vid

What is Jerome here refering to? Did Philo write about christians?

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf203.v.iii.xiii.html

aa5874

Jerome may have in error associated the Essenes with Christianity. Philo wrote about the Essenes in "Hypothetica", but this sect appears not to have any knowledge of Jesus of Nazareth or his teachings.

Ben C Smith

Jerome is getting his information from Eusebius, History of the Church, 2.16.1-2:

Τουτον δε πρωτον φασιν επι της Αιγυπτου στειλαμενον, το ευαγγελιον ο δη και συνεγραψατο κηρυξαι, εκκλησιας τε πρωτον επ αυτης Αλεξανδρειας συστησασθαι.

And they say that this man [Mark] was the first one sent unto Egypt, that he preached the gospel which he had also written down, and was the first to establish churches in Alexandria itself.

Τοσαυτη δ αρα των αυτοθι πεπιστευκοτων πληθυς ανδρων τε και γυναικων εκ πρωτης επιβολης συνεστη δι ασκησεως φιλοσοφωτατης τε και σφοδροτατης ως και γραφης αυτων αξιωσαι τας διατριβας και τας συνηλυσεις τα τε συμποσια και πασαν την αλλην του βιου αγωγην τον Φιλωνα.

And so great was the multitude of those who had believed, both men and women, that had been together there from the first by the most philosophical and excessive asceticism that Philo deemed it worthwhile to write of their pursuits, their meetings, their symposia, and their whole other manner of life.

Eusebius is referring to the book περι βιου θεωρητικου η ικετων by Philo (also known as de vita contemplativa, or On the Contemplative Life in English), in which Philo describes the monklike therapeutae, whom Eusebius evidently, but incorrectly, takes to be Alexandrian Christians (the tradition being that Mark founded the Alexandrian church).

Ben.

ETA: An English translation of this book by Philo, along with some comments about Eusebius and Mark, is available at Early Jewish Writings.

vid

thank you