Papers by Francesca Calabi
Philo of Alexandria, On the Creation of the Cosmos according to Moses: Introduction, Translation and Commentary
Journal of Jewish Studies, Oct 1, 2003
Founded in 1899, The Journal of Theological Studies crosses the entire range of theological resea... more Founded in 1899, The Journal of Theological Studies crosses the entire range of theological research, scholarship and interpretation. Ancient and modern texts, inscriptions, and documents that have not before appeared in type are also reproduced.
Chapter Two. Simplicity And Absence Of Qualities In God
BRILL eBooks, 2008
Philo specifically tackles the theme of God's simplicity in the work Quod deus sit immutabili... more Philo specifically tackles the theme of God's simplicity in the work Quod deus sit immutabilis. Philo's argument develops starting out from the interpretation of some biblical passages that are interpreted in the light of God's unchangeability, immobility, non-determination and the absence of any attributes or qualities in Him. The heart of the issue is the contemporary presence in one being of two completely different characterisations, which continually crop up in the passages that the author analyzes, giving rise to certain difficulties and to formulations which are so contrasting that the critics vary as to their interpretations and translations of them. The chapter dwells on Deus 107-110, in particular. It then considers Donini's reading of the XII chapter of Didaskalikos. In Didaskalikos the first god is an intellect and the Forms are His thoughts.Keywords:biblical passages; Deus 107-110; Didaskalikos; God; Philo; Quod deus sit immutabilis
Index Of Ancient Authors And Texts
BRILL eBooks, 2008
This index contains list of ancient author names and texts relevant to discussion of Philo's ... more This index contains list of ancient author names and texts relevant to discussion of Philo's account of the complex, double-sided nature of God's acting - the two-sided coin of God as transcendent yet immanent, unknowable yet revealed, immobile yet creating - and also the two sides of acting in humans - who, in an attempt to imitate God, both contemplate and produce.Keywords:God; Philo of Alexandria
Chapter Seven. Happiness And Contemplation. The Contemplative Life
BRILL eBooks, 2008
God is a model in two senses: He is a paradigm of the advisability of cultivating both active and... more God is a model in two senses: He is a paradigm of the advisability of cultivating both active and theoretical life and, at the same time, of the need to mark time with a binary rhythm: the time reserved for practical life during the week, and time for contemplation on the Sabbath, which must be dedicated to study, to thought, to the analysis of the sacred text and one's own doings. Thus this is the contemplative life: it is not so much an ecstatic form of pure vision of a God who, in any case, cannot be seen as to His essence, as much as reconsideration of God's word and of one's own actions.Keywords:contemplation; contemplative life; God; happiness; Philo; Sabbath
Appendix Three. Galen And Moses
BRILL eBooks, 2008
In De usu partium Galen sets the doctrine of Moses against that of Epicurus, showing that they ha... more In De usu partium Galen sets the doctrine of Moses against that of Epicurus, showing that they had both fallen into error. Unlike Epicurus, Moses admits that there is an order in nature and a providential plan but-and in this lies the reason for Galen's attack-he maintains the possibility of God's intervening at any time to establish order in nature, and acting in an arbitrary manner foreign to any rule or law. Although Moses' interpretation is preferable to that of Epicurus, it is, in any case, incorrect. The best system is that which does not consider only the demiurge as a source of creation, but adds the material principle.Keywords:Galen; God; Moses
Chapter Five. Roles And Figures Of Mediation
BRILL eBooks, 2008
This chapter focuses on the following questions: (1) Are daemons and angels figures which are dif... more This chapter focuses on the following questions: (1) Are daemons and angels figures which are different from souls?; (2) As souls inclined towards goodness and souls attracted by evil do exist, can we speak of good angels and bad angels, good daemons and bad daemons or are the latter punitive figures, an instrument of divine will? In other words, are we dealing with autonomous beings with their own free will or are they always intermediaries with good as their aim?; and (3) If the angels are souls to whom tasks of mediation are assigned, who are the helpers that collaborate with God in the creation of mankind?.Keywords:angels; daemons; mediation
Appendix One. The Dazzling Light: A Metaphor On The Unknowability Of God
BRILL eBooks, 2008
The unknowability of God and the hypothesis that there are various ways of approaching He who can... more The unknowability of God and the hypothesis that there are various ways of approaching He who cannot be seen was taken up by much of the later tradition. In particular, this chapter dwells on some passages of Origen in the light of an article by Dillon. The author discusses the age old question of whether Origen can be considered a systematic author. In Origen's opinion, the concept of God as light is to be understood in a metaphorical sense; it is the dynamis which allows men to see the truth or to know God himself. The chapter then focuses on Philonian interpretation of the simile of the sun and the image of the cave, which may provide a key for the interpretation of the Peri Archon.Keywords:Dillon; God; Origen
