Question 1

Who was Philo of Alexandria?

Accepted Answer

A Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, from about 20 BC to about AD 50, which places him alongside the apostles. He came from one of the wealthiest Jewish families in the Roman world and led the Jewish delegation that went before the emperor Caligula.

Question 2

Is Philo in the Bible?

Accepted Answer

No. Philo is not scripture and is not part of any canon. He is a witness from outside it: a Jew writing about the Torah at the very time the New Testament was being lived out.

Question 3

Why does Philo matter for studying scripture?

Accepted Answer

He shows how the Torah was actually read by a Jew of the first century, before the later rabbinic and church traditions took shape. He also wrote the earliest surviving descriptions of Jewish communities like the Essenes and the Therapeutae, and he recorded the persecution of the Jews in Alexandria as an eyewitness.

Question 4

How is Philo different from Josephus?

Accepted Answer

Josephus records what happened, the history, the wars, the kings. Philo records what it meant, how a first-century Jew understood Genesis, Moses, and the Law. Read together they give you the same era from two directions.

Question 5

Is Philo free to read?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All 59 treatises are free to read in The Set-Apart Bible, with no ads and no account required.

Question 6

Which translation of Philo is used?

Accepted Answer

The complete translation by C. D. Yonge, published 1854-55. It is in the public domain, so it can be shared freely and in full.