On Joseph

Emil Schürer writes:
“The third chief group of Philo’s works on the Pentateuch is a Delineation of the Mosaic Legislation for non-Jews. In this whole group indeed, the allegorical explanation is still occasionally employed. In the main however we have here actual historical delineations, a systematic statement of the great legislative work of Moses, the contents, excellence and importance of which, the author desires to make evident to non-Jewish readers, and indeed to as large a circle of them as possible. For the delineation is more a popular one, while the large allegorical commentary is an esoteric, and according to Philo’s notions a strictly scientific work. The contents of the several compositions forming this group differ indeed considerably, and are apparently independent of each other. Their connection however, and consequently the composition of the whole work, cannot, according to Philo’s own intimations, be doubtful. As to plan it is divided into three parts. (a) The beginning and as it were the introduction to the whole is formed by a description of the creation of the world (κοσμοποιια), which is placed first by Moses for the purpose of showing, that his legislation and its precepts are in conformity with the will of nature (προς το βουλημα της φυσεως), and that consequently he who obeys it is truly a citizen of the world (κοσμοπολιτης) (de mundi opif. § 1). This introduction is followed by (b) biographies of virtuous men. These are, as it were, the living, unwritten laws (εμψυχοι και λογικοι νομοι de Abrahamo, § 1, νομοι αγραφοι de decalogo, § 1), which represent, in distinction from the written and specific commands, universl moral norms (τους καθολικωτερους και ωσαν αρχετυπους νομους de Abrahamo, § 1). Lastly, the third part embraces (c) the delineation of the legislation proper, which is divided into two parts: (1) that of the ten chief commandments of the law, and (2) that of the special laws belonging to each of these ten commandments. Then follow by way of appendix a few treatises on certain cardinal virtues, and on the rewards of the good and the punishment of the wicked. This survey of the contents shows at once, that it was Philo’s intention to place before his readers a clear description of the entire contents of the Pentateuch, which should be in essential matters complete. His view however is in this respect the genuinely Jewish one, that these entire contents fall under the notion of the νομος.” (The Literature of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus, pp. 338-339)

Emil Schürer comments:
“Βιος πολιτικος οπερ εστι περι Ιωσηφ. De Josepho (Mangey, ii. 47-79).—After the life of Abraham we next expect the biographies of Isaac and Jacob. That Philo wrote these is made certain by the opening of de Josepho. They seem to have been very soon lost, since not a trace of them is anywhere preserved. The beginning of de Josepho makes it also certain, that this composition follows here, which is strange, since we might have expected that the number of typical βιοι was exhausted with the triad Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Joseph however is made to succeed them, because the examples of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob refer only to the ideal cosmopolitan state of the world, not to the empiric world with its various constitutions. The life of Joseph is therefore said to show, ‘how the wise man has to move in actually existing political life.’—In the editions the title is βιος πολιτικου, the manuscripts have βιος πολιτικος (Mangey, ii. 41, note. Pitra, Analecta, ii. 317). Euseb. H. E. ii. 18. 6: ο πολιτικος. Photius, Biblioth. cod. 103: περι βιου πολιτικου. Suidas, Lex s.v. Αβρααμ Φιλων εν τω του πολιτικου βιω (Suidas in the article Φιλων, following the Greek translator of Jerome, writes περι αγωγης βιου).” (The Literature of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus, p. 342)

F. H. Colson writes (Philo, vol. 6, pp. 138-139):

The place of this treatise in the series, as well as the remarkable contrast between the character of Joseph as here represented and the Joseph of the allegorical commentary, have been discussed in the General Introduction to this volume. The treatise after a few words about the preparation given by the shepherd’s craft for government tells the story of Joseph’s dream, his brothers’ jealousy, their gale of him to the merchants who in turn sold him to Potiphar and the false report which they made to Jacob (1-27). It contains the first two of the set speeches which are a distinguishing feature of the treatise, viz. Reuben’s remonstrance (17-21) and Jacob’s lamentation (23-27). The allegorization which follows treats a few scattered points and not the story as a whole. That politicians have to deal with institutions which are conventional rather than natural is indicated by Joseph’s name of “Addition” (to Nature), that they must be resourceful by his coat of many colours, that they are often a prey to vanity by the false story that wild beasts had devoured him, that they are often bought and sold by the two sales (28-36); and it is to be noted that though the main purpose of the treatise is to show the ideal statesman, these mostly deal with the baser side of political life. When the story is resumed it relates his history in Potiphar’s house till his imprisonment, in the course of which we have the eloquent but rather absurd remonstrance of Joseph to Potiphar’s wife (37-53). The subjoined allegories are much more relevant than the earlier ones to the substance of the story and to the higher side of the politician. We may see the spiritual barrenness of the multitude and its tendency to cater for pleasure in Potiphar, the eunuch and cook, its demands on the statesman in Potiphar’s wife and the refusal of the true statesman to cringe in Joseph’s rejections of her overtures (54-79). In 80-124 the story is carried on through Joseph’s life in prison, his interpretation of the dreams and his release and exaltation. Then from 125-147 follows what is not so much an allegory in the proper sense as a meditation on the thought that all life is a dream and the task of a true statesman is to discover and set forth the truths which lie behind this dream. After this we have a few more definitely allegorical interpretations of some of the incidents of Joseph’s exaltation as illustrating the attitude of the democracy to the politician, and an attempt to show that the different treatment by Pharaoh of the cook (Potiphar), the butler and the baker represent the different ways in which the body-loving mind regards luxuries and necessities (148-156). From this point onwards to the end the story runs on continuously through the adventures of Joseph and his brethren as it appears in Genesis with, of course, much amplification both of incidents and speeches.