Immagini Delle Origini: La Nascita Della Civiltà E Della Cultura Nel Pensiero Antico
Le logos chez Philon d'Alexandrie
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Oct 1, 2020
Ludovica De Luca: Il Dio architetto in Filone di Alessandria (De opificio mundi 17–20)
Elenchos
Chapter Seven. Happiness And Contemplation. The Contemplative Life
God's Acting, Man's Acting
God is a model in two senses: He is a paradigm of the advisability of cultivating both active and... more God is a model in two senses: He is a paradigm of the advisability of cultivating both active and theoretical life and, at the same time, of the need to mark time with a binary rhythm: the time reserved for practical life during the week, and time for contemplation on the Sabbath, which must be dedicated to study, to thought, to the analysis of the sacred text and one's own doings. Thus this is the contemplative life: it is not so much an ecstatic form of pure vision of a God who, in any case, cannot be seen as to His essence, as much as reconsideration of God's word and of one's own actions.Keywords:contemplation; contemplative life; God; happiness; Philo; Sabbath
Appendix Two. Philo Of Alexandria And Ecphantus’ Peri Basileias
God's Acting, Man's Acting
This section compares certain points of Philonic texts with some passages by Ecphantus, starting ... more This section compares certain points of Philonic texts with some passages by Ecphantus, starting out from the hypothesis advanced by B. Centrone that the passages on kingship collected by Stobaeus under the name of Ecphantus introduce aspects that can be traced back to Middle Platonism. This is a relatively isolated position in the panorama of studies. Indeed, there are notable affinities between Philo and the Pythagorean text and some interpretative difficulties in the latter can perhaps be clarified by means of a comparison with the Alexandrian. The texts on kingship handed down under the names of Diotogenes, Sthenidas and Ecphantus are traditionally set by the critics over a vast time span that goes from the 3rd century before to the 3rd century after Christ.Keywords:Ecphantus; Philo of Alexandria; Porphyrius
Chapter Six. The Snake And The Horseman Pleasure And Sophrosyne In Philo Of Alexandria
God's Acting, Man's Acting
The snakes Philo speaks of are of four types: there is the snake that lived with Adam and Eve in ... more The snakes Philo speaks of are of four types: there is the snake that lived with Adam and Eve in Paradise, Moses' bronze snake which cured the bites of the desert snakes, the Dan-snake, which is the symbol of rational judgement, and Moses' other snake, which turned into a rod when the patriarch was ranged against the Egyptian magicians. In all cases, the snake is a cunning and ambivalent creature which, depending on the context, features positive or negative connotations. Intellect, sensation and pleasure are thus essential stages in gaining knowledge and Philo presents them sequentially: however, the order is only a conceptual and potential one, since they are chronologically undifferentiated.Keywords:horseman; Philo of Alexandria; pleasure; snake; Sophrosyne
«Elenchos», 45(2), pp. 299-330. , 2024
The first translations of Philo into the Italian vernacular date back to
the second half of the 1... more The first translations of Philo into the Italian vernacular date back to
the second half of the 16thcentury and took place in Venice. The cosmopolitan and flourishing Venetian environment plays a fundamental role in the Mediterranean and European economy and is at the center of a network of international relationships. The city is a center of attraction for intellectuals and artists and the book business is experiencing great development there. The Venetian translations of Philo constitute an interesting mirror of different positions, more or less linked to reformed theses or to the Church of Rome. They are conducted over a period of twenty-six years (1548–1574), a period in which we witness profound
changes in the relations between Rome and Venice. Philo seems to be able to constitute a mirror and perhaps an instrument of such changes. In the lively climate of the ‘Serenissima’, crossed by reformist and counter-reformist impulses, where cultural openness is expressed in publications, literary meetings, cenacles, academies, confraternities and where the vernacular version of ancient works has a certain diffusion, Philo is used with in different ways by representatives of different trends. The very fact that his work is translated takes on a meaning that is not only erudite and, probably, the date of the individual translations is significant: Ballino is closer to Erasmian positions, Ferentilli is more linked to the Church of Rome, Zini is more nuanced and probably changes his positions with the passing of years and events.
