Tony Jurg - Philo’s concept of citizenship in De opificio mundi pag. 1 Philo’s concept of citizenship in De opificio mundi Tony Jurg 1 Introduction The literary works of the first century CE exegete and philosopher Philo of Alexandria 2 can provide valuable background information for the field of Biblical studies. Philo lived from about 20 BCE till about 50 CE and hence was contemporary to Jesus and Paul. In 1935 the scholar Goodenough stated: “There is no important writer of antiquity who has been so little studied as Philo Judaeus”. 3 Fortunately, that situation changed to the better; not the least by numerous publications by scholars like David T. Runia to whom I’m heavily indebted. This research paper investigates the following question: What is the meaning of the concept πολιτεία to Philo, especially in his treatise De opificio mundi? 4 To answer this question, first Philo’s environment, his methods used, and paradigms will be assessed. Secondly his writings will be examined with a particular focus on the use of πολιτεία (and related terms) in his tract De opificio mundi. By doing so, several conclusions about Philo’s understanding of πολιτεία can be made, specifically regarding foundational principles, identity markers and preservation of identity. Philo and the Alexandrian Hellenistic-Jewish πολιτεία Philo lived in Alexandria, a Hellenistic city in current-day Egypt which was populated by a large and influential Jewish community. According to Philo’s own account this Jewish population was exceptionally large, possibly up to a million. 5 This community living together in a district called ‘delta’ 6 and can aptly be called a πολιτεία. The concept of πολιτεία refers to body of citizens living together as a community united by common customs and beliefs. These communities had specific rights and duties and were recognized as such by the (Roman) government. A proper implantation of πολιτεία allowed multiple of such communities from diverse ethnic or religious backgrounds to peacefully coexist together. The importance of this concept is also visible from the fact that various Greek authors wrote about it. 7 Philo was part of a prominent and wealthy family and was later described by Josephus as “a man eminent on all accounts” and “one not unskilled in philosophy.” 8 However Josephus provides more historical information about his brother and family than on Philo himself. Likely this was due to his brother Julius Gaius Alexander holding a high ranking governing position 9 1 This paper was written in partial fulfillment of obtaining a Research Master's degree at Vrije University Amsterdam for the Research Module 'Hellenism and Early Judaism' (2022) by prof. dr. Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10207865. ORCID: 0000-0002-0343-1346. 2 Philo is commonly known as Philo of Alexandria (Philo Alexandrinus; Φίλων ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς) or as Philo the Jew (Philo Judaeus). 3 Erwin Ramsdell Goodenough, By Light, Light: The Mystic Gospel of Hellenistic Judaism (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1935), 5. 4 Further references to De Opificio Mundi will be by the commonly used abbreviation Opif. For ease of reading names of Philo’s other tracts will not be shortened. 5 Either in Alexandria or in the wider area, cf. Philo, In Flaccum §43. 6 Josephus, De Bello Iudaico, Libri II §495. 7 Notably Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Αθηναίων Πολιτεία. See also http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/wordfreq?lookup=politei/a&lang=greek&sort=max 8 Josephus, Antiq., Libri XVIII §259. 9 As ἀλαβάρχης. See Josephus, Antiq., Libri XVIII §§159&259.