis on the text however Philo misapplies it frequently.If one looks up "Seriugena: Comparing Philo and the New Testament" on Google they will see a long list of such parallels. However these are parallels, as in similarities, to say that the NT authors were directly influenced by Philo is another step (though perhaps this could be).

I know this isn't the place for complaints, but I tried the packaging feedback section and got no response, and I can't find your email address for complaints.The hardbound copy of Philo I received has one of the corners crushed. The box in which it arrived was in good condition, so it looked like it was probably dropped before it got packaged. I will be using it a lot along with my other references, so I would like to start out with an undamaged copy.The book is a "must have" for anyone interested in ancient history or biblical studies. For over 900 pages in one book, the font is easy to read and printed with good contrast.Thanks,Encarnita

This is one of the best Exegetic works on Old Testament. Philo is groundbreaking! His exegeses are unique, pioneering and astonishing. It must be noted that Philo's philosophy and exegetical writings are widely accepted in Orthodox and Coptic Christian churches.This particular edition:1. Great translation - quite easy to read, which could be difficult in other editions.2. Well formatted - chapters, titles, commentaries, annotations, etc.3. Good print, durable hard cover and great white paper - you can read all 1200 pages without damaging the book's physical integrity - WELL MADE!John Brown

Great history to supplement Bible study. You must have it.

Neste volume estão compiladas todas as obras de Fílon de Alexandria, o famoso filósofo judeu contemporâneo a Jesus e Flávio Josefo. Dignas de nota são os recursos adicionais da obra, que auxiliam a leitura e traz informações valiosas sobre o autor, Fílon.

Just as much of a beautiful brick as I had expected, and offers some interesting insight into the Jewish mind during that time period. Still working my way through it but very satisfied.

Fazia muito tempo que queria esse livro e finalmente o tenho porque me fascina a maneira como Philo pensava.

Great.

Awesome if you're into Philo!