Inspirations by the Judeohellenic exegesis of Philo of Alexandria in the writings of st. Jerome

Mariusz Szram

Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II , Poland


Abstract

Jerome, like most of the early Christian exegetes (Origen, Didymus the Blind, Hilarius of Poitiers, Ambrose, Augustine), respected Philo of Alexandria as a spe­cialist in the field of spiritual exegesis of the Old Testament and called him vir doctissimus Iudaeorum. In his letters and biblical commentaries Jerome used the knowledge on the liturgical vestments of the high priest and their symbolism that can be found in the writings of Philo. However, Jerome probably didn’t use direct­ly his biblical commentaries, but took their content through the works of Origen, in which Philo's ideas have been christianized. The admiration for the person and work of Philo, which can be compared only to that showed in the East by Didymus the Blind, resulted in St. Jerome a certain lack of criticism. In De viris inlustribus Jerome too hastily considered Philo as a thinker deserved for the development of Christianity and attributed to him the works of which he was not the author.

Keywords:

Philo of Alexandria, Jerome, exegesis

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Published
2012-06-15


Szram, M. (2012). Inspiracje judeohelleńską egzegezą Filona Aleksandryjskiego w pismach św. Hieronima. Vox Patrum, 57, 659–665. https://doi.org/10.31743/vp.4159

Mariusz Szram 
Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II



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