Jewish Exegesis and Homeric Scholarship in Alexandria

Maren R. Niehoff is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is the author of Philo on Jewish Identity and Culture (2001).

'Niehoff's work clearly and carefully situates the work of Philo in its broader Alexandrian context. Her consistent use of sources largely unavailable to many scholars, particularly for those concerned with the history of Jewish biblical interpretation, makes her work an invaluable touchstone for future studies of Philo.' Bryn Mawr Classical Review

• 1. Setting the stage; Part I. Early Jewish Responses to Homeric Scholarship: 2. A conservative reaction to critical scholarship in the letter of Aristeas; 3. Questions and answers in Aristotelian style: Demetrius' anonymous colleagues; 4. Aristobulus' questions and answers as a tool for philosophical instruction; Part II. Critical Homeric Methods in the Fragments of Philo's Anonymous Colleagues: 5. Comparative mythology; 6. Historical perspectives on Scripture; 7. Traces of text criticism among Alexandrian Jews; Part III. The Inversion of Homeric Scholarship by Philo: 8. Literal methods of Homeric scholarship in Philo's allegorical commentary; 9. Philo's questions and answers as a manual of instruction; 10. Philo's exposition of the law at a significant distance from Alexandrian scholarship; Epilogue; Abbreviations; Bibliography; Index.