the second half of the 16thcentury and took place in Venice. The cosmopolitan and flourishing Venetian environment plays a fundamental role in the Mediterranean and European economy and is at the center of a network of international relationships. The city is a center of attraction for intellectuals and artists and the book business is experiencing great development there. The Venetian translations of Philo constitute an interesting mirror of different positions, more or less linked to reformed theses or to the Church of Rome. They are conducted over a period of twenty-six years (1548–1574), a period in which we witness profound
changes in the relations between Rome and Venice. Philo seems to be able to constitute a mirror and perhaps an instrument of such changes. In the lively climate of the ‘Serenissima’, crossed by reformist and counter-reformist impulses, where cultural openness is expressed in publications, literary meetings, cenacles, academies, confraternities and where the vernacular version of ancient works has a certain diffusion, Philo is used with in different ways by representatives of different trends. The very fact that his work is translated takes on a meaning that is not only erudite and, probably, the date of the individual translations is significant: Ballino is closer to Erasmian positions, Ferentilli is more linked to the Church of Rome, Zini is more nuanced and probably changes his positions with the passing of years and events.
«Materiali di Estetica». Terza serie- N. 11.1, 2024, pp 31-45, 2024
The subject of this paper are two interpretations given in the Judaic-Hellenistic context of the ... more The subject of this paper are two interpretations given in the Judaic-Hellenistic context of the dreams of the patriarch Joseph and the visions of Aseneth. The first one is the interpretation of Philo of Alexandria who sees messages to be interpreted, ‘texts’, in dreams. Like the Bible, dreams also require exegesis and it is as an exegete of dreams that Joseph gains power. He interprets Pharaoh’s dreams, able to take measures to govern their effects, but he also knows how to give substance to the dreams of the crowd in a world of appearances. Dreamer and interpreter of dreams, he is able to interpret them and support them, he is the emblem of the politician who dominates the crowd and, in turn, is enslaved by it. The second interpretation is that of an anonymous novel written in Greek, apparently a love story, which, however, also has a metaphorical value: it indicates a journey into a dreamlike sphere towards new forms of knowledge. It tells of Aseneth’s falling in love with Joseph and the consequent desire for conversion to become similar to the Patriarch. The girl has visions, communicates with celestial spheres and is visited by a man from the sky and the bees of Paradise. It presents an exit from habitual situations: it culminates
in dream images, in an ecstatic situation. There is an asymmetry between
Joseph’s dreams, dreams of power, and the visions of his wife who has dreams of truth, of knowledge, of acceptance of new ideas, new beliefs. She longs to turn towards higher spheres of knowledge, towards a mystical horizon.
in dream images, in an ecstatic situation. There is an asymmetry between
Joseph’s dreams, dreams of power, and the visions of his wife who has dreams of truth, of knowledge, of acceptance of new ideas, new beliefs. She longs to turn towards higher spheres of knowledge, towards a mystical horizon.
«Nuovo Giornale di Filosofia della religione», Nuova Serie, 3, pp. 9-30, 2023
In the Hellenistic and Roman Period it is obvious for Jewish authors to deal with the theme of id... more In the Hellenistic and Roman Period it is obvious for Jewish authors to deal with the theme of idolatry. Philo talks about it in many passages presenting the cult of the stars, the animals, the statues, the cult of the emperors.
