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Philo's Jewish Traditions Philo’s Jewish Law: Uncovering the Foundations of a Second-Temple System of Jewish Law By Yedidya Y Etzion A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Daniel Boyarin, chair Professor Erich Gruen Professor Ronald Hendel Fall 2015 Abstract Philo’s Jewish Law: Uncovering the Foundations of a Second-Temple System of Law By Yedidya Y Etzion Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Studies University of California, Berkeley Professor Daniel Boyarin, Chair Among Philo of Alexandria’s many writings, he dedicated quite-a-few treatises to the exposition of Jewish Law. The purpose of this dissertation is to identify what is distinctive in Philo’s approach towards Jewish law and to reveal the ideological, hermeneutical and practical considerations behind it. In addition, I have presented the study of Philo’s Jewish law from a comparative point of view, introducing many Second-Temple --and especially rabbinic texts-- in order to better understand the processes underlying the development of Jewish law in Late- Antiquity and Philo’s place in it. I analyze the relationship between Philo’s own different writings and genres such as law, narrative and allegory, as well. The dissertation deals with five major halakhic subjects: the halakhic implications of both the Septuagint and Speech-Acts, Marital laws, The Sabbath, and the Temple Cult and Priesthood. My examination of Philo’s law raises the following observations: 1. Philo reflects an internalization of Hellenistic concepts and values while implementing these concepts into distinctively Jewish practices. Occasionally, laws which were shaped by Greco-Roman concepts found their way into other halakhic corpora. This phenomenon attests to a process through which rabbinic traditions were influenced by Greek ideas through the agency of Jews like Philo. 2. At times, Philo shared certain halakhic traditions with other Palestinian corpora, while at others he reflected a totally independent approach. While in certain cases Philo’s independence can be accounted for by his essential, distinctive views in quite a few cases Philo represents an early stage in the development of halakha. 3. Philo’s formulation of Jewish law gives weight to ideological (predominantly Greek), exegetical and practical considerations. Among the exegetical considerations I identify several midrashic interpretations, some of which are similar to other Second-Temple and rabbinic traditions. This does not render Philo as “eclectic” but rather his approach is a typical example for the formulation of Jewish law in Late-Antiquity. 1 4. Philo indeed reflects certain sentiments, which could be characterized as “Diasporic”, but more than a representative of a Diasporic version of Judaism, Philo should be understood as a representative of Greek-Speaking Jews, a group which was part of the Social reality of Palestine, as well. 5. Philo’s most distinctive feature with respect to Jewish law is his view of Jewish law as a cure against excessive desires (ἐπιθυµίας) through the exercise of self-control (ἐγκράτεια). While Philo lacks a conception of defined measures for the fulfillment of religious obligations, this is consistent with both the early stage Philo represents in the development of halakha and with the view of Jewish law as geared towards self-improvement, rather than appeasing or pleasing God. 2 "164 Get yourself another century 165 A little frost before sundown 166 It’s the times don’chewknow, 167 And if you’re a Jewish boy, then be your Plato’s Philo." Louis Zukofsky, "Poem Beginning 'The."" (1928) i Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... iv Introduction ........................................................................................................................... vi Chapter I: Philo’s Torah - The Septuagint: Translation and Hermeneutics ........................... 1 The Making of the Septuagint According to Philo ...................................................... 2 Philo's Septuagint Tradition in the context of Second-Temple and Rabbinic Literature ............................................................................................................................. 9 The Septuagint as Holy Scripture ............................................................................... 17 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 18 Chapter II: Oaths, Vows, and Curses – “How to Do Things with Words?” According to Philo ..................................................................................................................................... 20 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 20 Cursing and “Naming Names” .................................................................................... 25 Oaths and Vows .......................................................................................................... 32 Using Alternative Formulae According to Philo ........................................................ 33 Annulling Oaths and Vows ......................................................................................... 39 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 45 Chapter III: Philo and Marital Laws ..................................................................................... 47 Marriage, Sex, and Social Order ................................................................................. 48 Sexual Self-Restraint and Social Order ...................................................................... 51 Procreation .................................................................................................................. 56 Abraham, Sarah and Hagar – Another case of Law and Narrative ............................. 63 An Essential Approach After All – Irrationality as a Transgression Against the Law of Nature .......................................................................................................................... 66 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 69 Chapter IV: The Sabbath ...................................................................................................... 70 The Place of Sabbath in Philo’s Jewish Law – Is There a Philonic Orthopraxy? ...... 70 The Sabbath According to the Bible ........................................................................... 72 and Other Second-Temple Innovations .................................... 73 שבות The Concept of Particularism and Universalism .................................................................................. 74 A Day of Rest for the Slave ........................................................................................ 77 Forbidden work .......................................................................................................... 80 Hierarchy within the laws of Sabbath ......................................................................... 83 Sabbath as a Day of Contemplation and Study ........................................................... 84 The Sabbath as a Day of Fasting ................................................................................. 85 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 88 Chapter V: Body, Soul, and Self-Restraint (ἐγκράτεια) in Philo’s Temple Laws ............... 89 Philo and the Temple Cult: Different Scholarly Approaches ..................................... 91 ii Part I: Dualism in the Temple Cult ...................................................................................... 93 Space ........................................................................................................................... 93 Time ........................................................................................................................... 95 The Sacrifices .............................................................................................................. 97 The Temple Cult and Self-Restraint (ἐγκράτεια) ...................................................... 100 Part II: Dualism in Priesthood ............................................................................................ 103 What Qualifies a Priest? ............................................................................................ 104 Priestly Marriage Laws and Dualism ........................................................................ 105 Priests and Ritual Purity ............................................................................................ 108 Inserting Intention into the Temple Cult ................................................................... 110 An Additional Remark: The Law of the First-born Donkey ..................................... 113 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 114 Conclusions: Philo as a Representative of His Day and Age ............................................. 115 Selected Bibliography
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