aa5874

There is NOTHING proto-Christian in the writings of Philo regardless of what is claimed in "Church History".

If you take the time to read "On the Contemplative Life" you will see that it is CONTRARY to Church dogma.

Jews sang and still sing PSALMS to the God of Moses and are not classified as proto-Christians.

In NO writings of Philo is any Christian of a Jesus cult identified or any character called Jesus the Son of God who died for Our Sins and was raised from the dead.

We know all the writings that contain the Church dogma and it is NOT those of Philo.

1. We have the "Donation of Constantine" so we know EXACTLY what Church dogma is.

2. We have the Nicene Creed with the Church dogma.


3. We have the letter called Clement of Rome with the Church dogma.

Clivedurdle

Why would a Jewish group, strongly against idolatry, use the same name as a Greek true god worshipping huge international organisation?

Iskander

Eusebius wrote that the Therapeutæ (men) and Therapeutrides (women) community described by Philo was Christian.

Jaroslav Pelikan, The emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600), The University of Chicago Press, 1971.ISBN 100226653716, page 20, writes:


In page 207 of NPNF2-01. Eusebius Pamphilius: Church History, Life of Constantine, Oration in Praise of Constantine by Eusebius Pamphilius ,Christian Classics it says the sacred writings used by the community described by Philo were in fact the Gospels and Paul’ epistles.

outhouse

Im sorry but you DO NOT get to dictate what will and will not be used as evidence.

mountainman

Good question.

mountainman

It is not I but the Vatican and other Christian Churches (and their myriad forms of theological colleges and seminaries) that has been dictating what will and will not be used as evidence for many centuries for this or that historical claim.


Can't you people see I am just questioning the received tradition?


I am asking a question about the evidence. I am dictating nothing.


What evidence is there outside of the received Philonic "VC" that the therapeutae of antiquity were a Jewish sect?

stephan huller

because they were rendering something originally established in Hebrew or Aramaic = the attendants of God. the Greek term is used with all gods not one god specifically

outhouse

What evidence outside Philo states there was a sect called therapeutae ever existed.


So far you supplied a dream that said attendants to a temple existed, but did not name a sect nor did this dream describe a sect.


You have supplied plenty of imagination in connecting dots, but supplied nothing at all a sect outside Judaism existed.

stephan huller

The bottom line is that we can only be sure that if Philo spoke approvingly of the Therapeutae who he says were related to the Essenes that:

1. this group was 'Jewish' (i.e. conformed to Jewish ideals)
2. this group was 'contemplative' (i.e. conformed to notions of 'the contemplative life' established elsewhere in the writings of Philo)
3. this group eschewed paganism
4. this group conformed to the virtues established in Philo's other writings

There can be no doubt that this group did not worship Asclepius or that it was not related to Asclepius or Egyptian religion in any form because of what immediately follows from the first lines cited in my previous post. Philo continues:

What could be plainer than this? Asclepius was a demi-god (i.e. half divine, half mortal https://www.google.com/search?q=ascl...hrome&ie=UTF-8). Similarly Jesus was strictly speaking also a demi-god so the group could not be Christian in the normative sense.

stephan huller

So the point is that - while it is impossible to prove with one hundred percent accuracy even recent phenomena - the bottom line is that we have to weigh the evidence with respect to:

1. the only source of the information about this sect (= an Alexandrian Jew)
2. the things he says about the sect (= they are a branch of a Jewish group the Essenes)
3. the things he says about the sect's relationship with paganism (= negative, he/they eschew paganism)
4. the positive things he says about the virtue of the sect being in keeping with the founders of the nation of Israel (founded on the first commandment which strongly condemns paganism and idolatry)
5. the fact that he says that only the Israelite religion has virtue in his other writings
6. the fact that Philo only says negative things about paganism just like other Jews of all ages

To this end when you weigh all the evidence the scales tip massively in favor of the sect being Jewish and anti-pagan in outlook. This is to be expected with a Jewish writer and a Jewish sect.