Abstract

The article analyzes the book by M.R. Niehoff entitled: "Philo of Alexandria". An Intellectual Biography. Niehoff’s study connects the historical aspects of the Alexandrian’s biography with his exegetical and philosophical activity, in the light of the developments of recent research. Niehoff applies the comparative approach, reworking in an original way the stages of Philo’s journey, the development of his personality, and the maturation of his thinking. Following the movements of the Alexandrian, Niehoff highlights the role of two cities and their cultural, philosophical and religious environment. The first environment is represented by the initial formation of the Jewish diaspora in Alexandria. The second environment consists of the cosmopolitan reality of Rome, where Philo goes on the embassy to Gaius. While in classical biographies scholars follow a progressive presentation from Alexandria to Rome, Niehoff revises this approach. She proposes a «retrospective» reading of Philo’s work, starting from the systematization of his thought and writings in the Roman environment and going back to the origins of the first Alexandrian education. In this monography Niehoff combines the historical events that mark the biography of the Alexandrian with his genuine Jewish identity and openness to dialogue with the philosophical culture of his time (Stoic thought and the nascent second sophistic).