Alongside the "literal" presentation of many of these practices and the negative judgment with which he describes them, there is also a "philosophical" reading of some beliefs and rites.
Thus, the adoration of the stars, for example, which was one of the moments in Abraham's cognitive journey, is attributed to the "Chaldeans", the cult of animals and the domination of the body and passions to the "Egyptians". Chaldeans and Egyptians appear as emblems of philosophical types: there are scholars who identify them with the Aristotelians, with the Stoics, with the Epicureans. Others consider them exponents of the cosmic religion.
For Philo, deniers and idolaters are those who advance on their path without fearing God's intervention. If, as Harl argues, denying God means not denying his existence, but his possibility of punishing the wicked, and idols are characterized by not having power, idolaters are those who consider God incapable of intervening and equate him, in this, to idols. Philo speaks, therefore, of idol worshipers, of the construction of images, of the divinization of the stars, but also of those who pursue love of self instead of love of God. Besides that, a strong form of idolatry is given by the claim to fix the divine image, to represent the unknowable. The different idolatrous forms are not, therefore, linked to different chronological moments, to a sort of "history of idolatry", nor can they be traced back to precisely determined and identified individuals or philosophical groups: they are an expression of the inability to grasp the truth and recognize the divinity.
My aim is to try to determine what Philo means by these categories and how they relate to the theme of the prohibition of images, the invisibility and unknowability of God, the affirmation of divine providence.
In età ellenistica e romana è abituale, per gli autori ebrei, confrontarsi con il tema dell’idolatria. Tra i vari autori che ne parlano, emblematico è Filone di Alessandria. Presenta il culto degli astri, la venerazione di animali, l'adorazione di statue, il culto degli imperatori.
Accanto alla presentazione “letterale” di molte di tali pratiche e al giudizio negativo con cui le descrive, Filone dà una lettura “filosofica” di alcune convinzioni e di riti. Così l’adorazione degli astri, che è stato uno dei momenti del percorso conoscitivo di Abramo verso la conoscenza delle realtà superiori, è attribuita ai “Caldei”, il culto degli animali e il dominio del corpo e delle passioni agli “Egiziani”. Caldei ed Egiziani appaiono come emblemi di tipi filosofici: c'è chi li identifica con gli aristotelici, che con gli stoici, chi con gli epicurei. Altri li considerano esponenti della religione cosmica.
Per Filone, negatori e idolatri sono coloro che avanzano nel loro percorso senza temere l'intervento divino. Se, come sostiene Harl, negare Dio vuol dire non tanto negarne l'esistenza, quanto la possibilità di punire i malvagi, e gli idoli sono caratterizzati dal non avere potere, idolatri sono coloro che ritengono Dio incapace di intervenire e lo equiparano, in questo, agli idoli. Filone parla sì, dunque, degli adoratori di idoli, della costruzione di immagini, di divinizzazione delle stelle, ma anche di coloro che perseguono l'amore per sé anziché l'amore per Dio. Una forma forte di idolatria è, poi, data dalla pretesa di fissare l'immagine divina, di rappresentare l'inconoscibile.
Nella mia lettura, le differenti forme idolatriche non sono legate a differenti momenti cronologici, a una sorta di "storia dell'idolatria", né sono riconducibili a individui o gruppi filosofici precisamente determinati e individuati: sono espressione dell'incapacità di cogliere il vero e riconoscere la divinità. Mio obiettivo è cercare di determinare cosa intenda Filone con queste categorie e come queste si relazionino al tema del divieto delle immagini, della invisibilità e inconoscibilità di Dio, della affermazione della provvidenza divina.
Alongside the "literal" presentation of many of these practices and the negative judgment with which he describes them, there is also a "philosophical" reading of some beliefs and rites.
Thus, the adoration of the stars, for example, which was one of the moments in Abraham's cognitive journey, is attributed to the "Chaldeans", the cult of animals and the domination of the body and passions to the "Egyptians". Chaldeans and Egyptians appear as emblems of philosophical types: there are scholars who identify them with the Aristotelians, with the Stoics, with the Epicureans. Others consider them exponents of the cosmic religion.
