Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
I recently wrote a blog post about why it is good for Christians to read the Jewish philosopher Philo. Having said that, I must also acknowledge that Philo is not the easiest person to read. Between his allegorical interpretations, Platonic and Stoic leanings and our own ignorance of hellenistic Judaism, we need to work hard … Read More “Philo of Alexandria” »
I just finished reading C.D. Yonge’s translation of The Works of Philo. I have been interested in Philo for some time and have even taken a course on Philo in the religious studies department at McMaster University. For those who do not know much about Philo, he was an Alexandrian Jew who lived from 25 … Read More “The Works of Philo” »
Fairly regularly, I hear skeptics mention Philo’s silence regarding Jesus as being devastating to claims about the historical Jesus. If Jesus really lived, then surely Philo would have mentioned him. The truth is, aside from the New Testament, the main writings of any length that we have are those of Philo and Josephus. Of those … Read More “The Apologetic Value of Philo Not Mentioning Jesus” »
One of the things that I have encountered from time to time is the claim that Jesus received his divinity by vote at the Council of Nicaea (325 AD). For many Christians it seems preposterous that anyone could become a god by a decree. On this, the critics are not completely wrong. In the Roman Empire, … Read More “Divinity By Decree: Part One” »
