Philo of Alexandria on the Obligations of Wealth

The views of Philo of Alexandria on wealth have been a source of controversy between those who argue that Philo was at times critical of wealth and those who contend that these criticisms were not of wealth but of the dangers posed by wealth. This article evaluates Philo’s position first by examinin...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Sterling, Gregory E. 1954- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage 2021
In: Journal for the study of the New Testament
Year: 2021, Volume: 44, Issue: 2, Pages: 199-217
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Philo, Alexandrinus 25 BC-40 / Wealth / Poverty / Credit / Egypt
IxTheo Classification:HA Bible
HH Archaeology
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:The views of Philo of Alexandria on wealth have been a source of controversy between those who argue that Philo was at times critical of wealth and those who contend that these criticisms were not of wealth but of the dangers posed by wealth. This article evaluates Philo’s position first by examining the evidence for his own wealth and then by considering two sets of texts from the Exposition of the Law: one set that interprets the biblical prohibitions against interest on loans (Spec. 2.74-78; Virt. 82-87) and another that evaluates the use of wealth (Spec. 2.16-23). The former set of texts are evaluated against the realia of Jewish loan practices in Egypt, while the second set is evaluated against Philo’s own family situation. The conclusion is that Philo was not critical of wealth per se, but of the misuse of wealth and the neglect of the poor.
ISSN:1745-5294
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the New Testament
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0142064X211048124