For Philo, deniers and idolaters are those who advance on their path without fearing God's intervention. If, as Harl argues, denying God means not denying his existence, but his possibility of punishing the wicked, and idols are characterized by not having power, idolaters are those who consider God incapable of intervening and equate him, in this, to idols. Philo speaks, therefore, of idol worshipers, of the construction of images, of the divinization of the stars, but also of those who pursue love of self instead of love of God. Besides that, a strong form of idolatry is given by the claim to fix the divine image, to represent the unknowable. The different idolatrous forms are not, therefore, linked to different chronological moments, to a sort of "history of idolatry", nor can they be traced back to precisely determined and identified individuals or philosophical groups: they are an expression of the inability to grasp the truth and recognize the divinity.
My aim is to try to determine what Philo means by these categories and how they relate to the theme of the prohibition of images, the invisibility and unknowability of God, the affirmation of divine providence.
In età ellenistica e romana è abituale, per gli autori ebrei, confrontarsi con il tema dell’idolatria. Tra i vari autori che ne parlano, emblematico è Filone di Alessandria. Presenta il culto degli astri, la venerazione di animali, l'adorazione di statue, il culto degli imperatori.
Accanto alla presentazione “letterale” di molte di tali pratiche e al giudizio negativo con cui le descrive, Filone dà una lettura “filosofica” di alcune convinzioni e di riti. Così l’adorazione degli astri, che è stato uno dei momenti del percorso conoscitivo di Abramo verso la conoscenza delle realtà superiori, è attribuita ai “Caldei”, il culto degli animali e il dominio del corpo e delle passioni agli “Egiziani”. Caldei ed Egiziani appaiono come emblemi di tipi filosofici: c'è chi li identifica con gli aristotelici, che con gli stoici, chi con gli epicurei. Altri li considerano esponenti della religione cosmica.
Per Filone, negatori e idolatri sono coloro che avanzano nel loro percorso senza temere l'intervento divino. Se, come sostiene Harl, negare Dio vuol dire non tanto negarne l'esistenza, quanto la possibilità di punire i malvagi, e gli idoli sono caratterizzati dal non avere potere, idolatri sono coloro che ritengono Dio incapace di intervenire e lo equiparano, in questo, agli idoli. Filone parla sì, dunque, degli adoratori di idoli, della costruzione di immagini, di divinizzazione delle stelle, ma anche di coloro che perseguono l'amore per sé anziché l'amore per Dio. Una forma forte di idolatria è, poi, data dalla pretesa di fissare l'immagine divina, di rappresentare l'inconoscibile.
Nella mia lettura, le differenti forme idolatriche non sono legate a differenti momenti cronologici, a una sorta di "storia dell'idolatria", né sono riconducibili a individui o gruppi filosofici precisamente determinati e individuati: sono espressione dell'incapacità di cogliere il vero e riconoscere la divinità. Mio obiettivo è cercare di determinare cosa intenda Filone con queste categorie e come queste si relazionino al tema del divieto delle immagini, della invisibilità e inconoscibilità di Dio, della affermazione della provvidenza divina.
«Adamantius» , 28 pp. 88-99, 2022
Il De congressu interpreta il passo di Genesi 16,3 secondo cui Sara diede Agar ad Abramo dopo di... more Il De congressu interpreta il passo di Genesi 16,3 secondo cui Sara diede Agar ad Abramo dopo dieci anni di soggiorno a Canaan. Il testo filoniano pone alcuni problemi: il primo riguarda l'importanza del numero dieci all'interno del discorso. Il secondo riguarda il modo in cui la decade è spiegata nel De congressu rispetto ad altri testi filoniani che analizzano il numero dieci. Mentre questi fanno continui riferimenti alla tradizione aritmologica greca, nel De Congressu questa resta sullo sfondo: rilievo è dato all'uso del numero all'interno della tradizione ebraica. Ritengo non sia casuale la collocazione della digressione all'inizio di un discorso sull'iter educativo verso la sapienza e la virtù, né penso lo sia il tipo di esegesi condotta. La mia ipotesi è che la presentazione degli studi preliminari, induca alla scelta di richiami biblici prima e invece che di spiegazioni aritmologiche. Il testo evidenzia l'importanza del passaggio dalle passioni ai sensi, alle conoscenze encicliche, a loro volta necessarie nel cammino verso la virtù. Un percorso educativo alle cui spalle risuonano le forme di conoscenza tipiche di un iter greco, presupposto su cui si fonda l'elevatezza al vero sapere. Il dieci costituisce un punto d'arrivo, è segno di completezza, di totalità. Per giungere a forme alte di sapere è necessario aver percorso l'iter formativo dell'educazione enciclica e però, ci si può accostare alla cultura generale solamente dopo aver acquisito le norme, le conoscenze, i saperi della Legge, trasmessi e significati nel testo biblico. Si ha, cioè, un percorso circolare a tre stadi: dalla Torah alle scienze encicliche alla Torah.
