Philo Judaeus, on the Contemplative Life 



By Fraxk William Tildex 

 Professor of Greek in Indiana University 



I 



CSL. 471) Xow that I have discoursed concerning the Essenes, 

 who zealously fohowed and diligently cultivated the practical life^ 

 in all its aspects, or. to use an expression that will be less objection- 

 able, in most of its aspects, I shall proceed, after the projected plan 

 of my work in the regular order, to speak of what seems appropriate 

 concerning those also who have embraced the contemplative life. I 

 shall introduce nothing of my own views just to make a better case, 

 as is customary with the poets and chroniclers thru a scarcity of 

 good examples, but sincerely adhering to the truth itself in the 

 presence of which I know that even the cleverest speaker will 

 sometimes give up. Yet one must fight it out along this line, and 

 struggle earnestly to succeed. For it is not right that the magnitude 

 of these men's virtues should be the cause of silence to those who 

 believe that nothing truly fine and noble should be passed over in 

 silence. 



But the A'ocation of these philosophers is revealed at once by the 

 very name, for they are cahed "Therapeutae" and '"Therapeutrides"- 

 (healers, male and femalej, in accordance with the etymology of the 

 words. 



^ Altho the Essenes were popular among many, yet possibly there were 

 some who would object to any such sweeping statement. The Essenes were 

 confined to Syria, as we learn not only from Philo but from Josephus and 

 Pliny. Philo A'aries in his account of their numbers, telling us in his treatise 

 Quod Omnis Probm Liber that there were about 4.000 of them, and in his Apology 

 for the Jews that they nimibered tens of thousands. 



- The word "Therapeutae" is used both for "healers'" and for "worshippers" . 

 It seems that Eusebius thought that since John ^Nlark had visited Alexandria 

 and doubtless had a goodly following there. Philo must be describing the early 

 Christians imder the guise of the Therapeutae. If so. the^e would then be the 

 first Christian monks. But this is not so. Some authorities think that this 

 little essa}^ by Philo and the preceding one about the Essenes alluded to above 

 belonged to a longer Apology for the Jews, which may have been prepared 

 previously but was used by Philo when on the embassy to the Emperor Caligula 

 in 40 A.D. It sought to show the Gentiles the attractiveness of at least two 

 Jewish cults. 



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