Heracles and Philo of Alexandria: the Son of Zeus Between Torah and Philosophy, Empire and Stage
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Chapter 8 Heracles and Philo of Alexandria: The Son of Zeus between Torah and Philosophy, Empire and Stage Courtney J. P. Friesen With few competitors, Heracles was one of the most popular and widely re- vered heroes of Greco-Roman antiquity. Though occupying a marginal place in the Homeric epics, he developed in complex directions within archaic Greek poetry, and in Classical Athens became a favorite protagonist among play- wrights, both of tragedy and comedy. From a famed monster-killer, to the trou- bled murderer of his own children, to the comic buffoon of prolific appetites, Heracles remained fixed in the imagination of ancient Greeks and Romans. Moreover, the son of Zeus was claimed as an ancestor for notable statesmen connected to both Alexandria and Rome (including Philip and Alexander of Macedon, the Ptolemies, and Mark Antony), and he was honored at cultic sites around the Mediterranean, including at the heart of the Roman Empire itself on the Ara Maxima. Jews living around the Greek and Roman world will inevitably have encoun- tered the mythologies and cults of Heracles in various forms. For instance, some Jewish writers, reflecting on this hero in light of their own traditions, made attempts to integrate him within the context of biblical genealogies.1 In addition, a natural correlation existed between Samson and Heracles, and al- ready in antiquity their extraordinary physical might was seen as comparable (Eusebius, PE 10.9.7; Augustine, Civ. 18.19).2 Recently, René Bloch has provided a useful survey of references to Heracles in the writings of Josephus in conjunc- tion with the Jewish historian’s wider engagement with Greek mythology.3 In 1 Cleomedus Malchus has Heracles marry the granddaughter of Abraham (Josephus, AJ 1.240–41); and according to unspecified sources, Heracles was the father of Melchizedek (Epiphanius, Pan. 55.2.1). On these, see Bloch (2011), 215–18. 2 More detailed parallels are proposed by Margalith (1987) who argues that the Israelites would have encountered the shared legendary material through contacts with their Philistine neighbors. Philonenko (1970) notes that the author of the Testament of Judah attributes achievements to the patriarch which seem to derive from the labors of Heracles (2:2–7). 3 Bloch (2011), 214–19. For early Christianity, scholarship on the influence of Heracles is much more developed, not least because Jesus and Heracles have been viewed as parallel divine heroes; see, e.g., Pfister (1937); Rose (1938); Simon (1955); Malherbe (2014); Aune (1990). © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2019 | doi:10.1163/9789004411616_009 Heracles and Philo of Alexandria 177 a volume devoted to Philo of Alexandria and Greek mythology, it is fitting that a similar survey and analysis be undertaken as a window into broader interac- tions between Judaism and Hellenism. Though famed for his expositions of Jewish scriptures in a manner informed by Greek philosophy, Philo also had intimate knowledge of the mythologies and cults of the communities where he lived and traveled. Naturally, he will have encountered Heracles in literature, theater, artistic representation, and ritual practice. This study focusses (primarily) on three passages where Philo engages with traditions concerning Heracles, the first implicitly (Sacr.), and the latter two explicitly (Legat.; Prob.). Section 1 takes as a starting point the philosophical parable of Heracles’ choice of virtue, a story that remained popular through- out antiquity, though preserved in its best-known form by Xenophon where it is attributed to Prodicus. This heroic reinvention initiated a new role for Heracles, and one that appears in an allegorical reading of scripture by Philo in De sacrificiis Abelis et Caini in which he fuses a Mosaic regulation with this famous story, albeit without mentioning Heracles by name. In section 2, I ex- amine Philo’s Legatio ad Gaium where he takes up the emperor’s self-likening to demigods and gods. Here, Philo adopts a common rhetorical application of Heracles, in which his labors focalize on the establishment of justice and peace across geographical and ethnic divisions. Finally, section 3 concerns Philo’s evocation of Heracles as a model of Stoic freedom in the Quod omnis probus liber sit, where he quotes five excerpts from a lesser known satyr play of Euripides. As with the Legatio, on the surface Philo appears to celebrate the hero’s achievements unreservedly, but several indications point in a more sub- versive and ironic direction. What emerges from this survey and analysis is that Heracles had a lasting and far-reaching appeal for Philo, as he comes up in his early and late trea- tises, and within different genres, including biblical exegesis and philosophical and historical works. Moreover, his evocations of the hero are broadly consis- tent with that of other philosophers and orators. Nevertheless, while in some ways Philo’s approach to Heracles is clearly derivative, elsewhere, I argue, he is thoroughly innovative, especially in deploying subtle strategies to demote the moral and religious status of this cultural icon. 1 A Philosophical Hero on the Road to Virtue: From Prodicus to Philo and Beyond In the modern world, Heracles is commonly known for his courageous feats of strength and his victories over savage beasts and monsters. Early on, his .