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Philo
Philo or Philo Judaeus [Lat.,=Philo the Jew], c.20 BC-c.AD 50, Alexandrian Jewish philosopher. His writings have had an enormous influence on both Jewish and Christian thought, and particularly upon the Alexandrian theologians Clement and Origen. All that is known of his life is that he was sent to Rome c.AD 40 to represent the Jews of Alexandria in seeking the restoration of privileges lost because they had refused to obey an imperial edict to worship Caligula. Philo was the first important thinker to attempt to reconcile biblical religion with Greek philosophy. In so doing he developed an allegorical interpretation of Scripture that enabled him to find many of the doctrines of Greek philosophy in the Torah (the Pentateuch). An eclectic and a mystic, Philo emphasized the total transcendence and perfection of God, and in order to account for creation and the relation between the infinite God and the finite world, he used the concept of the Logos . Logos is the intermediary through which God's will acts and is thus the creative power that orders the world. Along with the Logos, Philo posited a whole realm of beings or potencies that bridge the gap between the Creator and his creation. Only fragments of Philo's works remain, but numerous quotations from his writings are found in early Christian literature.
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"Philo." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Philo." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Philo.html "Philo." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Philo.html |
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Philo
Philo (c.20 BC–c.AD 50), Jewish thinker and exegete. A member of a prosperous priestly family in Alexandria, Philo was the foremost figure among the Hellenistic Jews of his age and a fertile author. In religious outlook he was eclectic; he reproduced a variety of doctrines without welding them into a harmonious whole. His most influential achievement was his development of the allegorical interpretation of Scripture which enabled him to discover much of Greek philosophy in the OT. Of special interest for Christian theology is the central place which he accorded in his system to the Logos, who was at once the creative power which orders the world and the intermediary through whom men know God. Many of Philo's ideas were taken up in the Christian mystical tradition, but whether he himself should be regarded as a mystic is disputed.
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Philo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Philo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Philo.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Philo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Philo.html |
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Philo
Philo (c.20 BCE–50 CE). Hellenistic Jewish philosopher. His writings were preserved by the Christian Church in their original Gk. Mainly dealing with the Pentateuch, they include De Opificio Mundi (On the Creation), De Vita Mosis (On the Life of Moses), Legum Allegoriae (Allegorical Interpretation), De Somniis (On Dreams), Quaestiones et Solutiones in Genesin (Questions and Answers on Genesis). In addition, he produced various philosophical treatises on such subjects as providence and the eternity of the world. He also wrote works (of great historical importance for understanding the situation of the Jews in Alexandria) against the oppression of Jews by Flaccus, and concerning the cruelty of the Roman emperor Gaius.
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JOHN BOWKER. "Philo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Philo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Philo.html JOHN BOWKER. "Philo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Philo.html |
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Philo
Philo A contemporary of Jesus and Paul (20 BCE–c.50 CE). Though a prolific writer in Alexandria, Philo shows no knowledge of Christianity. He was an apologist for Judaism in a rich Hellenistic culture and his aim was to combine a non-rabbinic Judaism, often using allegory, with Platonic philosophy. He held that a universally valid ‘natural law’ had been given on Mount Sinai which had found an echo in Greek philosophers. His use of the Logos concept is reminiscent of the gospel of John, and there may also be affinities between Philo's thought and ideas in the epistle to the Hebrews. Later Christian theologians in Alexandria (Clement and Origen) were more clearly influenced by Philo.
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Philo." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Philo." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Philo.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Philo." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Philo.html |
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Philo
Philo or Philon (fl. C4 bc). Athenian architect. He designed the dodecastyle portico of the great Hall of the Mysteries (Telesterion) at Eleusis (330–310 bc) and the huge Arsenal of the Piraeus, near Athens (c.346–328 bc), intended as a store for the sails, ropes, etc., of the Athenian navy. He was the author of books on proportion and prepared a description of the Arsenal. Another Philo of Byzantium wrote on mechanics and architecture c. C2 bc.
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JAMES STEVENS CURL. "Philo." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES STEVENS CURL. "Philo." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-Philo.html JAMES STEVENS CURL. "Philo." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-Philo.html |
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Philo
Philo ♂ From the Late Greek personal name Philōn, a derivative of the element phil- ‘love’, in part as a short form of the various compound names containing this element. The name was borne by a 2nd-century saint, a deacon of St Ignatius.
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Philo." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Philo." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Philo1.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Philo." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Philo1.html |
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Philo
Philo ♂ (German) From the Late Greek personal name Philōn, a derivative of phil- ‘love’.
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Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Philo." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Philo." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Philo.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Philo." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Philo.html |
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