J. Moreau-O. Munnich, Religion et rationalité : Philon d'Alexandrie et sa posterité, Brill, Leiden-Boston, pp. 109-129, 2021
Philon d'Alexandrie aborde le thème du rêve dans plusieurs oeuvres et selon différentes
perspecti... more Philon d'Alexandrie aborde le thème du rêve dans plusieurs oeuvres et selon différentes
perspectives. Il analyse la vision onirique comme une expression de vérités qui ne sont pas
immédiates. Les rêves sont une expression linguistique, un type de communication, exprimant, dans
leur langage spécifique, des discours qui mettent l'homme en relation avec Dieu : ce sont des
messages à interpréter, des «textes» qui, comme les textes bibliques, demandent une exégèse.
D'ailleurs, le discours sur les rêves ne se pose pas en tant que traitement autonome, mais découle de
l'interprétation de passages bibliques. Philon en parle dans divers ouvrages, notamment dans le De
somniis et le De Josepho.
Un thème fondamental est la lecture allégorique de l'histoire des patriarches ; les rêves
rentrent dans le sujet en tant qu'ils sont en relation avec le discours sur la vertu et les niveaux de
connaissance, pas pour une théorie du rêve en tant que telle. Dans cette perspective, on peut
comprendre en quoi l’un des aspects les plus significatifs de l’analyse est l’interprétation : les rêves
sont une expression de la vérité, des formes de discours, un objet d’interprétation. Comme le texte
biblique, ils nécessitent une exégèse qui rend compte de leur profondeur et de leur complexité. Cet
aspect se reflète à la fois dans la terminologie utilisée et dans la distinction introduite entre les types
de rêves.
Sur un autre niveau, on peut considérer l'image du rêve en tant qu'apparence de la réalité.
perspectives. Il analyse la vision onirique comme une expression de vérités qui ne sont pas
immédiates. Les rêves sont une expression linguistique, un type de communication, exprimant, dans
leur langage spécifique, des discours qui mettent l'homme en relation avec Dieu : ce sont des
messages à interpréter, des «textes» qui, comme les textes bibliques, demandent une exégèse.
D'ailleurs, le discours sur les rêves ne se pose pas en tant que traitement autonome, mais découle de
l'interprétation de passages bibliques. Philon en parle dans divers ouvrages, notamment dans le De
somniis et le De Josepho.
Un thème fondamental est la lecture allégorique de l'histoire des patriarches ; les rêves
rentrent dans le sujet en tant qu'ils sont en relation avec le discours sur la vertu et les niveaux de
connaissance, pas pour une théorie du rêve en tant que telle. Dans cette perspective, on peut
comprendre en quoi l’un des aspects les plus significatifs de l’analyse est l’interprétation : les rêves
sont une expression de la vérité, des formes de discours, un objet d’interprétation. Comme le texte
biblique, ils nécessitent une exégèse qui rend compte de leur profondeur et de leur complexité. Cet
aspect se reflète à la fois dans la terminologie utilisée et dans la distinction introduite entre les types
de rêves.
Sur un autre niveau, on peut considérer l'image du rêve en tant qu'apparence de la réalité.
