Philo on Jewish Identity and Culture (2001 Niehoff), book

Philo on Jewish Identity and Culture (2001) is a book by Maren R. Niehoff.

Abstract

"This book is the first systematic enquiry into the ways Philo saw himself as a Jew and perceived of Jewish culture in the multi-ethnic environment of first century Alexandria. Applying the theories of ethnicity and culture developed by Frederik Barth and Clifford Geertz, the book gives emphasis to the nature and dynamics of social constructs which shaped Philo's discourse and religion. Particular attention is in this context paid to his construction of others. Furthermore, Rome is for the first time taken into account as a political, cultural and religious factor which exercised an all-encompassing influence. Philo's writings are thus interpreted with a view to the question how he negotiated not two, but three main traditions, namely the Jewish, the Roman and the Greek, and how his positions integrated him into the contemporary Roman discourse. Philo'’s views on these matters have important implications beyond his own figure and the Jewish community. They are crucial for a better understanding of the Hellenistic world which was in the first century to a large extent characterized by the encounter between the Greek East and the Roman West. Philo's construction of Jewish identity and culture is moreover indispensable for a proper appreciation of early Christian writers who lived in the same world and confronted very similar issues."--Publisher description.

"Dies ist die erste systematische Untersuchung darüber, wie Philo sich selbst als Jude sah und wie er die jüdische Kultur in der multi-ethnischen Umgebung Alexandriens im ersten Jahrhundert wahrnahm. Die Autorin wendet die von Frederik Barth und Clifford Geertz entwickelten Theorien der Ethnizität und Kultur an, um die Natur und die Dynamik der sozialen Konstrukte zu betonen, die den Diskurs und die Religion Philos prägten. Überdies wird Rom zum ersten Mal als politischer, kultureller und religiöser Faktor berücksichtigt, der einen allumfassenden Einfluß ausübte. Daher werden die Schriften Philos anhand der Frage interpretiert, wie er mit drei Haupttraditionen fertig wurde, nämlich der jüdischen, römischen und griechischen, und wie seine Standpunkte ihn in den zeitgenössischen römischen Diskurs integrierten."--Publisher description (German).

Editions

Published Tübingen, Germany: Mohr Siebeck, (Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism, 86).

Contents

Part One: Jewish Identity

1. Jewish Descent: Mothers and Mothercities 17 -- 2. The Egyptians as Ultimate Other 45 -- 3. Jewish Values: Religion and Self-Restraint 75 -- 4. Roman Benefactors and Friends 111 -- 5. Greeks and Greek Culture 137

Part Two: Jewish Culture

6. Transforming New-Born Children into Jewish Adults 161 -- 7. The Textuality of Jewish Culture 187 -- 8. Parables as Translators of Culture 210 -- 9. Inscribing Jewish Customs into Nature 247

Bibliography 267 -- Indices 295.

External links

• [ Google Books]