The Gift from Alexandria
How a Jewish Scholar provided the foundations of Christian Philosophy and Theology
Alexandria was the centre of education and learning in Antiquity. Soon after its founding in 331 BC, it drew scholars from all over the Hellenistic world. Pagan learning thrived here until a Christian mob stoned Hypatia in 415 AD. Literary criticism prospered in Alexandria; most of our knowledge of ancient literature and philosophy is based on editions compiled here. The city was also a centre of Mathematics, Astronomy and what we would call engineering: Hero of Alexandria invented a steam engine and the first vending machine (for dispensing holy water).
Philo from Alexandria
Alexandria also had the largest urban Jewish community globally, and not the least of the gifts from Alexandria came from this community. Philo of Alexandria (roughly 15 BC — 45 AD) (Levy, 2018)was a member of the Jewish elite with an excellent Greek education and a committed member of the Jewish community. For him, Moses was not only a great Prophet but also a Philosopher. He had been the teacher of Pythagoras, and Pythagoras, in turn, taught Plato. Religion and Philosophy were not rivals, but companions on the same path, although the God of the Bible (unknowable, yet close to humankind) had precedent over the philosophers’…