C. Rosenzweig, S. Ferrari, A. Corbetta e D. Gilardi (a cura di), Autobiografia ebraica: identità e narrazione, 2020
F. Alesse- L. De Luca (eds.), Philo of Alexandria and Greek Myth. Narratives, Allegories, and Arguments, , 2019
Cet article est consacré à l'utilisation philonienne de citations ou de termes de la mythologie ... more Cet article est consacré à l'utilisation philonienne de citations ou de termes de la mythologie grecque. Parfois, Philon d’Alexandrie les utilise pour soutenir ses propres thèses. Je me propose de voir si, selon l’auteur, la citation de mythes ou d'expressions mythiques peut conduire à une connaissance directe de la réalité, si ces mythes ont seulement une fonction allégorique ou pédagogique ou bien s’ils peuvent aussi - dans certains contextes- dans la mesure où ils sont dotés de contenus de vérité - donner un fondement à des thèses philosophiques et à des récits bibliques d'apparence mythique. L'explication de vérités qu'on peut trouver dans des histoires sur Hermès ou Apollon permet à Philon de chercher aussi des explications pour des histoires bibliques qui pourraient créer des difficultés telles que l’histoire du serpent d'Ève ou l’histoire de la transformation de la femme de Loth.
Ma thèse est que Philon utilise le mythe grec non seulement comme expédient littéraire ou dans un sens allégorique, mais aussi comme un outil cognitif, base pour fonder une façon de penser, pour véhiculer des idées et des croyances. Certains mythes peuvent, en effet, servir à clarifier des éléments de réalité ou à saisir des vérités difficiles à exprimer. Philon repense donc la fonction philosophique du mythe. Il ne s'agit pas seulement de récits considérés comme source d'épisodes et de figures qui doivent être lus d'un point de vue symbolique ou pédagogique, il ne s'agit pas seulement de mythes considérés d'un point de vue littéraire ou rhétorique, ce sont aussi des récits qui expriment explicitement des vérités à accepter dans leur immédiateté et à utiliser pour l'élaboration d'un discours philosophique autonome.
Parallèlement à cette fonction explicative, le mythe grec peut aussi jouer un rôle dans l'identification d’éléments de construction de sens : il permet d’interpréter le passé et la tradition en termes de fondation, pour la construction d'un savoir ou la formation d’une vision du savoir. L'utilisation d'un langage mythique peut contribuer à exprimer des vérités difficiles à exprimer à l’aide d’un langage seulement conceptuel et à rendre compte de certains passages bibliques. Ainsi la lecture des anges de Gig. 6, des géants de Gig. 58, du char ailé, du soleil, ou la lecture de textes de la Genèse sur le jardin d'Éden.
Ma thèse est que Philon utilise le mythe grec non seulement comme expédient littéraire ou dans un sens allégorique, mais aussi comme un outil cognitif, base pour fonder une façon de penser, pour véhiculer des idées et des croyances. Certains mythes peuvent, en effet, servir à clarifier des éléments de réalité ou à saisir des vérités difficiles à exprimer. Philon repense donc la fonction philosophique du mythe. Il ne s'agit pas seulement de récits considérés comme source d'épisodes et de figures qui doivent être lus d'un point de vue symbolique ou pédagogique, il ne s'agit pas seulement de mythes considérés d'un point de vue littéraire ou rhétorique, ce sont aussi des récits qui expriment explicitement des vérités à accepter dans leur immédiateté et à utiliser pour l'élaboration d'un discours philosophique autonome.
Parallèlement à cette fonction explicative, le mythe grec peut aussi jouer un rôle dans l'identification d’éléments de construction de sens : il permet d’interpréter le passé et la tradition en termes de fondation, pour la construction d'un savoir ou la formation d’une vision du savoir. L'utilisation d'un langage mythique peut contribuer à exprimer des vérités difficiles à exprimer à l’aide d’un langage seulement conceptuel et à rendre compte de certains passages bibliques. Ainsi la lecture des anges de Gig. 6, des géants de Gig. 58, du char ailé, du soleil, ou la lecture de textes de la Genèse sur le jardin d'Éden.