or Philo of Alexandria
born 1015 BC, Alexandria
died AD 4550, Alexandria
Greek-speaking Jewish philosopher.
A leader of the Jewish community of Alexandria, he led a delegation to the emperor Caligula 0441; AD 40 to ask that Jews not be forced to worship him. His writings provide the clearest view of this development of Judaism in the Diaspora. His philosophy was influenced by Plato , Aristotle , the Neo-Pythagoreans, the Cynics , and Stoicism . In his view of God, Philo was original in insisting on an individual Providence able to suspend the laws of nature, in contrast to the prevailing Greek view of a universal Providence which is itself subject to the laws of nature. As the first to attempt to synthesize revealed faith and philosophic reason, he occupies a unique position in the history of philosophy. He is regarded as the most important representative of Hellenistic Judaism and a forerunner of Christian theology.